<p>Texas AM …</p>
<p>Lafayette. We visited with S in the fall when school was in session. We took the tour, but did not see on student walking around the campus. Tour guide said everyone was in science labs then. Hard to believe the entire student body has science at the same time. When we got back to the admissions office S did not want to stay for the info session. Although a lovely campus, it felt too isolated.</p>
<p>Wesleyan (CT). </p>
<p>The uppity, snooty families that were also touring, looking at me and my family like they’ve never seen African-Americans before and that we didn’t belong. </p>
<p>Also, surrounding area was sketchy, they still have a graveyard in the middle of campus (headstones, no bodies), and on one side of campus the neighborhood was run-down.</p>
<p>CPUscientist3000- we had the same problem at a small Midwestern school, DePauw. We went as a family to the college planning day last year. DS kept it on the list for a while but when he took it off he explained that although the school had things that he liked, he absolutely despised all the other potential students and their parents.</p>
<p>We visited Lafayette a couple weeks ago, and really liked it. It was clean, compact, & had an array of beautiful buildings. The town seemed pretty nice for an industrial town.</p>
<p>My second daughter and several of her early-teen friends in the Detroit area have been infatuated with NYU for a while. I guess since so many movies and TV shows take place in NYC, and because a few celebrities have gone there, they thought it must be something special. I kept telling her it was a fine university but really had no campus. She wouldn’t believe me, and when we finally saw NYU she was very disappointed. We had seen Colgate and Boston College in previous days, and after seeing those beautiful campuses, she realized she didn’t want a bustling urban school…she really wanted a bucolic campus.</p>
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<p>I picked Lafayette because I really liked the campus. One of the biggest mistakes I ever made.</p>
<p>Of course that was a VERY long time ago, and I’m sure things are very different now. I understand they even admit girls.</p>
<p>As a recent high school graduate, here’s my list (might be a bit long! I guess my parents deserve a big thanks for letting me visit all of these schools):</p>
<p>Dartmouth- To be fair, I visited in the winter, so it was fairly dreary. Then again, I went to a boarding school in massachusetts, so I think I’m used to dreary- and boy oh boy was Hanover worse than anything I had experienced. It was cold, in the middle of nowhere, bland, and (in my opinion) downright ugly. I really don’t have many positives for Dartmouth except for its level of academics, the rest just rubbed me the wrong way.</p>
<p>Occidental- Participated in one of those “accepted students” days in the Spring. First, it really did have a beautiful, picturesque campus. Everything was neat, clean, and well maintained. It was even very strong in my major (int’l relations), but it was just too small. Barely bigger than either of my two high schools. I liked how close it was to LA though.</p>
<p>UNC Chapel Hill- Beautiful campus. It’s like all the campuses that you imagine if you were to think of the typical college campus. No complaints. Didn’t end up applying because I was OOS and didn’t like the in-state proportion- I’m a fan of geographical diversity.</p>
<p>Duke- Gotta say that this might have been one of the worst tours I had. The info session was fine, but the tour guide didn’t seem very knowledgeable (although she did mention that it was her first tour since the spring-- we went in late august/early september) and barely took us inside any classrooms! We didn’t get to see a dorm room, and we hardly went in any buildings. I don’t know whether the campus is much prettier from the outside, or what, but we weren’t taken in. Oh, and at the end, instead of leading us back to the admissions center, she just left us in the middle of the campus (and the admissions building was a ways away). Luckily my mom and I ran into another tour group that actually went inside a few buildings, so that was much better. Given that my main complaint was about the tour itself and not the campus/school, you can tell that I did like the school a lot. Beautiful campus too- lots of greenery, flowers, etc. Reminded me of Princeton.</p>
<p>Tulane- I wasn’t impressed by Tulane. Some parts of the campus I really enjoyed (mostly the oldest section closest to Audobon Park), but the rest of it seemed not all that well maintained and just unimpressive. I don’t really have a great reason as to why I didn’t like Tulane, I just didn’t get that feeling, you know? The tour and info sessions were both good though. Although I’ll admit that my visit was during “Crawfest,” and I’m scared of fish and don’t eat seafood, so that may have contributed. </p>
<p>Wash U in St. Louis- great tour, the tour guides really knew what they were talking about. The info session was so so, but really, it’s the tour that counts. Beautiful campus, close to downtown St. Louis (although there’s not all that much in St. Louis to begin with. My mom and I explored a bit on a Saturday and there was barely anyone there, and we had trouble finding an open restaurant for lunch!). Definitely one of my favorite schools. Also, the campus is right next to Forrest Park, a huge park with many, many cool things- a zoo, several museums, etc. Great school (and no, I won’t be going there-- I really just loved the school!)</p>
