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Elizabeth
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| Posted: Dec 13 2006 at 4:09pm | IP Logged
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Michael got an offer today. Do I  ? Sort of came out of nowhere. Does anybody know anything about
University of the South, also known as Sewanee? If nothing else, his confidence went up half a notch.
Also,he got a very promising "maybe" from the coach at Holy Cross. I'm nervous about the orthodoxy there. Thoughts?
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JennGM
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A guy I dated was assistant football coach at Holy Cross. But from what I remember, it's not a really orthodox school. I think Michael would do fine...better than fine.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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KASB
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| Posted: Dec 14 2006 at 3:51pm | IP Logged
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Dear Elizabeth,
Sewanee has an excellent reputation and a gorgeous campus. I visited many years ago and remember being very impressed with the campus. It was a popular choice with many of the students from my Catholic high school in TN. The basketball coach and one of my favorite teachers was an alum, and he always gave it glowing praise.
I will continue to keep Michael and you in my prayers as you navigate the college application/decision process.
Blessings,
Kym
mom to 9 - 8 boys (24,14,10,9,7,4,3,16 mos.) and 1 girl(22)
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Angel
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| Posted: Dec 14 2006 at 4:29pm | IP Logged
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Oh, my! I grew up in Winchester, about 20-30 minutes down the mountain from Sewanee! What a small world. 
Sewanee does indeed have a beautiful campus, as well as a good reputation, particularly in English. It has a dress code, and upperclassmen wear robes to class. All Saints Chapel is gorgeous. Dogs are allowed to run free all over campus, and Sewanee dogs are very friendly. The library -- where I used to go to do research when I was in high school -- is a wonderful place.
There are lots of outside activities to do in the area -- rock-climbing, whitewater rafting not too far away, great hiking right on campus -- but not too much else, which leads to the biggest problem with Sewanee. It's a party school. Much of the student body has more money than they know what to do with, so dr*gs are a big problem on campus... or at least they were when I was a teenager (lo, these many moons ago... or at least 15 years  . I can't think that's it changed much since then, though.) They have a tradition of bringing up and coming bands to campus... REM played there before they got famous, when they were just a few guys from Athens, GA.
Another thing you'd probably want to take into consideration is the Catholic community there. As far as I know (and I can check with my mom, who *might* know even though she doesn't go to Mass anymore  ) one priest covers the entire county, which is large. When I lived there the Sewanee Catholic Community was very small, and they only had Mass on Saturday afternoons. There are two other parishes in the county, but they're about 30 minutes away (more or less) and down the mountain. I don't know about their orthodoxy, and of course Sewanee itself is Episcopal. (There is an Episcopal seminary there as well.)
I would say, however, that a kid with a good head on his shoulders could do quite well there.  It *is* a highly respected school, particularly in the South. But there are definitely some dangers to navigate.
--Angela
Mom to 3+2 
Three Plus Two
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ALmom
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| Posted: Dec 15 2006 at 2:04am | IP Logged
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Well Sewanee is not too far from us (about 1 1/2 hours)- they do have some fairly famous summer music camps - several string players and at least one conservative Protestant homeschooler from our area have gone there for the summer camp and were very happy - realize summer camp in music isn't the same as what your son is looking for, but they do seem to have quite a bit of varity there at Sewanee and it is definitely respected.
I would second finding out about Catholic parishes/Mass. A small Catholic presence isn't necessarily a bad thing as these parishes people tend to really bond quickly for mutual support and will be excited and welcoming to a new face very, very quickly (and likely to put your son to work right away) - you just need to realistically know how far a drive you are talking about. While visiting the college, I'd visit the nearest parish (these out of the way, small Catholic parishes are often very conservative - they just may be far away and you do want to check it out as there will not be many options - you also sometimes find that they are all older people with only a few teens and no one else) If it is in the diocese I'm thinking, they have a very good bishop - newly assigned within the last few years. Also be sure to find out if chapel attendance is mandatory - many of the Protestant schools around here do require this - don't know if Sewanee does or not. Also check airfares to and from your area to the nearest airport (and how far the airport is from the school) to get a more realistic comparison of expense - we often drive 2-3 hours from our city for more reasonable (read sane) airfares. It is much higher than what you get going to major hubs - and no competition.
I'd also say that from what I've seen, it seems that all the colleges have a problem with partying - no matter how serious the school. In doing the college tour, we found it helpful to just show up and look around during school hours - and then also do the standard tour. But while one of us is doing the canned tour with the tour guide who only wants you to see the positives, the other parent is doing the wander around campus, talk to students and find out the real scoop. They will assure you things like - they take a shuttle bus to the nearest airport with students over thanksgiving (but don't tell you that they schedule this shuttle before the last day of classes so in order to take advantage students have to skip class) or they push the advantages of the honor dorm (but don't tell you directly that it is the most expensive dorm on campus - and these kids are the wildest because they've APd out of so much the first year, they can take it easy and party. You do find this out from asking just the right questions of just the right students and each school seems to have its party dorms and studious dorms. In some places there are certain dorms that certain types gravitate to (or majors). You also read a lot by reading the stuff pinned up for students in the dorm elevators.
