Colleges your child crossed off the list after visiting, schools that moved up on the list. Why? (NO REPLIES)

[sbinaz]

Forgot to mention:
Danville, KY recently started up a city-run bus which makes loops every hour around town to the grocery store, Walmart, Centre, etc. Lots of students use it to make Walmart & grocery store snack runs.

[sbinaz]

Also, Centre College student body is diverse (only 50% Caucasian), which we loved. But the rest of KY is not necessarily as diverse. Everyone we encountered was very genuine and down-to-earth, which is right up my kid’s alley.

In the music building, there was a poster on the wall for something called “The Centre Dozen Project,” which had a Mother Theresa quote on it of “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” We really liked that.

[MistySteel27]

Susquehanna - UPWe drove up late in the dark rainy weather - not a fun almost 4 hour drive. We grabbed Dairy Queen, her fav and checked into the cheap but adequate roadside hotel. The next morning we got to the beautiful admissions building and they immediately greeted her: you must be MistyJr, it’s so nice to meet you! Then went over her schedule for the visit. Offered us various drinks while we waited for the admission counselor and gave us a meal voucher for lunch. The counselor talked with D for about an hour going into detail about the school, clubs, study abroad and a bunch of majors etc. She also asked what D was interested in activities wise and what she does now. D asked if the cafeteria had an ice cream machine and YES it does with vanilla, chocolate and twist.

A really nice young lady gave us a very thorough tour all over campus, inside many buildings, dorm room and gym/pool. At the end of that cold long walk she delivered us to the music admission coordinator who chatted with D for about 15 minutes before the woodwind professor took D for a lesson. I waited in the lounge. After we went to the cafeteria and D found plenty of food she was satisfied with plus went back up for the twist ice cream. I got a latte from Starbucks on our way out of the building for the long drive home. Overall she really liked a lot about this school. It has many majors she’s interested in and can explore fairly easily. She liked the practice rooms better than the ones at Rowan and would be happy studying under the woodwind prof. She didn’t like how little the diversity is. She’s used to being one of only a few with Asian ethnicity but her school is very diverse otherwise. It was glaring but not a dealbreaker. The location isn’t great either but likes the campus. So she’ll definitely apply.

[taverngirl]

Were you able to visit the downtown area? It’s very cute. My d graduated from Susky so it holds a warm place in my heart. It attracts a super nice student body, and the profs seem to go above and beyond for the students often.

[MistySteel27]

Just drove through it on our way out to the main highway. It did look really cute and the houses were cute too. Seems like a nice walkable neighborhood if you wanted to get off campus for a stroll. My D25 did ask if there’s people who walk around with their dogs and was told yes absolutely. It was really cold and we were done being outside lol.

[southernfemmom]

Just went to Texas Christian University for accepted students day and S24 and I both were extremely impressed with everything we saw at TCU!

The afternoon before the tour, we walked the campus on our own. The students we saw all seemed happy and engaged and there was a lot of activity. The campus layout is easy to navigate on foot, and all of the buildings looked very well maintained. The campus was incredibly clean - did not see any trash or weeds anywhere! All of the buildings are an attractive yellow brick style and there are lots of green spaces/open areas.

Within walking distance of campus, there are lots of restaurants/bars/cafes and also pharmacies and a grocery store within walking distance. It doesn’t seem like students would need a car on campus though many have cars.

Accepted students day was extremely well run! We were greeted warmly and enthusiastically by students and administrators, including our AO rep who recognized S24 by name and welcomed him personally. We then took photos with the horned frog mascot (fun!) and had a very good breakfast in the dining hall.

After a group intro, students went to tour their specific school so we went to learn about the Neely School of Business. We heard from about a dozen students, the Dean, Academic Support, Academic Advisors, Career Services, and special programs. A key take away was that classes are small, students have both faculty and peer advisors every step of the way, there are a wide variety of ways to get involved, and students have excellent internship and career outcomes.

Next, a very delicious lunch and tours of two freshmen dorms that were very nice. Truly, all the facilities we toured were impressive. Very up to date and well-maintained. Then there were a wide variety of options to learn about things like curriculum, study abroad, financial aid, clubs, Greek life, etc. overall it was a great experience!

[VisibleName2]

Senior in the middle of receiving acceptances et al., but here’s our experiences visiting campuses over the last year. Thanks to all for the many helpful suggestions! We are local to DC. DS first was interested in foreign studies and economics, but a year later is more interested in data science and CS.

Last spring:

UMD: Same. It’s a big and open campus but feels unfinished. The campus has few amenities nearby. But facilities were nice enough and DS appreciated the very close stadiums for the D1 games.