<p>Princeton- Full disclosure- my dad went to princeton, as did two of my aunts, and my grandpa and aunt both currently work there. So I did know a bit about it before going in. That being said, I didn’t really like the info session. It almost seemed like the guy was trying to intimidate everyone. One of my friends said that during her info session, the guy leading it counted the number of potential applicants in the room and then told them how many of them would get in based on their admissions rate. Mine was not nearly that bad, but I still got that feeling. The tour was great though- seriously, beautiful campus, world-class academics, and the town of princeton is pretty nice too. Also not too far from NYC or Philadelphia. </p>
<p>Emory- Loved it. The campus was gorgeous in a different way than all the other schools I had visited- maybe because it was one of the first southern schools I looked at? Whatever it was, the campus looked like it was sparkling clean and well taken care of. There was enough grass so I was satisfied (although I was happy to hear that there was a park right next door- Lullwater Park- just in case I wanted some more 
I’d check it out for anyone visiting). Close enough to Atlanta that you can easily get into the city. Also, the nearby Carter Center was an added bonus for me (looking to study int’l relations). The tour and info session were FANTASTIC. The new UG Admissions building is beautiful, and the info session itself was incredibly helpful. My tour guide wasn’t all that great, but I still got a good feel for the place and loved the vibe I got from the students- intellectual but laid back, definitely committed to academics, but not cut-throat. I liked that the school had its own awesome campus, was next to a park, and wasn’t in the middle of a city, but was close enough to atlanta to have all of those resources. Also, funny thing about Emory- Coca Cola is a huge donor for them, so they give you free coca cola products which is fun (and you’ll see many other coca cola influences on campus!). I’m happy to say I’ll be attending in the fall. </p>
<p>Johns Hopkins- Beautiful campus. I think it was my favorite campus of all that I visited. Info session was fine, nothing special, same with the tour. I just really liked the school. My one qualm was that it was a little too in the city for me- you’re not guaranteed housing after your second year, and a lot of kids live off campus after that. Other than that, despite being in Baltimore and all, it seemed very safe. All in all, great school.</p>
<p>American- I didn’t really like the campus all that much (too small, not enough grass)- but everything else matched my standards so I still applied. I did get into the SIS program thing (school of international service) and they have a brand new building for it, but I didn’t get a chance to look at it because my tour was before it was built. Again, the campus was really my only issue with the school (oh, and the girl/boy ratio was fairly skewered). </p>
<p>GW- GW made me realize I didn’t want to go to a city school, so I’m thankful for that. I think for what it is, it’s a great school, it’s just not what I wanted. I left early, but I think they did a great job in their tour/info session.</p>
<p>Elon- Kind of the same thing for Elon that happened with GW. Elon just wasn’t for me. The campus was really pretty (though not to the level as some of the ones earlier) and I think they’re doing great things, it just wasn’t for me. It was also kind of in the middle of nowhere, which is one thing I definitely did not want. </p>
<p>Tufts- A lot of people LOVE Tufts’ campus, so I was really hoping to as well. I really just didn’t feel it. I don’t think there was enough greenery for me. It was really close to Boston though, which was nice. Info session was held in a classroom, and I didn’t really like the classroom either, so that didn’t help. The tour was fine. </p>
<p>Brandeis- Least favorite campus. Which really is unfortunate, because social justice is a big thing for me. I still ended up applying (and was admitted), but I just couldn’t imagine myself living on that campus for four years. </p>
<p>Wake Forest- Very pretty campus- it kind of reminded me of my high school, actually. It was just a tad too fratty/preppy for me (and that’s coming from a girl who went to a prep school for high school). There also wasn’t all that much going on around the campus. I mean there’s Salem, obviously, but Salem didn’t have too much to offer. Also, the application is pretty bad for it…</p>
<p>Whew, I think that’s it. And to think, I didn’t even visit every school that I applied to! Well, I hope that helps someone out there. Now I really have to go thank my parents…haha.</p>
<p>Thanks Finnah - very helpful. And congrats on Emory - great school. Enjoy.</p>
<p>finnah-- afraid of fish. That was a LOL!</p>
<p>Good reviews, finnah. </p>
<p>About half of what you wrote was about the info sessions, the tours, the tour guides, and even the room one info session was in. It’s inescapable that such things will have an impact on a prospective student (pro or con), even if you know they could be completely misleading. I’m not sure that what you learn from info sessions and tours justifies the time, energy, and possible inaccurate impression one might get. What do you think?</p>
<p>Not all info sessions are created equally. We’ve been to 6 at this point. You can learn a lot in the tour and info session that is always easily discovered via the web. My daughter likes checking out the science labs, as well as walking around the campus, seeing the rooms, and observing the students. Some of the better info sessions have student panels in which you can ask any question. Our last visit included an incredible 45 minute presentation from the admissions director. He spoke about college essays in general and how for many teenagers this is the first time they have deeply reflected on their lives. This presentation was the highlight of any of our visits. </p>
<p>To us it is worth it. All 6 of our visits have been within 200 miles. When she applies to 5 or 6 colleges this fall, she will have already weeded out incompatible colleges.</p>
<p>D crossed off Middlebury, for multiple reasons (gasp).</p>
