Sarah Lawrence College
Reviews

Conference System

The way SLC conference system makes you feel is like that of giving birth. You dread it, but in the end you cannot be more proud of yourself when you've produced a good conference paper. Professors are smart, wonderful, and give you full attention. It's hard to get this kind of elitist education elsewhere. This has been the best academic experience for me so far!

Powerful but isolated.

Sarah Lawrence is not for everyone. I spent a year there as a visiting student and fell in love with parts, and could not stand other parts.

In general, what makes SLC so special is also what makes it difficult for the average student. SLC is a place of directed learning, where you as a student must challenge yourself. Much as with Hampshire, you get out what you put in. In my visiting sophomore year was expected to do graduate level work because I presented myself to the professor in a way that allowed him to push me that far. Other students did not engage with their class materials, and received fine marks, but that doens't really matter at SLC.

In effect, when you graduate, you will have a letter of recommendation from every class you took. If you do well, that means you will have as many as 24 personal reviews and assessments of your ability as a student. This is invaluable when applying to graduate school, but can also shoot you in the foot. At a state school, if you slack off and get a B, no one knows. At SLC if you slack off it will be on your permanent record in the review. Alternatively, if you struggle and push and get a C-, the professor will probably write a glowing review of how you tried your best.

Without any majors, SLC can be very socially isolating. The conference system means as much as 50% of the work you do for a class must be individual, no study groups, no homework sessions.

I loved my time there. But it is not for everyone.

Andrews House

Andrews House and Andrews court are the best places to live on campus. Not many people live off campus. Fear the New Dorms and Hill House.

A healthy variety

The food at SLC is quality college dining hall food. Honestly students here don't appreciate how lucky we are. We always have vegetarian and vegan options, there is always a variety of meals at Bates (dining hall), and everything is made with quality and is health conscientious. The Pub is a great alternative, since it's hours are open late and those who work there are always extremely busy. Only complaint is that places get busy during peak hours. Smaller cafe-style are scattered around campus, such as in student centers or other facilities. The furtherst housing unit has its own mini-mart, which is fantastic because that housing unit also has kitchens. Many amazing perks to eating here.

Always a Spot

There's always somewhere to park close enough to where you're going. You don't need a car on campus at all because you can just call the main desk and the shuttle will pick you up anywhere, anytime for free 24/7. That's a nice thing in the winter. Permit costs are cheaper than they were in my high school.

Everything

A lot of people here don't realize how good the options actually are. While Yonkers has a lot of the chain restaurants, and more options for ethnic food, Bronxville has beautiful local cafes and such. And many places deliver to the school. Not giving it an A+ because the only grocery store in walkable distance is a 10min walk to Stop & Shop from the center of campus. Not bad, but I wish it were a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. But the campus shuttles provide weekend trips to Trader Joe's which is nice.

Safe, Cozy, & Limitless

It's a suburb of NYC, so you get the safety and security of Bronxville, which is a cute little uppser class town, and the possibility of going into New York at anytime, which is where you'll find endless resources. It's the best of both worlds because you get the comfort of a small town, and the option of the big city. Bronxville and SLC don't connect in many ways, which is why I am not giving this an A+. But the people are friendly, and there are community partnership programs with Yonkers so, it's all good.

Rigorous and Rewarding Writing Program.

I'm going to be majoring in Liberal Arts, but my focus is writing right now. The writing courses are pretty intense, but it's definitely worth it. It's a lot of work, but it helps you learn what you excel at and what you need to work on. Professors are very dedicated to students and their ideas. The school's only a half an hour away (by train) from Manhattan, so it offers tons of internships there. I don't think I need to elaborate on how brilliant it is to have an internship in Manhattan.

The Campus Is Gorgeous.

Being a writing student, the facility I've used most is the library. It's pretty decently sized and the resources are fabulous. The campus used to basically be a manor, so it's wonderful. It looks very old fashioned from the outside, but the buildings are modernized on the inside. The campus is nice and green and looks gorgeous both during the fall and spring semesters.

Professors Are Easily Accessible.

I just transferred to SLC after being a guest student last semester. I originally went because of a writing program, but fell absolutely in love with the school's alternate education. The classes are more like group discussions. The professors are all very passionate and kind. I love that projects are formed to students' interests and that the professors are so accessible.

I Love SLC!

Sarah Lawrence is great for me. I couldn't be happier or more at home. If I could pick it again I would - the individualized learning experience is worth every penny, and the good financial aid office makes it so those pennies are few and far between.

The Safest

SLC has a small, dedicated group of security personnel who mostly drive shuttles taking kids home at night and maker sure everything is okay - not to bust parties with booze. We have the blue light system but nobody has ever had to use it, to my knowledge, since we've been here. I feel very safe on campus, there is no campus violence and very little campus crime of other flavors. Things can get dicey in Yonkers but I've never had a problem.