Really happy for him to finally start seeing offers coming in. Life takes so many crazy ups and downs in that year of college decision making.
We're in the wrong direction for a stay to break up your trip (a bit further south) but let us know if we can assist in any way - or if you want to make a vacation out of college visits and come a bit out of the way to see Mother Angelica, etc. and need a home base in the middle to operate from. We'd love to meet you in person.
Janet
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: Jan 04 2007 at 10:54am | IP Logged
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How does one get to Sewanee? Do you fly into Nashville and drive from there? We're trying to figure out logistics for an official visit...
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Angel
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It's closer to Chattanooga, if you could get a flight there that didn't cost an arm and a leg. (I just checked and it says they do have connecting flights to DC.)
Flying into Nashville is your next best option. It would probably take you... 1 hr 45 min (or so, depending on traffic in Nashville) to get there from the Nashville airport. Chattanooga is about an hour away.
Hope things work out!!
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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MacBeth
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| Posted: Jan 04 2007 at 12:32pm | IP Logged
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And Tennessee is a lovely drive from VA .
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MacBeth in NY
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KASB
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MacBeth wrote:
| And Tennessee is a lovely drive from VA . |
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Unless it's the day before Thanksgiving and raining and you're sitting in a looong traffic jam 
Blessings,
Kym
mom to 9 - 8 boys (24,14,10,9,7,4,3,17 mos.) and 1 girl(22)
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ALmom
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Elizabeth:
You may want to consider looking at fares between Baltimore and Nashville on SW. My dh said that these tend to be the cheapest fares, even having to rent a car. We've always found the fares between our area and DC a bit pricey.
It is a lovely drive from DC south - though very long. We've done AL to DC every year for a while and it is 14 hours driving time. If you take the scenic route (Blue Ridge Parkway), it takes you through the Smokeys but doubles your driving time. On the map it looks shorter - but it really, really is not (Don't ask how we know )
Janet
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: Jan 06 2007 at 4:42am | IP Logged
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MacBeth wrote:
| And Tennessee is a lovely drive from VA . |
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"Lovely" is not what comes to mind when I think of Karoline in a carseat for any extended period of time.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Angel
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We used to live up north of Rockville, MD. It generally took us about 12 hours to drive to my parents' house on the interstate. (This was with no kids.)
When we came home for Christmas the year my first was 2.5 months old, the 2 hour flight from BWI to Nashville even seemed like it was too long.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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ALmom
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If you are on a time budget and air fares are affordable, then flying seems more fun with a newbornand littles. However, doing it the way you are going to have to with a flight then a drive, it will be exhausting (or at least that is our experience) to some extent anyways. It might be more fun to plan a tour day and nice rest before driving the last leg (especially if you have unanticipated delays - and these are common especially if the flight is routed through somewhere else like Dallas or Chicago). Chattanooga has a really neat acquarium (indoors and sometimes crowded but if you do the Smithsonian stuff it is no worse than that) or Rock City (be aware that there are places along the path without childproof railing). Nashville you might be able to visit the Nashville Dominicans - they're great and in full habit!
If you must drive long distances (and 12 hours for you is probably a good estimate of the time), I will tell you that putting yourself on a timetable with reservations at set stops is stressful. The way we finally worked out (after one very horrible experience with a fussy infant driving and me promising my dh that I would never ever drive with a baby again) was that we made sure we had excessive amounts of time, set out very, very early (long before we had to be there) and my dh promised that we would stop for a break whenever the baby peeped - and we stopped a lot, took all kinds of nature trail tours where the kids could walk and run and I could nurse comfortably (I did develop a technique for nursing with both of us secure in our car-seats and seat belts (probably not doable for anyone with back problems). We didn't make reservations anywhere but simply found someplace (tour book was an essential item here)when we decided that it was time to stop. At 1 AM no one asked how many people we were putting in a room - just 2 adults and children was all we ever said. One time we took 3 days, drove when the baby napped and at night. The drives actually were much more pleasant like this and we had fuss free driving (except when we discovered one child that gets car sick - luckily he outgrew it. That time it took us 5 hours from Nashville to home (should have only taken 2).
If you do need to drive (and I understand how I would avoid it if I could), I can give you names of some of the places we have stopped on the way.
We'll be praying for the best. I don't think there is an airport in Sewanee - but you can always ask the college how students generally do the trips in and out. Sometimes there are little airports for private planes.
Janet
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: Sewanee or maybe Holy Cross?
