<p>@Amandakayak - we had a similar experience of Case when D went to audition in February. We asked a student where everyone was. She said either in their dorms or off away from campus at one of the many shopping/dining places around. But even then Case stayed on the list a while longer.</p>
<p>ASU - Barrett Honors College - We visited last week, and if you want to go to school in paradise this is the place! What a beautiful campus! But the Honors College visit began on the wrong foot, when the fencing used around the Honors housing was the same as in the chimpanzeeâs habitat at the zoo my daughter has worked at! This seemed to create some kind of mental dissonance for D. On balance, the Honors College was pretty awesome, and we were generally impressed. It did seem like they were trying very hard to please/sell us. And they really did go to a lot of trouble to make sure that D was able to meet with every one in every department she wanted to visit. But for the first time, my daughter uttered the words, âthis place is too bigâ in regard to ASU. It was a city in itself. The Honors College itself seemed a bit lacking in diversity. So, off the list!</p>
<p>Amandakayak- that is exactly the opposite of our admitted students day at Case Western - there were about 150 kids and the welcome session was enthusiastic and informative, the break-out sessions were upbeat and interesting, my D went to two classes and then got to talk one on one with the head of her intended major for a good 20 minutes. The woman who had interviewed her back in October recognized her and waited outside a classroom to speak with her. They had a " carnival" with all the clubs and activities represented, my D did an overnight with a really nice girl who assembled a group of friends and went for ice cream. By the next morning she was completely sold and wanted to make her deposit on the spot! My hubby was so impressed with the whole two day process he wrote an email to that effect. Isnât it funny how two experiences can be so different and completely color our perceptions and ultimate decisions?</p>
<p>Sorry to take so long. D didnt like Claremont in general, but in Particular found Pitzer to be a really unattractive campusâŠshe just didnât get the 14 % admission rate. I should mention sheâs a woods and hills kind of gal and doesnât cre for LA in general.</p>
<p>She also hated UC Santa BarbaraâŠnobody hates UCSB, but she did. She thought the lack of ârealâ people in Isla Vista was scary. She wondered if everyone under 18 and over 25 was being imprisioned somewhere.</p>
<p>DD has always said no in-state (Ohio) schools but we visited a few anyway for her to get a better feel of the process and nothing has changed. She also needs to identify one or two safety schools that she likes!</p>
<p>She said no way to Ohio Northern - small town with no attractions.</p>
<p>She said no to Findlay University - didnât get a good vibe from the students.</p>
<p>She said no to Miami (Ohio) because the campus is too big although she did concede that the campus was beautiful and thie kids were friendly. She feels its just too big of a school for her.</p>
<p>We are now planning the summer out-of-state road trips and college tours.</p>
<p>DS"13 refused to apply to Harvey Mudd after visiting - he thought the campus looked like army barracks. The tour was wonderful, but it did not help :(</p>
<p>Thatâs hilarious! My DS wonât even visit Harvey-Mudd for the same reason. </p>
<p>The instant cross-off for all of us, mostly DS, that was a surprise was Brown. We all just sort of hated it. Itâs interesting, because some whose opinions he three of us really respect quite enjoyed Brown. To each their own!</p>
<p>My daughter has said the same - no Michigan schools. In fact, sheâs pretty much ruled out most of the Midwest! (All for good, rational reasons, of course!) College visits are going to be expensive and time-consuming!</p>
<p>Eyemgh, I sent DS to Brown with my mom, who is a very youthful and fun grandma. They had a great time together but both hated Brown. I was so surprised and sorry, and wondered if I should have made the trip with himâŠ</p>
<p>Pickle - S is at ND and receiving a great education. The culture is very specific - not for everyone. D was accepted and chose not to attend. PM me if you have questions.</p>
Our D liked the campus but was turned off when she heard the dorms were single sex. :eek: Her other negative is that she is not a big football fan (of any school). She may still apply there, however, because the kids were friendly and a couple of her friendsâ siblings attend and have always had good things to say about it. She also liked the architecture and layout of the campus.</p>
<p>George Washington Univ. D loved DC, but hated the non-campus. City streets, ambulances and trucks screaming by, split campus⊠she said if she made it four years without being hit by a car, it would be a miracle.</p>
<p>interesting thread. Its amazing how differently our kids and us look at schools. Its hard to remember how our minds worked at 16 and 17 years old. My son wanted to be in or near a bid city. His choice. He had done summer at Duke and hated the area so crossed it off. I loved U of Chicago but he did not like the liberal arts curriculum. He liked Northwestern and Tufts and hated MIT. My opinion of MIT is that its an amazing accademic school with some very peculiar differences from other schools. No way we can make our kids agree with us.</p>
<p>Amherst College - nearly the worst tour ever. There were easily 100 people on the tour with one tour guide to the point we couldnât go into any buildings âwe would but our group is so bigâŠâ. I felt so sorry for him. </p>
<p>BCâs tour guide spoke so fast that she was impossible to understand - it was pretty frustrating. Although my second S still liked the college. </p>
<p>Older son didnât like UMass; younger son did. The tour at Bard was excellent as was the tour at Bates. Batesâ tour was brilliant - they had a tour group for the parents and another for students. We toured Hampshire for my older son who was very firm that he wanted to be in a city but ended up falling in love (and just finished his second year there). </p>
<p>Dartmouthâs tour was surprisingly bad. We saw no classrooms, no dorms, didnât tour the recently renovated fitness center, didnât go into either of the brand new buildings on campus. We stood on the green where our tour guide pointed out buildings around the green (on a really COLD day), then walked through the library, through an academic building and back up another street. Maybe because it was Dartmouth they felt they didnât need to do much? I think of all the colleges we toured with both boys, its tour was the worst. </p>
<p>Itâs really interesting to me how the tour guide can make or break the whole experience. </p>
<p>My older son starts his third year at Hampshire College in the fall; my younger son starts Bates College as a freshman.</p>
Great strength testing strategy, lol.</p>