SLC Hibernates... but Has Fun in the Sun

During the winter our campus shuts down a little, but its totally worth it because campus explodes as soon as the sun comes out.

Cute, Fun and Laid Back

Sarah Lawrence Sports are fun, and anyone can participate. We really emphasize team-spirit, not necessarily winning. Our sports center is beautiful, but we're not the most athletic student body. Our PE credit come from things like playground games and bocci club.

Open Curriculum

Everybody majors in liberal arts. There are no specific majors beyond that. So you are able to take whatever classes you want because you don't have any curriculum to fulfill.

There are, however, certain areas that you need to take classes in (Arts, Social Sciences, Humanities, Natural Science) but as long as you take a class in each one of those (As you'd probably want to do anyway.) you're golden.

Sucks

The college touts a large average financial aid package, and there's a noticeable minority of students who have had their tuition seriously reduced thanks to aid. But not a single dollar of my need was met, and I know plenty of other students that either got no help or were greatly underserved by financial aid. At the most expensive college in the country, that is a huge barrier to entry for many qualified applicants.

Distinct, for Better or Worse (And Often Both)

Sarah Lawrence has many distinct qualities and quirks to it. Academically, being in small classes and having the opportunity to meet with professors has made my academic experience more immediate. As well, being able to interview for classes before signing up for them has been something I've appreciated (though it isn't foolproof).

Socially, there are lots of small groups of people rather than huge social scenes, parties and such. Though this can frustrate people, it seems that with time, more and more people find a social spot they like.

There's also the part where Sarah Lawrence is a half hour train ride away from midtown Manhattan (though most people here don't seem to take advantage of this nearly enough.)

Pricy, Limited, but Good

There are plenty of good restaurants around, and most deliver. The good ones can be a bit pricy, though not exorbitant. My favorites are Haiku, Blue Moon Mexican Cafe, and Wild Ginger.

Bronxville is Richville, Yonkers is the Hood

I personally prefer Yonkers because it feels less bourgeois and there are more shops that serve real purposes AKA a big grocery store, multiplex, cell phone stores, Macy's and other clothes outlets, dunkin donuts, fast food, etcetera. Bronxville is cute though, they have a nice deli, nice bagel place, nice hardware store, very pretty library and a bunch of clothing boutiques.

Academics at Sarah Lawrence College

The academics at Sarah Lawrence are rigorous. However, with the conference system in which you study one-on-one with each of your professors, it's hard not to find yourself studying something you're incredibly interested in.

Nowhere else are you able to design your own major while planning a custom academic track. The general requirements are minor, giving you, as a student, total control of your academic plan. Your three registered classes equate to that of six at any other college or university, as you attend each class two or three times a week, and meet one-on-one with professors once a week to devise an independent research project somewhat relating to the respective subject of the class.

Great If You Have a Computer

There are a few labs on campus with iMacs that dual boot Windows and Mac, but none are great places to work for extended periods of time. If you have your own laptop (which most students do), it's great. The whole campus is wireless, and network speeds are generally fantastic. Printers are also available, though you can only print from one of the lab computers, not over the network.

Housing at Sarah Lawrence College

Housing at Sarah Lawrence can be hit or miss. Your first year, you're placed based on your responses on a general survey, but the location itself is fairly random. First-years can end up in one the warm, homey, well-kept houses in the Mead Way neighborhood, or the standard college experience "New Dorms" ("New" being circa-1980...original paint job and all).

In the years following your first, you're assigned a lottery number, with which you bid against your classmates for the best rooms on campus. The lower your number and higher your class status (upper/underclassman), the better your chances are of scoring a lovely room.

Unique Academics

SLC is known for its unique academic system, which features small, discussion-based classes, a lot of one on one time with brilliant and dedicated professors, and in-depth research papers. The workload and what you get out of your education is what you make it to be. In my opinion, the class discussions are slightly overrated, with a lot of people voicing irrelevant opinions. But sometimes you have an amazing discussion which reminds you just why you came here. What's really special about SLC are the conferences, which are an opportunity to gain expert-level knowledge about a subject. Most professors are fantastic.

So Many Pretty Girls

With its ratio of about three girls for each guy, Sarah Lawrence is quite famous for its female-dominated population. The dating pool is really restricted, and the hookup culture is prevalent. A dream for 18 year-old boys, I suppose.

A Good Balance

Sarah Lawrence offers a great balance between the hustle of New York City (only 30 minutes away) and the peace of a quiet suburban town. There is a mall 5 to 15 minutes away from campus (depending on your dorm) for all your shopping needs, the town of Bronxville is a nice break from the college atmosphere and the independent coffee shop there is a great hangout/study spot. Residents of both upscale senior-town Bronxville and more underpriviledged Yonkers, however, are rather unfriendly.