Georgetown: Up, but later down. This was our first tour when DS more interested in international studies. Tour guide was good, but it definitely felt like a campus of polished extroverts. At first DS very interested but later realized it wasn’t his crowd. Tour does not show a dining hall–and online reviews of these are savagely negative.

WashUSTL: Way Up. DS very impressed by the high quality dorm rooms and general campus feel during our March visit. The town of St. Louis is a bit worn and East St. Louis is very poor, but the campus felt safe and had convenient access to the airport and strong bus service. It was his first choice but after we got back to DC, the marketing from other schools overrode this good impression.

UChicago: Down. While we had very good food oncampus, DS hated the dirty campus and rather hostile student body. This was off his list, until he was convinced by schoolmates to apply! West of campus are some extremely rundown and dangerous neighborhoods. His classmates at school however are very pro-UC.

Northwestern: Stunning campus but did not tour.

UMich: Same. Campus was a bit disorganized and some places felt shabby. A noteable mix of students who seemed happy but not stressed out.

UND: Way up. DS really responded to the positivity and goodwill of our tour guide, who was the best one we have had. She loved Notre Dame and its focus on service and community. DS found South Bend a bit dull but overall safe. The campus is compact and it’s easy to walk around.

UPitt: Same, which is way up. DS loves the safe, city feel of UPitt and the mixed student body. Campus does feel like a state school, but Pitt seems quick to correct complaints–such as food. We had visited before and he liked it then.

Carnegie Mellon: Same. Super nice but feels like a corporate campus. Presenter from admissions was very weak. DS felt he’d get a good education but was less sure of the social aspects of the school.

UVA: Way up. Really a charming college town. It’s too hilly for easy biking–maybe with an electric bike. Campus tour guide was nice but a little disengaged. Some concern that it’s difficult to sign up for classes.

William and Mary: Same. Large percentage of nerds here from what we saw. Campus is nice and safe. The school just seems to lack a theme or focus to its presentation. We were on a fall focus day and it was a bit jumbled TBH.

Johns Hopkins: way down. This school had the most unhappy student body we’d seen. Even the tour guides seemed unhappy. All the tour guides were pre-med and public health. The IR school is strong but located near Dupont Circle in DC, so really should be considered a separate campus due to the commute. Lots of gates and guards, and an armed robbery happened right off campus the day we toured. Did not apply.

I hope this helps others!

[momofboiler1]

Reminder that this is a no response thread.

[Mainesailor]

I wanted my son to apply because of his music interest and Ole’s academic reputation, but my S24 couldn’t see himself in MN coming from ME.

[DeeCee36]

Here’s a recap of our visits over the past year + with my D24. I can’t remember if I’ve done any of the before, but here they are all in one place now that touring is over.

Rowan University, moved up (in my mind, anyway) after visiting, but eventually came off the list, due to its location (felt like the middle of nowhere).

Wentworth - came off the list after visiting, but then later was added back in. I did not go on this tour, so this is just D24’s takeaways… Pluses: D24 was impressed with the labs and maker space facilities. Location in Boston a huge draw. Cons: D24 did not love the open, urban campus - was hoping it would be more of a closed campus like that of her sister’s (Simmons).

TCNJ - came off the list after visiting. Campus was very cute, but as with Rowan, it felt like there was really nothing around. In addition, after visiting some private schools and seeing their engineering spaces, my D and my H felt that the facilities and equipment wasn’t on par with what they had seen elsewhere.

SUNY Bighamton - remained on the list, not sure the visit moved the needle too much in either direction. Pluses: Nice campus, big but not too big, the structure of the 4 residential colleges were really cool. Far enough from home to feel like it is “away” (and in another state), but easy enough to get to and get home on breaks. Dining options seemed good and varied. Cons: Another isolated campus, though the campus does provide shuttle service between campus and downtown. Did not get to see downtown, but understand it is not much to look at/experience.

Rochester Institute of Technology - came way up after the visit. Pluses: The campus and facilities were really impressive. Very cool to see an environment full of makers. The campus is self-contained and in the middle of a suburb, but it seems as though there is a lot of attention toward making campus life active and engaging. Cons: The campus is in the middle of nowhere. The city of Rochester is not far, but without a car, feels like it might as well be hours away. Also did not seem like the city would be a hub of student activity and recreation (admittedly, only drove in for dinner and a quick peruse through some neighborhood). It is also a bit further from home than feels comfortable (6.5 hours), especially given there doesn’t seem to be accessible public transportation (amtrak) to get back and forth. That’s a long drive or an expensive flight.

