<p>We toured approximately 15-16 schools with Step-D and only 2 gave out a free t-shirt. They were both Jesuit schools coincidentally. Xavier and Marquette. 
I know it seems like a small thing but we were very impressed. Xavier also gave us free âdrink cupsâ that are pretty and say âXavier dining servicesâ on them. They have a cool new pop machine that they were showing off so it was nice to get the free cup and then have a chance to get a cool drink. They also offered free cookies. AndâŠI have to say that I ~really~ perked up when our tour guide mentioned that there is an annual âwine receptionâ for the parents of freshmen each year before school starts. Conclusion: Xavier really does it right ~ :)</p>
<p>UChicago sent scarfs (albeit small ones) to all admitted students and gave suggestions for what it could be used for if you lived in a sunnier climate. ie. a bathtowel, a tie, a belt, etc.</p>
<p>Matriculating students got a lanyard with a flashdrive (thumb drive) that has school info on it and can be used to hold data.</p>
<p>One of the schools we are visiting has reserved parking spots, with your name on the sign, for the visit!!</p>
<p>SteveMA - must be High Point. They have an ice cream truck and pools too. </p>
<p>While those types of things might entice me to vacation there, I donât think theyâre really adding much value to my kidâs educational experience.</p>
<p>With only a few exceptions, you can usually find dozens, or even hundreds of schools that are similar in academics, cost, size, and location. Once they determine those sorts of criteria, itâll be what makes the student enjoy the experience of visiting, what makes the school seem special to them, that will cause them want to choose a college over the many other options out there.</p>
<p>No, not High Pointâwe are touring 9 schools in the next couple weeks and without looking it up itâs one in PA (I thinkâmaybe IN)?? 
No, they arenât adding to the educational experience but if you are going to live somewhere for 4 years, itâs nice to have some extras I think.</p>
<p>D spent a week on the Loyola Chicago campus attending the 2012 HOBY WLC program and said they needed crossing guards to get across some of the busy Chicago city streets that cut through the campus. That was a big turn off for urban campuses for her. She says the city schools are fine but she prefers to be in a more self-contained urban campus environment. Time will tell as we visit more campuses (urban and otherwise) this fall and next spring/summer.</p>
<p>Whitman College sends each incoming freshman a box of 6 of the biggest sweetest Walla Walla onions youâve ever seen. Fabulous!</p>
<p>My son started visiting colleges and universities beginning in the Fall of his sophomore year. In the beginning, he had no idea where he wanted to go to college, and he was just starting to get an idea of what a college campus âfeltâ like. His first college that he visited was Elon University. Out of the 10 plus colleges that he visited over the next couple of years, Elon was one of the best visiting experiences that we had. Elon did everything right, and the tour guides were spectacular. He also loved Johns Hopkinsâs open house weekend; Johns Hopkinsâs presentations were very understated, non-aggressive, student driven and student friendly. Johns Hopkins really made my son feel welcomed. George Washington also had a very effective open house weekend; we had a fantatstic guide there and the tour of the dorms/apartments were very good. My sonâs worst experience was at Bucknell. The assistant admissions officer had a âvalley girlâ speech pattern which really turned my son off, and the video was a slick commercial showing the recent rock bands that visited the school. Iâm not quite sure what message Bucknell was trying to send, as it certainely wasnât emphasizing the academics. By senior year, my son realized that he wanted to go to school in a city, and it was a toss up among BU, GW, and AU, with AU finally being his first choice, because of the quaint campus feel in the middle of the city. He was turned off by Northeasternâs presentation, which he said felt like the school wasnât interested in admitting the students who attended the open house. My son starts at AU this Fall and is very happy with his decision so far (it took two yearsâ worth of visits to find the perfect âfeelâ at a campus.)</p>
<p>"UChicago sent scarfs (albeit small ones) to all admitted students and gave suggestions for what it could be used for if you lived in a sunnier climate. ie. a bathtowel, a tie, a belt, etc.</p>
<p>Matriculating students got a lanyard with a flashdrive (thumb drive) that has school info on it and can be used to hold data."</p>
<p>When I arrived on campus for graduate school (way back when) they gave us a can of mace.</p>
<p>^^^^lol^^^^</p>
<p>^^^^lol^^^^ </p>
<p>âŠand a rape whistle. :(</p>
<p>D commented that the University of Evansville is sending her too much âjunkâ mail and wasting paper and trees so the school will never go on her possible list. :D</p>
<p>We had the same problem with Princeton.
It was a puzzlement as she didnât plan to apply.</p>
<p>DD is collecting all brochures to see âwho is killing the most trees.â We only stayed with the Reed tour to not appear rude, but it was a âhell, no!â for my daughter (which Iâd expected). I thought she would like University of Puget Sound but wasnât that impressed with the neighborhood it is in. OTOH, she loved UCSB, and I think a lot of that had to do with the tour guide. We still have San Diego schools to check out. Santa Cruz also went off the list due to its rural and hilly environment.</p>
<p>lakeview,</p>
<p>My S3 chose AU for the same reasonâŠDC and yet having a real campus!
He is a rising senior at AU this fall.</p>
<p>If your son needs any help, let me knowâŠ</p>
<p>George Washington U went off daughterâs list after their admission rep mentioned their proximity to the White House for the 4th time!</p>
<p>Ha! parentofJunior, my D crossed off Georgetown for a similar reason. She said she was âsick of hearing about all the famous people who have spoken there.â That, and the fact that nobody smiled on the campus.</p>
<p>I crossed off SUNY Cortland and The collee of Saint Rose</p>
<p>UIC tour guide, on visiting the library, âthis is where the books is at.â
âMost students donât go to all their classes but you should really try to.â</p>
<p>Nope.</p>