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

[KBdad]

We toured Gettysburg as well with our daughter and it definitely surprised her to the upside. She thought it would be too small, but she loved the campus and vibe and the ability to walk into town. She also likes that it is one of the few LAC’s that offers a Business & Management major rather than just Econ. Moved up the list!

[DcMdVaMom]

That’s exactly why my daughter liked Georgetown.

[KBdad]

Georgetown is amazing, I can see why!

[Izzy74]

Just back from a few days in the midwest with S25, saw four schools and visited family.

Notre Dame - UP I knew he’d love it, he knew he’d love it. It’s Harvard for Catholic school kids and S25 is definitely a Catholic school kid. Loved the dorm system, loved the campus, just the right amount of fun and just the right amount of nerdy. The area around ND is much nicer than it was 15yrs ago, the last time I was there. Of course, it was 50 degrees and sunny so a freak day in Northern Indiana. If by some miracle S25 is accepted, I’m going to send him on a freezing day. Downside of ND is simply that my average excellent kid will probably not get in, especially not to Mendoza, which would be his goal. Oh and the outrageous cost that we would cough up if he gets in.

Miami University (Ohio) - UP If you had talked to me halfway through our Miami tour I would have said that it was too midwestern for my PNW kid. Maybe too big too. But the Farmer School of Business does an excellent presentation. It was held by a retired business professor, which is such a great idea, and we sat around a conference table and learned about the business school. The professor had photocopied news articles about the school, extra stuff he thought the kids would like, the man is a treasure and I hope Miami knows how lucky they are to have such a great resource. I think if S25 was admitted to Honors and Farmer, it would be a great option for him.

U of Dayton - DOWN Beautiful campus, nice kids, good business school. But it’s in Dayton and S25 was a quick no on Dayton the city. We live in WA and felt like he might as well go to Gonzaga, same idea. I don’t want to denigrate UD though, really nice kids and a nice school overall.

Denison - SAME Love Granville, love Columbus, love the campus. The vibe was not nearly as preppy or fratty as I had been led to believe. It did feel like everyone we met was from NY or NJ, and looking at their demo, Denison has a large number of kids from the NE. Nice school, downside is mostly that they don’t have a true business program. S25 liked it though and still wants to apply.

SE trip to come in April and maybe one or two California schools in the summer.

[natty1988]

CSU Fullerton- Too close to home (20 mins away with no traffic) and my D didn’t think Cal State schools were that good and were too big. And she thought it was a commuter school. I know in the last few years, it’s shed off it’s communter reputation. We know many CSU Fullerton grads who’ve done very well. Her aunt and uncle went there and had great careers. Her cousin went there and has done well with her teaching and coaching and is getting her masters in physical education. I’ve had many co-workers who are CSU-Fullerton grads and they’re some of the hardest workers I know. D also has a roomate/friend who went to Fullerton and seems to be doing well in her career as a graphic designer. S was kind of neutral on Fullerton and still applied as a safety.

UC Irvine- Both dismissed as it was too close to home. It turned out to be too much of a reach for both kids anyway.

Soka- We live about 10 mins from Soka. To be honest you don’t really hear much about it in our community. We don’t know anyone who has attended. We have been on the campus several times for various events. The events weren’t affliated with Soka, it’s more that Soka loans their space to the community. D and I went there for a Ballet Folklorico de Mexico show. We went there for my niece’s dance recital and then we went another time to an outdoor concert there. And I was there last year chaperoning prom (I work at a private school). My niece’s high school also had it’s prom there. It’s a gorgeous campus and we’ve always been in awe everytime we’ve visited. My kids didn’t consider it. It was too close to home, too suburban, and it just didn’t seem like the school for them.

[JessRx]

University of Tulsa: Way, way up. We visited for their Future TU Scholar Day last month. Lovely campus, great city, nice staff. We had our reservations and preconceptions about what Oklahoma would be like. I’d be happy to send my kid here and save their college funds for grad school. The only major nuisance was no direct flight from our metro area.