University of Delaware - down, came off the list after visiting. I personally really liked the campus, but D24 felt it was too big (she didn’t love the idea of needing to take a shuttle bus around or walk far). One thing we both noted was there seemed to be no diversity at all among the students we saw. Every single one looks like they could have stepped right out of our middle class, predominantly caucasion, New Jersey high school.

Stevens Institute - moved up on the list. we visited on Good Friday last year, so campus was very quiet and we did a self-guided tour. Will be going back for an admitted student event, but the impressions from our limited visit were: Pluses: Loved the size, feel and location of campus. Small and contained, but adjacent to Washington St. in Hoboken. Poked our heads in the engineering labs and D24 and H were impressed. Cons: Perhaps because we were there on Good Friday, the only people that seemed to be on campus were obviously international grad students. Thus, it didn’t feel very diverse (but in the completely opposite way of UDel). Also a concern that the campus empties out on the weekends.

[UTmeritseeker]

University of Arizona - Moved Up. TLDR: The campus was much nicer than we were expecting but I still have lingering concerns about the student “vibe” and their current financial strain.

Arizona Experience tour - 300+ people there for info sessions, tours, etc. Did we get Covid? TBD! We visited on a coolish but sunny day, so the weather was ideal. The campus was genuinely stunning. Red brick buildings with southwest flair. Wide open grassy spaces, cactus and tree gardens. Very quiet and protected from general Tucson noise, even though it is right in the city. The Honors Village is lovely - a nice (huge) separate dorm with its own dining hall. The dorms are set up so only 4 students share a bathroom. The science departments and the honors college were impressive - a lot of opportunities for research and academic success. The food was mediocre - decent variety, but none of it was great. I am still hesitant about the “hot people” and party vibes of the school. Even though it was a cool day (50 degrees) we still saw groups of female students wearing only bikini tops and shorts. The bars right off campus were packed with partying students (again, totally to be expected). I think my kid would be around hard-working students but the “hot dummy” quotient seemed like it could be pretty high. No mention whatsoever during the all-day event of financial strain, even though it has been huge news on campus. Tucson is fine. Reminded us a lot of Albuquerque. The mountains are lovely and the saguaros everywhere were stunning.

Moved up the list because none of us really had an idea of what to expect, and the beauty of the campus and the overall strength of the science and honors programs impressed us.

[Edited to add: They also have an Astrobiology minor! Super niche and super cool. Astrobiology Undergraduate Minor | Lunar and Planetary Laboratory & Department of Planetary Sciences | The University of Arizona ]

[UTmeritseeker]

delete - off-topic response to question

[DcMdVaMom]

Georgetown - My daughter did not want to go to a small school. But she ended up loving the campus, the surrounding city, the history, and mission. The students felt driven like her, but not cut throat killer competitive. I liked that all the campus housing had a/c, and that most of the students lived on campus. This surprisingly became her top choice.

George Washington - My daughter liked that this was a big school in the city. But this moved down the list after visiting Georgetown. I didnt think it was worth the price.

University of MD - My daughter liked the big campus and the suburban feel of the school. Not Georgetown, but good enough. It had the academics, the student life, adequate on-campus housing. I liked that this was a better price point than GW. This became her 2nd choice.

University of VA - My daughter was put off by how they made the students come in undeclared and forced them to fight for a spot in the business school after 2 years, only to reject half of them. The tour focused on how competitve the school was, how prestigious it was to be a lawnie in one of the few bathroomless rooms on the main lawn, instead of showing us where the rest of the kids were actually going to live. I think after visiting Georgetown (which offered direct admissions to their business school and touted its mission of service) and growing up in a hyper-competitive area like ours, she realized life didn’t have to be this way. I really wanted her to apply here, due to it being in-state, but my daughter had some valid points. So I gave in, and she didn’t apply, even though she had the stats to get in.

Virginia Tech - My daughter saw the mountains and the grill on campus and wanted to go home. She was also put off by emphasis on the dining halls, and I was concerned about the lack of on-campus housing. We found out later, the dining halls were to support the increase of students commuting to school due to the lack of on campus housing. We were also put off by their diversity video, which didn’t seem very diverse at all. I was really hoping my daughter would like it here too for the in-state tuition, but this also became a backup school.

George Mason - My daughter was put off by the lack of campus life. I thought it was a great school though. It definitely felt like a school that cared about its students and get them placed in a great job in the area. This became a backup.

