<p>Thanks Rockville Mom. I had that ‘trapped’ feeling at Lafayette in my sophmore year, but I think it was partly due to my class being the first coed class, 124 women and 500 men, so the social life was pretty much frats and drinking. I joined Sigma Nu and met some great friends, many still my best friends today. The Lehigh Valley got bigger with these friends having cars. I was head of the radio station at LC and we fully leveraged that to interview bands like Yes and Genesis on their early tours of the US and spent many weekends in either NYC or Philly at concerts-both an hour and a half drive or less. I eventually worked at WSAN, the underground AM station in Allentown, during my junior year as a DJ while going to school, so I was busy with that and also in a band that I left LC for a year to pursue making it in the big time. My return to earth meant working at the Easton Shop Rite on night crew to finish LC. Only one of us made the big time (L. Fast became Peter Gabriel’s keyboard player).<br>
When I look at surrounding Williamsburg, I see tourists and a colonial village that will be interesting for an occasional walk, but not much else but the outlets and numerous chain restaurants. Richmond less than an hour, V Beach a bit more, both require cars, but the immediate area around the campus isn’t exciting. So I guess to your point, if they are both equal in that regard, Wm and Mary offers more on campus due to size.<br>
We visited downtown Easton last month-it is better, cleaner, fixed up, but certainly not a destination.<br>
Thanks for your insight.</p>
<p>Dreampoet:</p>
<p>Welcome to this thread! 
What a nice post from you and here’s hoping your D has a fabulous time at Muhlenberg!</p>
<p>Oops, Frankfur…welcome to this thread too! :)</p>
<p>Dream,
Thanks for sharing your d’ s journey. Sounds like you were on top of it. Congrats.
I am surprised she did not get in to Emerson when she got in to so many other’s that were comparable. Oh well.
Where in ca. Do you reside? We are in west san Fernando valley.</p>
<p>I live in the Lehigh Valley (Lehigh, Lafayette, Muhlenberg, Moravian and DeSales) are all less then half an hour of my home so if anyone has questions about the area around those colleges, I would be happy to share. Warning though, I am not Jewish. :)</p>
<p>I wanted to mention one study abroad thought for those of you that are in the throes of college searching. Many colleges now have their own campuses abroad which really makes the transition easier. My son’s decided college has campuses in Montreal and Dublin and students are encouraged to take one semester junior year at one of those campuses.</p>
<p>I also like the idea of a mini-session abroad. One college for B students that has an excellent abroad program is Arcadia, in Glenside PA. They offer a freshman abroad in England or Scotland, a mini abroad during Spring break and a Junior abroad or internship. [Arcadia</a> University - Resources for Study Abroad Students](<a href=“http://www.arcadia.edu/studyabroad/]Arcadia”>http://www.arcadia.edu/studyabroad/) Many other colleges that don’t have a dedicated abroad program will go through Arcadia. My son was accepted here with a generous merit award. He was also accepted at Elon with no merit aid.</p>
<p>frankur - I did not realize you were also a Lafayette grad - very interesting. I agree that Williamsburg is touristy - but it’s just the sense that if it is a beautiful day and you feel like getting away for an hour and taking a walk - at Lafayette - there was just no place to go. On the other hand, I can easily see myself walking around the shopping area adjacent to W&M, browsing in some stores, sitting outside with a cup of coffee and people watching, etc. I did go away for a semester - just to DC - but that experience emphasized how limiting Lafayette was and I was not thrilled to be back there for senior year. In retrospect - I should have transferred to a larger, more urban school.</p>
<p>My other odd Lafayette memory - which I know has been corrected - was that there was no dining hall, other than for freshmen. None. Guys joined fraternities and ate there. Girls joined sororities and the sororities ate dinner with a fraternity for the semester - and I do recall eating at Sigma Nu! Those who chose not to join Greek life either fended for themselves or ate in one section of the freshmen dining hall - which was considered quite lame.</p>
<p>dreampoet - welcome and thanks for sharing.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for posting about your visit…a new school to keep in mind for S2 which previously was no where on my radar (and I’m from the midwest)</p>
<p>haha; frankur…sounds like you were the LC DJ at the same time that my high school friend was the DJ at Lehigh…small world…</p>
<p>so my daughter has been busy on three different FB pages for the Elon class of 2015…(why there are three, who knows?) and commented to me today that there are ALOT of Jewish kids attending in the fall; definitely more than she expected (and she said that’s a good thing haha)…obviously there will be kids who don’t say that they are Jewish, but she was surprised…from all over the country and overseas, btw, which is great too!</p>
<p>samtalya: are you home or did you get delayed (yet again)?..</p>
<p>I love the fact that we are getting new posters on this thread every day; great to get other perspectives…</p>
<p>speaking of which, any great merit West coast privates for a B±A- Jewish student…? just starting to look for a family member…</p>
<p>Funny, Rodney, my S1 has been busy following and posting on the 3 UMich Class of 2015 facebook pages. I can see how 2 of them evolved, but not sure about the 3rd.</p>
