<p>20 minute walk to downtown business district and Broadway/Bridgestone Arena/LP Field etc. Yes, it’s a smaller city than NYC and Philadelphia (where I was raised). It’s better, in my opinion. In fact, it’s just about perfect.</p>
<p>I know this probably wouldn’t count for purposes of this thread, but how many of you use or have used Google Map’s “street view” as a way to tour a college neighborhood?</p>
<p>I have used it actually to view where my son’s dorm is which is bordered by streets that come up in google maps.</p>
<p>I love Google Street View!! We’ve looked at some colleges that way, mainly have used it lately for our oldest who is buying a house so we can check out the neighborhoods. Most colleges our kids are looking at are contained campuses so the dorms aren’t typically on main roads.</p>
<p>I’m a wiz at navigating my son’s U and surrounding area on street view. It cracks me up when it suddenly starts to rain as you’re trucking along and then quickly sunny again. My great-grandparents owned a home that was just blocks from the school that my mother spent summers in and was eventually left to her (sold some years ago 
). We started using street view originally to find the house. It’s still there, restored beautifully, and there’s no way we could afford it today…sigh.</p>
<p>I remember when this used to be my favorite thread :(</p>
<p>I’ve used google street view. It’s fun to walk around. I walked around the USC (CA) and Johns Hopkins when various posters seemed to think their neighborhoods were scary.</p>
<p>Since Phlily has been a topic lately, my son crossed off Temple. We live in Philadelphia. Actually in the city, not just outside of it. We caught public transportation to an information session and when we got off the bus, my son said “Wow. This is really in the city.” That, and the patch of grass known as Beury Beach, made my son cross off Temple and every other school located in a city.</p>
<p>Temple’s main campus is actually quite pleasant today, and has many landscaped areas. They also are building a huge new residence hall to try to meet the high demand for on-campus housing. There are dangerous neighborhoods - but they are mainly several blocks to the west and northeast. Most students travel back and forth to center city to the south, which is fine.</p>
<p>I know a student who crossed off WashU after the admitted student weekend because the a cappella performance was a bit off that night. “My high school’s a cappella group was better.” She also crossed off Columbia because there was “too much concrete” on campus, and MIT was “just weird”. She ended up at Swarthmore which did have good singing and lots of grass, so at least she was consistent.</p>
<p>Another student crossed off Virginia Tech because they couldn’t find his registration and refused to let him on the tour. His family drove 400 miles there! He then went to the Honors College info session (which did have his registration). He was the only student there. First sentence: “So, what do you want to know?” He gave an awkward and obvious answer. Second sentence: “What is your definition of an Honors College?” This was his first college tour. He was definitely not prepared for a surprise interview! He ended up at Georgia Tech with merit scholarship.</p>
<p>I’m seeing mostly Ivy League/Private Schools or schools outside of our region on this list. I’m going to bring my real life Texan viewpoint:</p>
<p>We visited Lamar University - cool school, but crossed it off because there weren’t that many things around it - commuter college. D would have had to have a car, and there’s not an active church group to her liking.</p>
<p>After visiting Texas A&M, she fell in love and asked me to cancel all other campus visits. Why? School spirit, prestige of good engineering school - loved the vibe.</p>
<p>Just got back from a quick trip to San Fran and the bay area with my daughter and 2 of her friends. Visits included Santa Clara, Univ of San Fran, and UC- Berkeley. Since we drove, we also visited Univ of Oregon on the way down.
Univ of Oregon walked us through a large lecture style classroom-- all three girls said “NO way do I want to be in a class with that many people”. So, I guess we have at least figured out that they perfer a smaller school. Also, my D13 really wants to go to school in a large city, so Eugene didnt really make her happy.
UC Berkeley- no way my daughter could get into the school but thought it would be fun to walk around. Beautiful campus, but everyone was very serious and not talking amoung each other. One library felt like a mueseum.
Santa Clara Univ- Another beautiful campus- almost too beautiful. Tour guide mentioned that there is a $50 fine if you’re caught picking one of their roses.
All three girls LOVED Univ of San Francisco. I know it doesnt get much discussion on CC, but they all seemed to love the location, the buildings and the students walking around. Tons of activity and diversity in the student body- not just racially, but the way they dressed, the hair styles and the girls felt like they really fit in.<br>
St. Marys College of Cal was also on the list to visit, but since the girls loved USF so much we stayed there and had lunch and spent a little more time walking around so we missed the tour at St. Mary’s.
Next up is the tours in-state at Univ of Washington and Washington State. We have visited Western already- but that has come off the list as my daughter “felt too comfortable on this campus”… You would think that would be a reason to keep a school on the list-- but not my daughter… She tells me she doesnt want to be comfortable!!!<br>
OK?? :)</p>
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<p>I honestly thought you said “noses,” in which case $50 is pretty steep.</p>
<p>HAHA!! Nope, it was the roses- not the noses!!</p>
<p>Since some of us are engaging in Rate-the-Post, I am hereby submitting my latest fave, regarding southern break-ins:</p>
<p>"In the southern style home invasion, there’s lots of sweet tea, grits, and politeness involved.</p>
<p>And if things get really serious, someone says “bless his heart.” "</p>
<p>Thank you, scout59!</p>
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<p>Regarding University of San Francisco, I have not toured there, but just anecdotally, I run into students from there frequently, and they seem like a great bunch, engaged and responsible.</p>
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<p>At Elon there’s a fine for going into one of their two huge fountains - supposedly it’s $150 per limb. So it would be $150 if you just stick one foot in, but $600 if you jump all the way in. Apparently it’s pretty well known that most kids DO jump into a fountain at least once before they graduate (usually at night, and they high-tail it out of there before the blurry security cameras get a good look at them). :p</p>
<p>^^^Cromette:</p>
<p>May I suggest that you send a PM to Spectrum2, who is a fellow Texan, and whose S2 will be starting at Texas A&M now, this Fall as a freshman, in some type of Engineering, too, if I remember correctly.</p>
<p>I’m sure she would be happy to share their views on that school, in particular since he loved it so much and now will be attending.</p>
<p>Brings to mind my brother in law’s pond-jumping experience at SUNY Albany. His fraternity had a celebration where they jump into a pond with a lighted fountain. There was a defective wire in the fountain, and the whole pond had live current. First one in was electrocuted and killed. BIL was seconds away from jumping in.</p>
<p>At USC, there is a “fountain run” toward the end of SR year. D participated as a JR, helping the SRs & again as a SR. The U is very careful that the fountains are as safe & clear of debris (e.g. broken glass or other sharp objects) as possible. They also remove the Douglas Fairbanks blade in his statute & replace it with something they won’t be as upset when it inevitably is stolen. The kids seem to enjoy it, but I’m glad I don’t know much about it. D thought it was fun–S never mentioned it, tho he is an alum.</p>
<p>So sad to hear that a student was electrocuted by going into a lighted fountain–scary! Glad your BIL was spared, but wow!</p>
<p>D did an overnight recently at a small-town school which should probably remain unnamed. 2 students in the room plus D. Spent the evening with police in the room because both roommates were accosted by same man in separate incidents that day. Much as she loved the campus, the curriculum and the people, she has most emphatically ruled that school out.</p>