[Panda28]

Flagler College – DOWN. Visited during the summer so it probably didn’t help that the campus was a ghost town. But D insists that even if it had been bustling with students the rating wouldn’t have gone up. She had her eyes set on a smaller school setting, but it was too small which was definitely something I didn’t think was possible. There were only a few main buildings and she didn’t like that there was no “central campus” in that you would have to walk across the street and past a 24/7 convenience store to get to some of the dorm buildings. Also complained that the general vibe of campus was directed towards tourists. There were a ton of tourists walking around taking pictures inside the main building, and like I mentioned sincethere’s no central campus any tourists can just walk around the lawn where the student’s are sprawled out on hammocks and go sightseeing the architecture. School is definitely more liberal arts focused and the only health-related program they have is a minor in biology or health science which wasn’t enough to sway D. She was also not impressed by the library, which apparently is very important in her deciding factor. Tour guide was fantastic and was honest about some of the cons of the school (in which harassment by tourists was one of them). However, D was in LOVE with the architecture but, and I quote, “I am not going to college to look at the buildings all day”, which, I guess, is true enough…

University of North Florida – UP. This one was surprising because she had previously declared her disdain for the school but I could see her falling in love with it. Though it’s a public school, the campus is small and so is the student size but not too small. She loved the natural scenery, the bamboo garden, and the greenhouses. We also saw a duck wandering around campus which she got a kick out of since she’s a birdwatcher. Also the library was four stories which apparently passed the “vibe check” so I guess we’re in the clear library-wise? They have an actual college dedicated to health professions so that was another plus. They also have a Jamba Juice on campus and honestly I swear sometimes kids are making important life decisions based on their stomach. The only downside though is that she really doesn’t like the city of Jacksonville compared to other Florida cities and feels that the school doesn’t quite have the same reputation of ones like UF or FSU or even UCF.

[Goldie52]

Rice - UP for the kid, WAY UP for the mom ;-). Wow! What an amazing place, I want to go back to school there! The house system is really unique, and the kids seems happy happy. The kid liked it a lot, but also thought she might miss more traditional frat parties etc ( and I refrained from letting her know what I thought about that).

[Snowball2]

Macalester–(crossed off the list, sadly) Husband and daughter reported on the beauty of the campus, and the nice restaurants in the surrounding neighborhood, but it is just too small for my daughter, who will be a Psych major and wants worlds of people to explore. (Note: They did not go on the tour, so this is no reflection on Macalester’s admissions. They have been consistently impressive in their outreach and approach to academic life).

University of Minnesota–WAY UP. Their buildings are gorgeous. Husband reports sandstone building where the English department is lodged (he is jealous since his department is in a skyscraper). There is a beautiful armory building as well. It had just snowed the perfect amount, about 4-5 inches, and the trees were covered in layers of snow, like in a European picturebook. My family likes to walk, and although they were cautioned about the length of the Washington Avenue bridge by the tour guide, they found it enjoyable. The tour guide was new, and was going through the spiel, but she wasn’t bad, just “meh.” The Weisman art museum is so spectacular on the outside, like a knight in armor! The family says it’s nice on the inside–white walls, etc. Wally’s in Dinkytown was the standout meal: falafel deluxe! The fact that Dinkytown could measure up at all to Atlanta for my foodie-snob loved ones is impressive. Pizza at Frank and Andrea was good. Korean place was good. Husband loved Bookhouse (used books in Dinkytown). Daughter shopped the vintage stores near Macalester in St. Paul. (a plus for those of you considering a smaller college). Daughter attended a Psych 1101 lecture with probably 100 people in it. The lecture hall could hold 700! She wasn’t blown away by the material since she had it all in AP Psych last year–but she would skip that class anyway. Don’t ride in the last car on the light rail–at least not when it’s really cold out. That’s where the homeless/unhoused (pick your preferred term) people are. Daughter said, “Dad is a 6’4 man, but I was uncomfortable.” (Note: I keep telling husband that 6’4 won’t mean anything when he’s visibly over 60, but he doesn’t listen).
Overall, a fantastic visit. If only I weren’t anemic and a total weakling, I’d consider Minneapolis for retirement.

[goldbug]

(Background: son had no preconceived notions about any of the schools we are visiting on this trip, so he was almost a blank canvas. I say “almost” because lately he’s been maintaining that he’d like to stay in California, all other things being equal. More on that in a separate channel, maybe. We also had our 18 y.o. German exchange student in tow. He has no plans to attend college in the US but is gregarious and confident, so an excellent support for my deeply shy son. Back to the topic at hand…)

St. Olaf:
Friday night drop-in pizza at the student center; Saturday tour. It was cold and windy and we were tired. Admissions presentation was impressive. Our reception felt personalized – two prospective kids per tour guide, and they’d matched us up ahead of time. The campus is up on a hill overlooking town, across a busy highway from the the commercial district and Carleton. I asked about walking to town and our student tour guide didn’t seem to think anyone would do that. There are nice woods next to campus and kids can walk/bike/ski there.

