<p>We haven’t had any of these disastrous campus visits or tours. All the tour guides we’ve seen have been friendly and well-informed, we’ve been taken in to see a dorm room on every tour, etc. And because D1 is another one of these kids who likes every campus she sees, I can’t really say we’ve crossed any schools off because of the visit. But I will give some campus visit reports:</p>
<p>UC Davis: This may come closest to being “crossed off.” Although she liked it when we visited, after seeing a few more campuses, D1 started thinking about the things she liked better at the other campuses. Davis is very spread out, so everyone rides bikes everywhere, which means that during busy passing periods you really have to watch out in order not to get run into by a bike when you cross the street. D1 sat in on a class that, again, she liked at the time, but after visiting a small LAC where the professor interacted more with the students, the UCD class didn’t look so great.</p>
<p>UC San Diego: We visited during spring break, so not many students on campus, but again, it’s very spread out and much of it feels like a barren concrete plaza. The famous Dr. Seuss library is a great example of brutalist architecture. Tour guide had a kind of running theme of events and places at which to get free food, which I found more humorous than annoying, but I can see how someone might be annoyed.</p>
<p>UC Santa Cruz: so far, D1’s favorite of the UC campuses. We were all impressed with the fact, reiterated by both admin officer and tour guide, that since UCSC has no grad students, researchers all use undergrads to assist in their research, meaning that you’re more likely to get to help with research as an undergrad there than at many other campuses. Tour guide did say at one point “has anyone heard of the Stanford Prison Experiment?” and then described it. The reason for this was because the guy who conducted that experiment is apparently now at UCSC, but really, my reaction was “uh, yeah, and I’ve heard of a lot of other horrible things too, would you like to talk about those??” Anyway, middle of a redwood forest, feels like a small school even though it isn’t (though still smaller than UCD and UCSD), D1 likes it. Also it seems to have more opportunities for D1’s probable major of psychology/sociology – or at least less of an extreme emphasis on chem/bio/engineering than UCD and UCSD. </p>
<p>Scripps: D1 turned to me about 10 minutes into the tour and said with shining eyes “I really like it here!” The campus is absolutely lovely, like a Mediterranean version of a Zen garden, with 1930s-era Mission architecture (tiled red roofs, whitewashed walls with low arched doorways and wrought-iron railings, floors of dark wood or red Spanish tile). I was also, for some reason, reminded of some of the buildings at my alma mater (U of C) – maybe because they date from the same era? D1 liked what she heard about the core curriculum; she liked the fact that Scripps’ position in the Claremont consortium meant that guys would be “available” but not right there in the same college as her; she liked the look of the other students she saw (in particular, there was one girl we passed in the quad who was wearing basically the same thing as D1 – black tank top and long drapey maxi skirt – and this girl said to D1 “I like your outfit”).</p>
<p>Pitzer: totally different vibe from Scripps. Instead of Zen meditation garden, drought-tolerant landscaping with many cacti and succulents; instead of Mission architecture, 60’s Southern California modernist buildings (the dorms really look like a huge motel, complete with swimming pool in the back). Very outdoorsy tour guide who talked a lot about things like the big game between the Claremont colleges and the backpacking trips students go on. Admin officer was so high-energy that the moment she opened her mouth and let the words fly, I instinctively drew back in my chair, causing D1 to start giggling. But D1, though far from outdoorsy and not at all high-energy, was not one to let these things put her off. She liked what she heard about the school’s commitment to social justice and sustainability, and was pleased that the students finally convinced the administration to divest from fossil fuel investments. She thinks if she is rejected at Scripps and admitted here, she may see if she can trade living situations with someone so she can live in a Scripps dorm (you can do this, apparently, if you can find someone who is willing to trade). Since Claremont students can take classes at any of the colleges, and you can even major in something that is not even offered at the school to which you have been admitted, it seems like you can technically be a student at one school but arrange things so that your college experience centers around a totally different school.</p>
<p>Occidental: more mainstream than Pitzer, but D1 still liked it. Admissions building truly lovely, especially after driving through sad, faded surrounding neighborhood; rest of campus not quite so lovely. Food, disappointing (and the tour guide had just finished telling us their food was rated very highly!). May stay on list, may be pushed out by other schools.</p>
<p>Reed: almost as big a hit as Scripps. We visited during summer, so campus was completely deserted. Also it was a hot sunny day, which is of course very unusual in Portland (tour guide did her duty and mentioned the frequent rain several times during tour). I had the oddest reaction to the architecture in the admissions building – I ought to have loved it since it wasn’t that different from Scripps, but instead of reminding me of my college years at U of C, instead it somehow reminded me of an elementary school. Maybe it was the chairs in the room where we heard the info session – old-fashioned oak schoolroom chairs with built-in armrest mini-desks. Anyway, D1 doesn’t care about the desks; what sold her was the fact that both the admin officer and the tour guide told many, many stories about the various hijinks and projects and clubs the students form. Show D1 a group of creative nerdy types who absolutely do not care what anyone else thinks of them or how ridiculous they look, and you have shown her her people. I think she needs to go back when class is in session so she can check the student body out for herself, but right now for her, Reed is up there with Scripps as a top choice.</p>
<p>Lewis & Clark: an interesting contrast to Reed. While the Reed info session and tour seemed to rely on the quirkiness of the student body as a selling point, Lewis & Clark told us all about the programs the school offers. Their big selling point is their study-abroad program, and the club the tour guide emphasized the most was the outdoor adventure club (or whatever it’s called). D1 has no particular desire to study abroad and she is not outdoorsy, so she likes L&C in spite of those amenities, not because of them. She insists she will not mind the near-constant rain, and she does like the idea of going to school in a city like Portland.</p>
<p>Next up: Barnard and Bryn Mawr! Stay tuned!</p>
(Ascended on the list)
) (Ascended on the list)