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One-2-Go
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Posted: Sun Apr 9th, 2006 09:32 pm |
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The Clark campus sits directly on Main Street and is bordered on the other three sides by residential neighborhoods. It’s a mix of traditional and contemporary brick buildings and restored Victorians near campus. All appeared to be in good condition. Move more than a few blocks from campus and the area becomes quite run down.
I got something of a claustrophobic feel on campus since it is very compact with practically no open space. Athletic fields, which typically add to a sense of openness, are located several blocks away. The din of city life is always in the background and I wonder how difficult it might be to find privacy and quiet. This, of course, is my opinion and there are probably plenty of people who would thrive in this type of urban environment.
The junior open house was well attended and the first two speakers, the Provost and the Dean of Admissions, were engaging and informative. Next, was a student panel with a Q&A session. I found the students laidback and comfortable with the large crowd.
My son’s beef with the open house was its length – three 50 minute sessions and then a tour. At least he was well fed with breakfast snacks and all-you-can-eat for lunch.
There is much to like about Clark - the small liberal arts college combined with the research university, the accelerated BA/MA program and the high percentage of international students (70 countries!). Our tour guide was so taken by Clark that he applied ED. I don’t think DS will even apply. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see the benefits and decided that the urban life just might not be for him. He gave Clark a “C”.
My advice – visit.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Sun Apr 9th, 2006 11:46 pm |
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One-2-go, Thanks for posting about Clark. This was a school my daughter went back and forth about. She loved the academic offerings she saw on the web, but we couldn't visit before she'd have to apply. She talked to some Clark kids about the campus via livejournal and came away with the same feeling you did: it would be hard to find a private place on campus (or off for that matter) to escape to. She ended up not applying for that very reason. I have, however, heard many wonderful stories of kids who truly enjoyed their time at Clark, so I think, like you, that those who wouldn't mind a more urban atmosphere shouldn't rule it out without a visit.
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unbelievablem
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Posted: Sun Apr 9th, 2006 11:52 pm |
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we visited clark after having visited a school where i commented that every one looked the same -- we certainly didn't have that feeling at clark and it was refreshing.
and one of the things we found VERY appealing was the 5th year free program - students who maintain a certain gpa can stay and study for a fifth year free - which could be an inexpensive route to a masters. we were told when we visited that a fairly high percentage of students in fact quialified for this 5th year free, and of that a decent portion took them up on it - don't recall the numbers, but it was certainly enough that we walked away feeling that it was a real option, not an empty offer.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Mon Apr 10th, 2006 07:39 pm |
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| What impressed me (and my daughter) about Clark was the emphasis on undergraduate research and independent study. Their website lists in detail some of projects that undergraduates have done in each discipline and they were quite interesting and impressive. I think it would be a great place for a kid itching to pursue his/her own interests beyond just the classroom.
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Joan
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Posted: Tue Apr 11th, 2006 12:32 am |
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| This is second hand information - but my understanding is that Clark is viewed very favorably by the community, while its neighbor College of The Holy Cross is perceived to be insular and standoffish. I believe Clark students volunteer tons of community service hours.
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unbelievablem
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Posted: Tue Apr 11th, 2006 11:56 am |
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when we went to an info session about Clark, they made a point of saying that the university made the conscious decision to embrace its community rather than trying to insulate itself from it - so they definitely are trying to have a positive impact on the area.
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fredo
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| Joined: | Fri Apr 7th, 2006 |
| Location: | Indiana |
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Posted: Tue Apr 11th, 2006 08:07 pm |
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| We visited Clark as well and my daughter really loved the academic side of the school as well as the diversity of the student population. As a psychology major, she valued the excellence of the program and the research opportunities. She couldn't get past Worcester (and neither could I, frankly) combined with the fact that it was really too far away from Boston to be a true Boston school. She wound up not applying. When she described her ideal school it was: Clark's academics with Boston College's campus in Wittenberg University's location (about 2 1/2 hours from home).
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Northeastmom
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Posted: Tue Apr 11th, 2006 10:58 pm |
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We also visited Clark. We did not realize that accounting was not an undergraduate major there, so my son did not apply. It is accredited by the AACSB, but the business school is mainly for graduate students.
One important point is that if you are seeking merit money, I would read about all of particulars involved. It is my understanding that you may need to make several personal appearances to be in the game for merit money (at least some of the awards). I read that there seemed to be many hoops to jump through, and not everyone finds it worthwhile (missing school, some students may need to travel a long distance).
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Wed Apr 12th, 2006 02:38 am |
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Northeastmom wrote: One important point is that if you are seeking merit money, I would read about all of particulars involved. It is my understanding that you may need to make several personal appearances to be in the game for merit money (at least some of the awards). I read that there seemed to be many hoops to jump through, and not everyone finds it worthwhile (missing school, some students may need to travel a long distance).
This seems to be a problem at several schools. At Beloit, for instance, to be eligible for the largest merit scholarship you have to attend one of two "scholarship weekends" where you are interviewed by students and faculty. While they do give out quite a few scholarships (and have others that are smaller that only require an interview with an admissions rep that can be done locally or even on the phone in some cases), I thought having to miss school and pay airfare to fly across country just on the possibility you might get a merit scholarship was kind of a pain, not to mention costly.
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Canadian
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Posted: Tue Mar 25th, 2008 02:08 am |
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We visited Clark last year because of its write-up in Colleges That Change Lives. It was appealing because it has two environmental studies majors, the price-tag is a little lower than some LACs , and that free 5th year MA is quite the deal.
The campus, as noted a above, was disappointing. There is almost no outdoors club, a deal-breaker for my S.
One nice thing at the admissions office is that they have student ad reps who just sit around the waiting area with you and answer any questions in a very informal way. I asked one what she liked least about Clark, and she said lack of adequate funding for athletics. She was a varsity runner. So this was another deal-breaker for S.
On the other hand, I sat around the student center chatting with the Hillel director for over an hour while S was in class and the director was manning a ballot box. I was impressed with the variety & number of activities that happen every day at the student center. Also, for Jewish students, Clark offers one of the largest and most active Hillels in the country and one that includes a large number on non-Jewish kids. (Who doesn't want a lox & bagels brunch??)
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Momof3
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Posted: Thu Apr 10th, 2008 01:27 am |
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| My son also loved Clark, but didn't get enough money to attend. I worried at the time about their finances after reading a letter from the president to the staff about lagging endowments but it ended up we didn't have to fret about that long. It does have wonderful programs, the students are not "cookie-cutters" and my son would have liked their Psychology program I'm sure. But Drew was also liked and it worked out well. My husband and him did not like Holy Cross at all when they visited and found some of the staff rude and snobby. It was a much "colder" feel. Drew and Clark were two of the friendliest colleges and they felt welcome, not "you are so privileged to be here".
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