The buildings were well-designed, fairly uniform architecturally, and light-filled. The cavernous dining hall seemed convivial; the chapel was gorgeous. Students were visually more diverse than I’d expected.

Per the admissions presentation 18% identify as Lutheran and 45% identify as religious “nones”. It didn’t feel like a super religious campus, in case folks are worrying about that. There are religious course requirements and lots of creative options to fulfill them (e.g. Christian symbolism in Tolkien.)

Our tour guide was incredibly awkward and didn’t seem super curious about things outside of his spectrum of engagement so that felt like a missed opportunity – but it didn’t seem to faze the kids.

We loved the library, the athletic facilities, the student center, and the interconnectedness of campus. Dorm rooms all come with a microwave and fridge and are nice but standard.

For me, the STEM building seemed a little deserted (granted, it was a Saturday), especially compared to the other two schools we visited. I didn’t get as strong a sense that research was happening on campus.

What the kids liked: campus look-and-feel/vibe, study abroad options, access to nature. What they didn’t like as much: one said it was a little “meh”; the other noted that the science building seemed kind of dead. For me, this would be a fine choice and I think without being there on a weekday and/or going to a class, it’s hard to really gauge what the academic experience would be like. The boys liked this one best of the three.

Carleton: that same afternoon we got a somewhat specialized tour of Carleton from the guy who runs the physics labs. We weren’t able to do an official admissions tour and barely interacted with students. That said, impressions: the science building seemed more student-centric somehow – there were white boards where students were working on problems, for example. Students were hanging out in the maker space. The architecture was more diverse and the college is more integrated with the town. It also has a large network of trails around campus. The student center was less large/impressive than the one we saw at St. Olaf but it was hopping. If I had a kid who was passionate about STEM and kind of outdoorsy, this would be a great place to send them. The boys were less excited. I think the physics-specific tour was kind of intimidating to my son, who thinks he’s good at physics but hasn’t really encountered much yet. There’s a pervasive smell from the local cereal factory that at first seems pleasant and then kind of grates. It was too much for our exchange student. (this would definitely fall into the category of most random reason to reject a school!) Neither of them was feeling Carleton by the end of the day, although admittedly we saw a narrow sliver of the school. Also? it’s one of the most rejective schools on our list and so I’m not going to push it super hard.

Sunday was an urban hike from the neighborhood near Macalester up to the University of Minnesota, across the iconic ped/bike bridge to the warehouse district in Minneapolis. We made a brief detour through the U: large buildings, very few students in evidence, kind of physically overwhelming to both boys. We didn’t do an official tour and they didn’t seem super curious about it. Onward!

Monday (today) was Macalester. Y’all, I had pinned so much hope on this being the magical, Goldilocks school for my son and he kind of dashed my hopes. Kind of…

I’ll get the obvious thing out of the way: the campus is underwhelming. It’s small. Most of the buildings aren’t particularly architecturally striking (although they’re functional). You cross a busy street to get between the student life office/dorms and the academic and athletic portions of campus. And despite telling me that he wasn’t shallow enough to care about architecture, my son and his German host brother both admitted that they greatly preferred St. Olaf on this front. Bah. That said, the location is in many ways ideal. This is not a school where you need a car – the whole area has made a big investment in bike lanes and trails and the students all get free bus passes. The immediate surrounding neighborhood is lovely–an old, charming, walkable neighborhood of historic homes (many of them duplexes and small-scale apartment buildings that upperclassmen rent). There are good restaurants and drug stores within a block or two of campus. And the airport is maybe 10-15 minutes away.

If I had to use one word to describe the students we encountered, I’d say “engaged.” They seem busy not just with academics but with the world around them. There’s definitely a stronger/more noticeable activist culture there than at either of the Northfield schools. But I also got a sense of academic engagement. The students we met were all majoring in one thing, minoring in another, and concentrating in some third cross-disciplinary field. We went into the science building and most of the faculty seemed to be in their offices, doors open. Students were studying and working together in every nook and cranny around campus. Finally, the location opens up a ton of potential for co-op-type experiences. They boasted scores of local internships that offer academic credit.

