I don’t participate in all of the forums, but it seems like the parent cafe is more popular than the college forums for the school’s my kids attend.
This has been the case since I got here many years ago. The cafe has always been very active compared to other forums.
Though the college life forum was much more active before the change…
The specific school sections tend to have a limited number of posters because only those with a particular interest in the school will go there. But the more general forum sections could attract anyone, regardless of any particular school s/he is interested in.
I think it is good if most kids aren’t hanging around except to get specific info. They do seem to get very engaged in their specific school threads…
@romanigypsyeyes what change are you referring to?
^ @romanigypseyeyes is referring to the change in the forum layout. It seems that several sub forums have gotten quieter since then.
I havent noticed a change. Ive been on about 5 years. Did it happen before then or am I just numb as a hake?!
Definitely quieter in sub forums since the format change. I check S’s college periodically and there is rarely anything new. Was much more active pre-change.
There was a major format change, maybe 2 years ago? Not very favorably received… there is still functionality that had not been replaced. Some regular users just dropped off at that time and never came back. 
You mean there are other sections here besides the cafe!!!??? 
I think since the Chances forum was created, much of the HS activity went there. While it’s better to have those silly Chance me threads in their own area, a drawback is that many kids never venture out of there …until April when they start posting in the FA forum or elsewhere because they’re upset that they either got shut out or can’t afford their schools.
My 2 kids attend(ed) the same school. When I first started reading the school’s thread 5-6 years ago, it was pretty active, particularly with accepted students and their parents asking questions about dorms, best driving routes to take, etc. Not so, now - the traffic and conversation has definitely dropped off. The ED threads were barely populated this year. And this is a school that is rising in popularity across the country. I do think the traffic began to drop off with the format change. It’s a shame, because that forum provided us with a lot of useful information we otherwise would not have been privy to.
Could also be they are getting their information from school sponsored sites such as a Facebook group for admitted students (and/or parents).
I rarely visit any specific forum. Mostly I just go to “latest posts” and see what’s up there.
When I first came on, in 2011, I used the school forums often, and there were many posters telling their stats, accepted or not, etc. Plus there were many more questions and answers on the school forums. But now I just check every once in awhile. I mostly stick to parents forum too.
I think it’s because most of us are studying for finals, registering for classes, etc. I’m waiting for summer of 2016 to come around so I can start having fun again on these forums. >:) 
I know a lot of parents and info through one daughter’s school facebook parent pages, run by parents.
I do think some students are sharp enough to be able to gather information, while many can benefit from their parents being actively involved with ferreting out the information.
My older DD seems to be able to navigate quite a bit with her University’s info and surroundings. Has to decide what graduate area she wants to study.
Parents sharing being in the sandwich generation, lots of responsibilities and making the money stretch. Cafe is a good place to find kindred spirits.