[Snowball2]

Agnes Scott—SAME–first college we visited, when D24 was a sophomore. We wanted her to get a feel for the LAC experience. It is a gorgeous small campus, with a very Hogwarts-like library (small) and well-kept buildings and interiors. The tour was very normal—info session, viewing of model dorm room (set up in visitors’ center since Covid was still relevant). This school would suit someone who wanted a very close community with lots of nurturing. They told another student on the tour they would teach her to ride a bike if she wanted to. If my child had a bad experience at another school, this is the school I would transfer her to. Great for introverts who want to be brought out of their shells. I think students would make lifelong friends here.

Kalamazoo College—DOWN—I had hoped D24 would find a community here, but it was too small (for her) and led her to rule out LACs altogether. According to my husband and her, the buildings could use some TLC. The biggest disappointment was the city of Kalamazoo, which was very strip-mall-ish in its feeling. I’ll mention it even though it might not mean anything—the tour guide was not in the best spirits. I think maybe regional students from the Midwest might find a lot to like here.

Loyola Chicago—UP—beautiful campus, large enough to provide variety in social life. (did not take official tour) The students seemed happy and focused without being competitive. The virtual visit was also impressive in its focus on actually conveying the spirit of the students and the school (there were student ambassadors talking). The thing that eventually lowered it on D24’s list was the (at least) 70% female student body. D24 wanted more balance.

DePaul—SAME—(did not take official tour) Students seemed diverse and nice. There was socializing on campus in the student center. The campus is very urban and doesn’t have the “traditional college” feeling that Loyola does. However, there is a better gender balance there than at Loyola.

Boston University—SAME—this school was high on the list to begin with, and a good friend of D24 attends. I think a lot of people have described the campus, so I’ll just say—Boston is beautiful, the Charles is peaceful, campus is very spread-out and linear. The student guide was very STEM-focused, which wasn’t our preference. We didn’t see inside dorms. I hear they are nothing special.

Northeastern U—UP—this school has all the marketing bells and whistles, from the ambassadors who are doing their co-op in admissions, to the campus, which compares favorably to BU, to the professional environment and nice facilities. We didn’t see dorms. It is hard not to be impressed by NEU, but it is also hard to get in!

Clark U—UP—these admissions experts are fantastic. Although it is a small campus/city, the students we saw looked happy and were all engaged (I loved seeing them burst out of class in the hallowed old liberal arts building). The tour guide was excellent. The dorms were fine and there was a focus on improved dining experiences. It’s just too small for D24. This is a school I would very much want to attend if I were very non-conformist.

UGA—UP, then DOWN, THEN FINE FOR D24—Luckily, we’re within easy driving distance. The first tour we took was good. The campus is huge, and Athens is a college town with a lot of restaurants. It is definitely not a city, but Atlanta is 90 minutes away. The second tour (First Look for in-state students) was quite bad. Every student they had speak to us on the panel was pre-professional, and they did not speak about academic experiences. On this tour, almost every woman we saw conformed to the SEC sorority stereotype. We seriously worried that the culture would be monolithic. However, on the third visit (choir trip), we saw more diverse students, although very few open “non-conformists.” I would not be happy to live here for 4 years if I were very non-conformist, or LGBTQ+. Some of my daughter’s gay friends will not consider it despite the huge bargain for in-staters. However, there is a gay community there–it isn’t a total wasteland.

I forgot to add UMASS–SAME. Very windswept campus. The students looked fun and diverse. We didn’t get an official tour, which probably would have helped. Psych building is brutalist and (for us) hard to handle. Amherst seems practically non-existent as a town. We drove to Northampton, 15 mins away. It is kind of like a very small Athens–too small for D24.

[Ally86]

UC Santa Cruz–same/up. D26 and about 40 of her classmates toured yesterday. I would have liked to have gone, but couldn’t so these are her observations.

Pros: she likes the idea of walking through a forest to get to class. It is really a beautiful setting. The student speakers and tour guides all seemed to love their school. The campus felt busy and the students she saw walking around were “stylish,” and appeared happy. They were provided food, which was falafel that she said was very good, but it’s unclear whether this was university food or not–they did not eat in the dining hall. There are lots of shuttles and buses to take you around campus, to downtown and to the beach. For $12/year, you can have access to bikes to cruise around campus. D26 also was impressed by the library, but didn’t exactly say why, except for some kind of screened in outdoor “room” on the top floor.

Cons: most of the buildings are ugly (built in the 60s and 70s). And it’s too close to home.

D26 said she and her friends were all in agreement–they liked the school, will apply, would be happy to attend but wish it were farther from home (we are in the East Bay). Many kids from our public high school attend UC Santa Cruz every year. I would say this is a target school for D26.