The boys went to different sample classes and both came away impressed. They enjoyed lunch with a student. They liked what they saw of the city. So why wasn’t Mac their favorite? Neither could really put their finger on it. The German said “vibes.” (we did keep running into the same German student at St. Olaf and maybe that was enough to give him a good feeling?). The American (the one we’re going to have to send to college) said campus. And maybe also vibes. Who knows.

I almost had a meltdown when I asked: if you were to apply to a bunch of places and only get into one of these three, would you be okay with that? and son said “no. I feel like there are better places for me out there.” But then he walked it back and said he’d probably apply to at least some of them. I’m now deeply curious about how he’ll respond to the Ohio schools.

My final impressions: St. Olaf was peaceful and seems well-run. Macalester was vibrant and scrappy. Carleton was intriguing but also (for us) inaccessible. Onward!

[MotherMae]

Updates after visiting on Admitted Students days:

Case Western Reserve - UP! D24 went by herself since we are within commuting distance. She came home excited. This was her take on the day:
Maker Space - She spent a lot of time in their Sears Think Box talking to current students and touring all 6 floors and seeing all the engineering equipment. (There’s a 7th floor that is not open to the public). It was her favorite part of the day.
Food - She ate in one of their cafeterias and said the food was very good. She even sent me a picture she was so impressed.
Study Abroad - With her admittance she was selected to study abroad her first semester in Madrid, Spain. I was unsure about this offer, but she is excited. She has always planned to study abroad and thinks doing it early in her college career is the best/easiest path when going into a challenging courseload.
Campus - She walked a lot more of campus this time and said it’s better than she remembered. It’s not as urban as Boston University which she hated. There are areas of courtyards and green space.
Dorms - She didn’t tour a dorm as she had already toured it before. They’re blah and boring but it’s not important to her.
Students - She liked everyone she interacted with. Found everyone to be friendly.
And now the BEST part in her opinion - Students can graduate with a DOUBLE major in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering in 4 years with just 3 extra credits. 128 credits for AE and 131 credits for the AE/ME combo. She also has 7 AP courses that will transfer so that could lighten the load a little bit.
This is a pricey school, but the value is high with the double major possibility and the fact that she could live at home her junior/senior years to save some $ if she wanted to. Oh, they also have Master’s in 5 years program which she wants to look into.

Michigan State University - Down and out. We went together on this one. It’s just not a good fit for her. We had 2 hours of free time to tour wherever we wanted before the guided tour began. We went into the engineering building, and it was so boring. Also, not a single female in sight. She was the only engineering student in our tour group. There is a new STEM building which looks really cool in the lobby, but we didn’t get to see any classrooms.
Food - Nothing special. We ate in Landon Hall. A current student said different halls are known for different kinds of food. We were in the salad, vegan, different-kind-of-entrees hall. There are other halls more known for pizza and burgers.
The campus is gigantic and beautiful. A student would benefit from having a bike. It’s something to think about when it comes time to schedule classes. Leave plenty of time to get from class to class.
Students - We didn’t see many students interacting while we were there. They were in classes or stayed to themselves in the dining hall. Our student tour guide was a sophomore and said she didn’t like people which is why she doesn’t take the bus very often. We were not impressed!

Next Admitted Student Days will be a Purdue Honors visit and a campus overnight at Rose-Hulman.

[UTmeritseeker]

Another mid-west college round-up! We visited UW-Madison, Lawrence University, St. Olaf College, and Macalester. I am totally convinced that touring is critically important. Many schools shifted place after our in-person visits. Also-everyone on the mid-west is so nice!!!

UW-Madison - Down. We had very high hopes for UW-Madison, but we all left feeling like it wasn’t a great match. Positives - Madison is great, of course, and State St. near campus was bustling and vibrant and had a variety of great food options. Academic rigor is clear, especially for STEM. Views of the lakes are amazing, and the Memorial Union would be very fun in warm weather. We broke down and got ice cream at the Daily Scoop (even though it was 20 degrees outside) and it was delicious. The eating spaces looked pleasant and bustling. Negatives: we did not love the campus. It feels very urban and busy, with major thoroughfare roads crossing campus. There are very few places on the campus that feel fully separated from the city. The main hill is pretty, but on a cold icy day having to trudge up or slip down the hill seems far from ideal. Also, in the breaks between classes, the campus is really busy. A sea of students moving between classes and waiting to cross streets etc. It never really felt peaceful anywhere. Constant crossing of busy streets, even to get to the student union. The buildings were fine, but nothing really wowed us. Also, although the location of the dorms in the lakeshore area is beautiful, it is a long cold walk or bus ride to the classroom buildings. Bummed but it definitely moved down the list.