<p>I’ve been recommending this thread to so many people lately, w/ all of the great sounding schools that I never would have considered in my little world. It’s reassuring to hear about the many places my S2 can look at that were beyond the scope of our consideration. Thanks all…your visit reports and other information are so helpful.</p>
<p>All, thanks for the warm welcome. We learned from the HS selection process when I had to step in at the last minute and make the decision when my wife and daughter were just torn between the school she’d been since nursery school and a large HS. We stayed with the old and she continued to flourish. My d was afraid I’d do the same thing with college and force Wisconsin. I made it clear I wanted her to have the same type of life expansion experience (with the bonus of life long friendships) that I had at UW (I went in in '65 pro Vietnam war and left in '70 on the FBI watch list). To emphasize the point I said if it came down to a final two and one was UW, it would be the other college. That settled things down after a few repetitions. In the end we agreed on the top two in order. Our d made it easier by saying she only applied to schools she would be happy attending (hence no Northwestern, Oregon, UMass or Hampshire) so it only became a matter of acceptance by our highest rated school. We were fortunate not to have to weigh best financial package though we did insist that our d take a $5,500/year loan so that she feels ownership in her education. We live in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley.</p>
<p>Mea culpa (ashamnu?) for not reporting before now that my D told me on Wednesday evening that she had decided on Delaware. I congratulated her but said that I’d wait a day or two before submitting the deposit. (Just in case) (Or maybe I wasn’t ready to say the long search was over). </p>
<p>I probably should have guessed, Delaware was the first campus she really liked and really the only one where she volunteered it unasked. Still thinks it’s good looking and is talking about getting a bike for when she goes there. The only “negatives”she ever voiced were if she would be possibly missing something by going there that she might get elsewhere. She likes the service programs and engaged learning possibilities there plus both of those combined with travel abroad opportunities at Delaware during Winter Term. Some of that may be a bit more in the forefront at Elon but they are truly there at UD too. She said she really enjoyed the class she took on visiting day at Elon and all the things they said but didn’t like the homogeneity racially, economically and ethnically or the preppiness there. It was pretty similar for Miami. She just saw a lot more variety and diversity of people, backgrounds and dress at Delaware. She also said she didn’t like how important Greek life seemed to be at Elon or Miami. And she reminded me that she originally applied to Miami because it was similar to Delaware but back then she didn’t think she’d get in to Delaware. Now there were a few question marks or even negatives about Miami and not enough positives to choose it over Delaware. </p>
<p>So we’re done! Her mother is thrilled that she will be going to school so nearby compared to her sister and brother. Actually that may be the only part of it D doesn’t like.</p>
<p>Mazel Tov MHC…!! Sounds like it was the right place all along…</p>
<p>mhc: Welcome to the Blue Hen family! I was just talking to a friend about DD saying she wants a bike in the fall. There’s a bike store right on Main St in Newark - no tax and no need to shlep it from home!</p>
<p>RE: My DS. While he is an A student and now has 3 schools he likes (one a real reach, the others challenging, but I think will be in his range), I was thinking that this thread can help me find a couple of schools that would possibly give him merit aid (he’s an A student but don’t know SATs yet, he is traditionally a good test taker). He’s looking for something in the 5,000-10,000 student range, prefers no snow (but could be flexible on this), engineering interest, doesn’t care about rah-rah sports atmosphere (not against it, but doesn’t care if school has it or not), does not want an urban campus (Penn, BU), definitely needs Jewish population. He likes Johns Hopkins, Lehigh, Miami (FL). Any ideas? Mid-atlantic or Florida would be great.</p>
<p>LINYMOM: I guess Tulane??..not geographically mid-atlantic, but merit should def be there if he applies early…</p>
<p>MHC,
Congrats on Delaware. I enjoyed your post today. My d felt many of thensame feelings when she sawn the school this week. After seeing 7 schoolsvthis week, she fell in love with del, and nothing came close. She also loved the Miami campus, but not the kids there. My d really liked the del student population. She wants a greek life.</p>
<p>My boulder report.</p>
<p>I hate to sound like a broken record…what a pretty campus. The setting against the flat iron mountains is spectacular. The stone buildings with the tile roofs, werenreally attractive. The campus was a nice size. Both ofnus really liked it. The city of Boulder is very nice. Adjacent to campus is a good student commercial area, called the hill. All the food and stuff for a college student. Close by is downtown and Pearl street. A nice outdoor area, where the street is closed to traffic. We ate at a nice restaurant there. There is also another mall about a mile away. All the surrounding streets had lots of commercial stuff. The student housing looked good…I went into a beautiful freshman dorm, and saw a sorority house. A great environment.