<p>UVA - seriously overrated</p>
<p>Lehigh - not a good fit</p>
<p>Delaware - I actually liked Delaware, but this one time I visited made me cross it off for good. I was down to two schools: Notre Dame, which I absolutely loved, and U of D, which I didn’t really like but was a decent school and I had a full ride. I was at the U of D campus for an event (I’m a Delawarean and I live 20 mins from campus), and as I was walking to the building I was trying to get a sense of whether I could see myself here, walking around on this campus, being with all these people. And I realized that it wasn’t a fit for me at all, and Notre Dame was the place where I was meant to be. I’m now a proud member of the fighting Irish :D</p>
<p>Scratched off after visiting:</p>
<p>Georgetown–Son just didn’t “feel” it and I’m not sure why. (Scratched after visiting, didnt apply)</p>
<p>Connecticut College–We left halfway through the day, after the tour, before his interview. Decided it was a school for average intelligence kids with parents with money. Besides, he isn’t blonde. No one on our tour wasnt blonde but him. Seriously–no diversity that day. (Scratched after visiting, didn’t apply)</p>
<p>UPenn–Not a good fit. (Scratched after visiting, didn’t apply)</p>
<p>UNC–UNC actually offered him a full ride scholarship in their Honors Program. We wanted to love it. it is a nice campus, but the ultimate vibe he got was that it wasnt academically challenging enough. (Applied, got in, and then visited)</p>
<p>UT Plan II–Also scratched. (Visited, applied, got in, scratched.)</p>
<p>Drexel. I didn’t want to cross 4 lane roads to get from class to class.</p>
<p>Haverford. Tour guide was annoying and the school felt boring, quiet, and too woodsy. Just not a good fit.</p>
<p>Finnah- Have to agree with you on the Duke tour. That was my least favorite too. Our tour guide also left us in the middle of the campus. She was the least capable guide we came across in 9 campus tours. I tried to get passed the tour, but it left a lasting bad impression. I wonder if it was the same guide- she needs some serious training!</p>
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<p>Thanks for the well wishes, Cliffylove. And yes, it’s true, I am afraid of fish-- but I like other underwater creatures that aren’t fish, like dolphins! …I don’t really have an explanation for that haha.</p>
<p>@Schmaltz- It’s quite true that one sub-par info session can drastically impact your views of a school, and often that info session is not a good representation of the school itself, which is quite unfortunate. However, while I did spend a good deal of time in my reviews describing the tours and info session, a poor visit was never the primary determining factor in why I chose to nix a school. To be honest, I usually only used info sessions to gain insights into things that particular school was especially interested in, and then used that for my college essays. And although I did rate the tours/tour guides as good/bad depending on how the college organized their tours, I was only reviewing the <em>tour itself</em>, not the actual school. I did not list the reasons why I applied/didn’t apply to certain schools because they really only applied to me (ie. close to home, great int’l relations program, small frat influence, etc.) and I didn’t think they would be as helpful to others.</p>
<p>Going back to your main question- I don’t think I let a poor tour guide or information session influence my opinion of a school because I was actively combating that instinct. I agree that one bad tour could give a student an inaccurate opinion of a school, but I don’t think that’s a reason not to visit any schools. I think the tour- seeing how you fit in with other students, watching the average student on campus and seeing what they’re up to, even just taking a look at the dining hall, are all very important things to see if you can really see yourself at a school. (and of course, the whole demonstrating interest thing is a factor too).</p>
<p>agreed! I don’t know why the tour went so badly- the info session was just fine! And I bet we did have the same tour guide!</p>
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<p>We visited MIT during spring break. It was not at the top of Ds list but we were going to be in Boston anyway and I hoped that seeing the campus might help. The info session was informative and the tour was very good. (Because of the number of visitors, our tour was led by an associate dean and an assistant dean.) D liked the campus a lot. So, why would she cross it off the list? Before the info session began, D pointed out a couple of kids from her school and explained that they always fall asleep in class because they stay up late doing homework. This sounds promising. They find it hard to keep up with high school work so they (or their parents) want to go to MIT. Then, before the tours began, a man approached me and asked which high school D attends. When I told him he replied that his D thought she was in my Ds class. (He did not mean the same graduation year, by the way, he meant an actual class with 20 students.) At this point, his D peers out from behind him, says Hello, and then disappears again. So, we now have 17 year olds who need their parents to introduce them to classmates who want to go to MIT. The cherry on top came during the last week of school when the final edition of the school newspaper came out. It is traditional for some parents to take out ads in honor of their graduates. As soon as I got home on the publication day, D called me over to see a full page ad for one grad. It began: [This school] was no match for your talents. The ad went on to list every activity the student engaged in, the names of her dates for every school dance, etc. And, in a large box was written: Accepted early action to MIT. We dont mention MIT anymore.</p>