Lawrence University - Way Down. This was our biggest disappointment. It was near the top of my D25’s list, but we were very underwhelmed by our visit. Appleton is a really cute town, so we had high hopes when we arrived in town. The campus is fine, but nothing special. The campus is split between the music conservancy/arts side and the “academic” side, with a busy (for a small town) road in between. The river is beautiful and it is great for the soul to see running water from campus, but we asked a student about the bugs in the spring, and it was clear it is overrun with them for a big chunk of the spring semester. The cafeteria was nice - big open windows overlooking the river and the food was quite good, The admissions officer we met with was great: kind, engaged, knowledgeable, and welcoming. But the tour guide was lame. She seemed unhappy to be there, didn’t know much about the school, and she didn’t seem academically motivated. We also saw a theater performance and were not impressed - with the theater space itself, the directing, or the performance level of the students in the theater program. But - while we were on campus students were auditioning for the music conservancy and they were amazing. We could hear some piano auditions through the door and we were extremely impressed.

St. Olaf College WAY UP! Currently in first place on my D25s list. We were all completely smitten with St. Olaf. And we were there on a cold February day, so I imagine we would be even more in love in April or October. The campus is stunning - beautiful gothic buildings peaceful, closed, quiet campus. There is a large structure filled with windchimes in the middle of the quad giving it an otherworldly fairlyland quality. The science building is incredible - amazing natural light and views, a plethora of study spaces, and the faculty offices look inviting and indicate that the professors genuinely like their students. The library was fine, but probably the most underwhelming building on an otherwise spectacular campus. We had two personalized tours (one with two physics student tour guides and one with a music and a psychology guide). The tour guides were happy, knowledgeable, friendly, and they clearly loved St Olaf. We ate brunch in the main dining hall and it was alive with happy kids. It is a beautiful, open, bright space with a wood-covered vaulted ceiling - like eating in a beautiful chapel. The students all seemed pleasant and engaged and like lovely people with whom to spend four years. The food was the best we have had on our tours so far (UofArizona was the worst). And Northfield is extremely charming. It looks like a town from a Hallmark movie - and in fact it was used as the setting for one! We did briefly smell the cereal factory while we were down in town and found it pleasant. St. Olaf was the only place so far (other than the University of Arizona) that my daughter felt genuinely excited about and could happily imagine herself attending.

As an aside - when my daughter first started thinking about colleges, she thought she wanted a campus that was woven into a major city, with no distinctly separate campus - like Boston U or NYU. After visiting campuses, she has done a 180 and realized she loves the peacefulness of a closed, car-free campus.

Macalester Down. This is still in the running and she will likely apply, but it dropped a bit after our visit, especially for me (I had it high on my list). I think if we had visited here before St. Olaf it might have fared better, but once our D decided she liked the peaceful feeling there, Macalester seemed too hectic and urban. The campus is pleasant, but not beautiful. Every building is different and there is no feeling of cohesiveness. The students are clearly smart, driven, internationally-focused, academic, and hip. We were very impressed with the students on the student panel, and the general vibe of the students we saw on campus. The area in St. Paul surrounding campus is amazing and it would be easy to engage in all the Twin Cities has to offer. The dining hall felt like a mall food court - nothing inspiring. We were there on a big junior tour day, so we were fed sack lunches, so I can’t report on the quality of the food in the cafeteria. There was a huge line out the door between classes for students trying to get coffee - suggesting there are insufficient options on campus for quick bites and coffee breaks. The campus felt small - it is a small school so it doesn’t need a lot of space for its student body, but the smallness seemed a bit too cramped. The info presentations were all really good. It is clear the school cares about its students and provides a lot of resources - especially for study abroad. The library was nothing special, and there didn’t seem to be any quiet calm spaces on campus. I think it would be a great option for someone who wants a city bustling vibe, it just didn’t resonate as much for us.

[Peruna1998]

D24 has narrowed the field to two, both of which we have visited in the past month, so I guess reports are due:

Colorado School of Mines (UP). The town of Golden is awesome. We joked that D24 could not walk ten feet down the main drag without her eye catching on a new shop, tea house, or coffee shop that she wanted to go into. The number of dogs walking owners was incredible, which is a big plus for us. The outdoor activities around the area are phenomenal. We went on several day hikes in the area over the weekend. As for Mines itself, the campus is small, but seems modern. Oddly few students on campus, but it snowed while we were there (and the could deal with it unlike at home in Memphis). We were told many students were on the slopes. Those students we saw seemed very serious and absorbed in their work. Given the reputation of Mines, I am not sure this is particularly a good thing. D24 saw at least one student who appeared on the verge of a breakdown, but it is an intense school. The housing situation is a concern, especially given local rents. Mines is a possibility in D24’s mind, but she was not entirely sold. That being said, W and I could totally see us retiring to the area.

NC State (UP). This was the last school D24 applied to. She applied to programs, not schools per se. So, it was this major because the department was strong (at Mines, mining engineering…she wants options, and her options run the gamut). At NC State it was Textile Engineering at the Wilson School. She was invited to an interview weekend for the Centennial Scholars (we will see how that pans out, but she did her best). The campus is immense. We flew into Raleigh and stayed at a hotel on the Centennial Campus. We were unable to book an official tour, so we did our own. The goal was to see as much of campus as possible and the Target on Hillsborough (Target is D24’s mothership) and get back prior to the opening dinner for the scholarship weekend. We walked 7.1 miles. Now…in fairness, the campus has a ROBUST bus system. We did not use it. When you are on a tour, you walk. Beautiful campus…if you like brick. What struck D24 was that it was the first campus she had seen where there were flyers for events out everywhere (I am sure they were at other campuses, we just don’t recall them). But, she loved the breadth of activities and clubs available on campus (even if several were not her cup of tea). We hit the Student Center, the Free Speech Tunnel, the Target, etc. We finished with the massive new library in the engineering quad (which is not on the regular campus tour). This building is gorgeous. Set aside the 2 million volume bookbot (!). The building is phenomenal (it was designed to look similar to a Jacquard loom…it is across from the Wilson School of Textiles, of course). D24 could see spending hours in it. We also received a tour of the WIlson School. WOW. If you are interested in Textiles, this is a cool place. It may not seem like much on that outside, but it’s like a TARDIS. The majority of the labs are in a massive basement that must have cost a fotune to construct. We were very impressed with the facilities and the physical plant around Wilson. I realize NC State doesn’t get much props on this Board, but while massive, it is an incredible campus for STEM students.

[sbinaz]

Austin College

WAY up. Is now officially in D24’s #1 spot for many reasons. This was a post-acceptance-letter trip on one of their Roo Day events. I have a lot of info to share, so here we go…

General info first:

• purpose of the trip was for D24 to have a vocal audition for a music scholarship. She’s not a music major but they have performing arts scholarships for non-music majors
• there’s a Buc-ee’s in Melissa, TX about halfway between the Dallas Love Field airport and Sherman, TX. We don’t have Buc-ee’s yet in AZ (soon though!)…went in with the goal of getting drinks and ended up $58 poorer.
• stopped in at an organic grocery store in Sherman. Similar stuff for sale as Sprouts, but this is a locally owned grocery store. It has a big cafe inside, but the cafe part was closed on Sunday.
• drove to Texoma Medical Center. Nice big hospital. Much bigger than the hospital near Centre College. About 10-15 min drive from campus. This is the hospital where pre-health students do internships & shadowing.
• had linner (late lunch, early dinner) at Old Iron Post in downtown Sherman. Food reasonably priced. You can tell it’s a popular place on Fri & Sat evenings. D24 really liked the vibe.
• went to the movies to kill time before we could check into our hotel. Sunday matinee movie ticket price was $7.
• drove around the main shopping areas. There’s a massive Hobby Lobby and a Michael’s 2 doors down. Kohl’s, JC Penney’s, Home Depot, Walmart, a MASSIVE Target
• D24 said Sherman, TX felt a lot like the area we lived in for many years before we moved to the Phoenix metro area.

Academics:

• we didn’t focus too much on academics this trip because we learned all about that on our prior visit in April of last year.
• BUT they announced in one of the presentations that starting fall 2026, they’re going to have an engineering major and are working on ABET certification right now.
• the college president also said that Austin College has already had conversations with the 2-3 big chip manufacturing plants being constructed in Sherman for those companies (Texas Instruments + 2 others whose names escape me right now) to take on AC students for internships. College president said that because of all of the economic growth in Sherman, the size of the city is estimated to double in the next few years.
• they’re hiring some more faculty and as a result, Data Analytics will be a major instead of just a minor.
• Whichever professor teachers your First Year Experience seminar is who will be your advisor the whole 4 years you’re there.
• the VP of “I don’t remember her title/position name” said that in order to obtain tenure at AC, professors must be good teachers first.
• D24 got to sit in on a History of Comic Books class, said she really liked it. It’s taught out of the Art History department.
• students here seem to have multiple interests and the faculty & staff definitely seem to encourage students to explore all of that.
• in mid-June, you pick your First Year Experience seminar class.
• The presentation of the VP of “I don’t remember her title” said AC is very high touch, experiential, outcomes-oriented. From a parent’s point of view, I got the impression on this visit and the last one that is really is the real deal, it’s not just marketing.
• ~40% of students are athletes. College president has the athletics director report directly to him. College president said the focus is on the student part first and ensuring that wherever possible, practices & games aren’t going to clash with big coursework stuff. There’s a lot of collaboration between academic departments & athletics.

Dining on campus:

• Roo Day event included free lunch. College president said that this Roo Day was their biggest one yet with over 400 people there. D24 & I both had chicken tikka masala, though it was decent.
• Student life director said in an afternoon presentation that their dining hall’s kitchen is set up to prepare allergy-free meals for about 8 (or was it 9?) most common allergens. There’s a whole food prep area for the allergy-free food that’s totally separate from the rest of the kitchen. Student life director emphasized a lot about contacting them directly if you or your student has any questions about food allergies. We don’t have food allergies, but they definitely gave me the impression that they do take it seriously and they seemed very accommodating.
• Freshman meal plan is a 7-day all-you-can-eat thing. Meaning that if you’re hungry 5 times a day, you can go eat in the dining hall 5 times a day. As many times as you want.
• Dining hall open Mon-Sat 7 am-8 pm, Sun 9 am-8 pm.
• Freshman meal plan includes $75 “hopper dollars” that you can use at Pouch Club, Hopper Store, or Kangaroo Coffee (aka Starbucks)
• sophomores required to have min of a 5-day meal plan

Financial aid & costs:

• starting this fall, there will be no extra costs for textbooks. TOTALLY AWESOME.
• they have an estimated financial aid award form which will be available online “very soon”. AC said they’ll provide a 5-10 business day turn-around to the student on this. We are going to do this. AC said purpose of this is to get people an estimated financial aid sooner just this year since FAFSA has been so delayed.
• at the end of 2023, AC got a $21M donation from I think they said the Presbyterian Church (AC is affiliated w/the Presbyterian Church) and the college has decided to use that $$ for a scholarship endowment…as a result, if you’re a Presbyterian preacher’s kid (or if your parent/guardian is on a Presbyterian church’s official budget as a staff member/employee), then you are eligible for a full tuition (or was it full ride?) scholarship.

Student health:

• they have a “Navigate” phone app that students can use to make health appointments and mental health appointments
• Albertson’s will do pharmacy deliveries to campus.

Student life & housing stuff:

• Greek life doesn’t seem to be an emphasis here, but it’s available. Big plus for D24.
• each dorm has a computer lab and study lounges
• freshman dorms are traditional style dorms with community bathrooms. Students live on campus all 4 yr. As you go up each year from freshman to senior, the housing gets better (suite style, apartments, that sort of thing)
• Student life director said that RA’s are paid positions
• AC uses the Myers-Briggs personality type indicator test to pair you up with a roommate. Our tour guide used this as a freshman and she is still “really good friends” with her freshman roommate.
• tuition includes $50/yr in printing $$ on your student account/ID card. Tour guide said that she’s never had to put extra $$ on her printing account.
• all students have a mailbox in the mail room/post office on campus. Whatever mailbox you’re assigned freshman year is the one you’ll have all 4 years.
• no microwaves allowed in dorm rooms. Students use the ones in the basement kitchen.
• small fridges allowed in dorm rooms.
• Student life director said that Kroger grocery store is walkable from campus and he said, “I’ve seen packs of students walking to and from there many times.” I checked on Google maps and it’s a 30 min walk.
• Student life director is the guy in charge of training all of the RA’s. It was obvious he takes his job seriously and loves what he does.
• Student life director conducted an anonymous survey of AC upperclassmen, asked them what advice they’d give to incoming freshmen in order to be successful. He said that the top 3 most common answers were: (1) go to class; (2) manage your time; and (3) get some sleep.
• Student life director also mentioned that the Center for Student Success can help you figure out how to manage your time. They’ll sit down with you and help you come up with a study schedule and all that based on your class schedule, work schedule, etc.
• The Wright Campus Center (aka student union) was described as the “campus living room.” There’s an open area on 1st floor full of big squishy couches. We saw students hanging out here.
• Students are in charge of managing the Campus Activities Board budget for the year; they make the decisions on how the money is spent.
• tour guide rattled off a bunch of different stuff that goes on around campus all the time. D24 said it all sounded like fun.
• We saw a fair # of students studying outside in the sunshine, some in groups, outside 1 of the freshmen dorms.
• students seem pretty happy here.
• from what I saw, there’s good diversity here. So it isn’t just lip service.

Other stuff + logistics:

• no bus service available in Sherman. Car is king.
• super cheap to park your car on campus. I think $100/academic year?
• a parent asked Student Life Director a question along the lines of “What if your kid won’t have a car on campus the first couple of years?” Director replied (genuinely), “Oh, that’s not a problem here at all. I guarantee you that some of their friends will have cars.” Lots of students are TX residents. Our D24 probably won’t have a car there for the 1st 2 yr if she attends AC.
• I checked and Lyft is available from AC to the Dallas airport. $72 one way.
• mock trial is really big here, as is pre-law stuff and model UN. There’s a mock court room in the library that mock trial and model UN uses.
• in the afternoon, there was a student panel that only students could attend. D24 said that in the student panel, one of the AC students said that if you haven’t done a study abroad experience yet, it’s VERY easy to get a study abroad Jan Term scholarship at AC “because Austin College wants everybody to be able to have at least one study abroad experience.” Jan Term = 3 weeks in January where you take just ONE class. Students required to take a Jan Term course each year. Once a sophomore, you can do it as study abroad. Tour guide (a senior) did 3 study abroad Jan Terms.
• If you’re a person who wants to blend into the woodwork, then you shouldn’t attend this school. For example, if you’ve skipped a couple of classes in a row of a class, odds are high that your professor will call or email you directly to ask if you’re ok.
• feels like there’s a lot of mentoring, guidance, encouragement of exploration here.
• 1 of the bio professors does breast cancer research. D24 thought this was pretty cool (I had breast cancer 4 1/2 years ago).
• D24 thought everybody was genuinely very friendly here. Genuine, down to earth, friendly, collaborative, helpful.
• VERY safe campus. Student Life Director said there’s 9 police officers on staff, they patrol all the time around campus in golf carts and the police officers try to memorize as many students’ first names as possible, “So don’t be freaked out if your student tells you that the campus police knows them by name.” Campus has the same ‘blue light’ campus security emergency phones around the school. Campus police will arrive w/in 2 min of you calling from one of those.

Kid said she REALLY likes it there, could DEFINITELY see herself being happy living there for 4 years. Had a little skip in her step, seemed pretty upbeat the whole time. From a mom point of view, I could tell that she really really liked it there.

[HKDad1]

Goucher College - Up (for me), Same for S24. When there for Dorsey Scholars Program yesterday. The school is not as small as I thought it would be, but a tiny bit bigger than Southwestern U. The campus itself is well insulated from outside, with a manned gate to observe traffic going in and our of the school. Area was clean and we did see students walking around the campus. Kids seemed pretty happy there.

The day’s activities were organized so first the parents would stay for Family Panel with two of the administrators, and a senior student, while the kids gone off to their first class.
The discussion was informative, and I learned a lot more about the school from it.

After the class S24 gone to his Dorsey Scholars Presentation. I walked around the campus. The student body is very mixed and there were plenty of LGBT and students of color. I had spoken to a few, and they all gave the school very high marks for being very inclusive. I asked if anyone had problem getting class, and how they liked their study aboard program. All said they never experienced any issue getting classes they needed, and the study aboard program was wonderful.

After lunch S24 gone on to his second class, and I sat in the dining hall and chat with other parents and kids who were there for the scholars program. