Took D26 on a college visit trip last week- she wants a SLAC, lots of diversity and strong STEM programs. Here are her impressions:
Brandeis University: (Up) Wasn’t expecting such a pretty campus- it was quite nice, well laid out and even had a little pond in the middle of the freshman dorms quad. Info session was great, kids were diverse and friendly. My daughter was happy to learn it’s the second smallest R1 school in the country, so lots of research dollars and opportunities to be had. Although it’s a smaller school, intro STEM classes do have 100-150+ students in them- our tour guide said several times that profs are very approachable and available, despite larger class sizes the first year. My kid described it as 'diverse, inclusive, social justice focused"
Mount Holyoke College: (Up) Well, it’s as gorgeous as you’ve read. Stunning library- I asked the tour guide ‘are you sure we’re not at Hogwarts?’ The science building is particularly nice- probably one of the prettiest spaces we’ve seen. The student tour guides were SO enthusiastic about the school. Students seemed diverse, engaged and happy to be there. Interestingly, neither the tour guides nor the AO during the info session talked about it being a historically women’s college- that seems like a big decision making point for a high school student, yet they didn’t talk about it at all. The Equestrian Center is fabulous and has a nice lounge/study space for students, and it’s walkable from campus. They have club Dressage & Western teams, and a varsity Hunter team. Takeaways: Beautiful campus, quirky and smart students, lots of campus traditions
Smith College: (Way Up) One of the best tours we’ve been on- the tour guides were absolutely passionate about their school, the house system and all of the opportunities the school provides. Impressive science center and lab space. Northampton is a really cute little town, walkable from campus. Because MHC is more quirky, I thought my kid would prefer it- but nope, Smith really resonated with her for some reason. The students said that with the open curriculum it’s easy to study in multiple areas, getting their major requirements filled was no problem. Definitely different from my older kid’s experience at another open curriculum school, where he’s stressing to get all of his required classes in (open curriculum is great- but check out the major requirements, as they can be substantial!) Overall, my kiddo said Smith was friendly, intellectual and challenging (in a good way), had a very strong community vibe.
Wesleyan U: (Down) This was, unfortunately, the worst college tour I’ve been on (and I’ve been on lots). The tour guide answered every single question with, “wow- that’s a really good question…I don’t know the answer!” Their tour was all facts about the school that we already knew, no personal reflection as to what makes Wes unique, why they liked it, etc. The campus just felt weird with the field in the middle- and my kid said the dorms looked like jail cells. Tour guide said that roommates are completely randomly assigned, no questionnaire or anything- that was enough to cause anxiety in my kid. The few buildings we went into weren’t impressive- I’m sure there are some beautiful spaces on campus, but unfortunately the tour didn’t take us into any of them. I was so disappointed because I thought Wesleyan might shoot up to the top of her list after she saw it, but instead she probably won’t apply. Takeaways: with a better tour guide, I think this one might have been considered, but probably off her list.
We also drove through the Wheaton College campus on the way back to the airport- it had a really pretty campus with a lake in the middle, nice buildings and is one she’ll check out further.