Thursday night we took a local boy to dinner. After dinner he took my d to his frat party. She spent the night in his dorm. Don’t worry, I have known this boy and his family for 7 years, all was good. My d enjoyed checking out the Greek life. Impacted her up early Friday, and we did theirnstudent. For a day program. It was crowded, but well run. A talk, tour, mock lecture, separate parent and student Q+A, and a great lunch in a. Dining hall made. Up the. Day. My d also met with an admission counsellor for our area. It went very well. I do believe that admission here is likely.
Theirs a good size Jewish population here. It is not as tightly woven as other schools. The Jewish kids are much more interwoven with the rest Of the population. As i have mentioned in another post(and caused a stir with a choice of word) they do not hang together. I saw that much more at IU, Wisconsin, Kansas, Texas, Illinois, and other places. Boulder does not have Jewish sororities, and one so so Jewish frat. Most. Of the Jewish Greeks mix in with traditional Greek houses.
My d liked Colorado. She feels she can be happy here. After a long and tiring trip, here is the rundown. Of course, it can all change…</p>
<p>Delaware, the outright winner. She is resolute this is the school for her. Let’s hope her angel looks outfit her, and d defies odds and gets in.<br>
Colorado, IU, and Kansas, are all viable. Kansas is a slam dunk for. Admission. Boulder should be good. IU will bea longer shot. I see her at boulder 1st, IU if Mir acle happens,then Kansas. The good news…she. Feels she will be fine at all three. A good thing.
Miami, might be off the list. Can not see her picking it over the above.
All in all, a great week. We bonded, she learned a lot about these schools, she found out what she likes, and is excited about the next year and going to college. I think a great deal of pressure is removed because. She saw many viable options.
Now we will think positive thoughts about del and blue hens.
Good night…sorry for. Typos. Still on iPad.</p>
<p>I just read what I typed. I am so tired. I can’t believe all the typing mistakes. I hope you can figure it out. So sorry. Exhausted and careless.</p>
<p>If this were my college essay, I would not get in anywhere.</p>
<p>Mhc- congrats on Delaware!!</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your very informative posts. I am glad I waited until today to post my impressions. Last night, while visiting relatives who asked her (HS sophomore D2) about the trip, I realized her opinions changed from the time we toured the campuses.</p>
<p>Univ of Richmond-Originally she liked the small and beautiful campus. Now she thinks that it is too far from any town. We did not do an official info session or tour, but whenever we stopped people to chat, they responded to our “how do you like it here?” with “OH MY GOD, I"M OBSESSED WITH THIS PLACE!!!” My d did not find the student body too small. The campus is just too remote. </p>
<p>Elon-By the end of the info session and tour, my husband and I wanted to sign up ourselves! Beautiful campus, happy, friendly student body, study abroad and January semester opportunities that have already been discussed on this thread. D2 was impressed until we met up with a kid from our HS (we delivered a Passover goody bag from his parents) and his friends. While they said they really liked Elon, they made clear there was nothing to do off campus. The town of Elon has not much of anything. They claimed to be too busy to care. But D2 decided it wasn’t for her. Btw, the boy said he went to a seder at Elon and 125-150 kids attended.</p>
<p>UNC-CH- Info session was very helpful and entertaining. He told the story of an applicant submitting 67 letters of recommendation. And i believed him! Obviously difficult for an out of stater to gain admission. He stressed rigor of academic schedule as being most important factor and that senior year shouldn’t be a “victory lap.” LOL. D2 liked the tour (as someone else mentioned, she walked close to the guide, which was the signal she was interested). DH and I were expecting a more beautiful campus. Certainly nice enough. It seemed very crowded. Chapel Hill is a nice town in close proximity to the campus. D2 really liked the campus and is probably impressed with its academic reputation more than anything else. Liked that there was an off-campus life. Didn’t see dorms, but have been told they are like every other dorm we’ve ever seen. </p>
<p>James Madison–Another school where girls responded, “OH MY GOD, I"M OBSESSED WITH THIS PLACE!” H and I are impressed with a happy population and would rather D2 go to a school like this than a more intense academic setting, though D2 sees herself as attending a more highly rated college. Yes, we explained the fallacy of the rating system. Right now, she has Chapel Hill on the brain. But, she did like the campus and did not find the size of the student body too big. Campus was pretty and it was a beautiful day. </p>
<p>American University–D2 attended info session. H and I sat this one out. Miserable rainy day in DC. We joined the tour. We all liked the size of the student body and the proximity to DC. Nice campus (she is not interested in non-campusy urban campuses like Geo Washington, NYU or BU). Tour guide showed us her own dorm room (nice touch) and it was fine. Seems many kids are in triples but they promise you can get a double by the end of October. American, like Tulane where D1 attends, combines nice size with urban–but not too urban-- campus.</p>
<p>This was a valuable experience for our HS sophomore. It got her thinking about her likes and dislikes early in the process with no pressure. It also got her to focus on tuition costs and the value of one place over another. Since she hasn’t taken SATs yet, it’s hard to have a serious discussion on admission, but nevertheless, it got her thinking. Best of luck to everyone who is a year or 2 closer. </p>
<p>Mch-- we had visited Delaware when D1 was applying and really liked it there. Good choice and congrats!</p>
<p>Congrats to Mhc and your D for choosing Delaware! :)</p>
<p>Amazing how many of you are touring the same colleges!</p>
<p>SoCaldad: you survived that trip! Congratulations on all the Dad/daughter bonding as well as some real definite decisions on her future schooling!</p>
<p>Linymom: check out Georgia Tech? Not sure if it fits your criteria…</p>
<p>Vitrac: wow, you also had an informative week…After hearing about everyone’s decisions with so many schools, I am lucky my S picked out his first choice so quickly and was accepted. I have a feeling it will not be so easy the second time around with S2!
:rolleyes:</p>
<p>Home, exhausted and exhilarated. I really enjoyed spending the week with S. We had a great week together that created memories to reflect on for a long time.</p>
<p>welcome to franfur and dream.</p>
<p>congrats mhc on D’s decision.</p>
<p>thanks to everyone who posted trip reports. although it was hard to read on the blackberry and even more so to post, it was great to have my CC family along on our travels.</p>
<p>College of Charleston 2nd day:</p>
<p>We took the 9:30 tour. 100 people divided in to two groups. Way too big. tour guide was excellent, but it took a while to move people and some times could not hear. if you are looking to be in a small city, this school is a wonderful option. </p>
<p>went to kabbalat shabbat. only 6 kids, BUT dinner friday eve had 60. hillel is serving 3 passover meals a day. on weds eve they have a meet to eat program which gets 80-100 each week, and on friday eves they typically have 50. that eve aepi had a big party and kids were all wearing their smash bash shirts.</p>
<p>if anyone is looking at C of C and wants more info, pm me.</p>
<p>one thing i will say after hearing about crowds at all schools this week, is elon handled it very well. there were 10-12 tour guides each session and students were split based on geography or intended major. they had over 300 families each day, c of c mentioned 250. it seems that the whole northeast was out touring and we heard horror stories from other students we met along the way about the crowds.</p>
<p>After a wonderful week, S is committed to applying ED to Elon. It is a perfect fit for him and he is excited to begin the application process.</p>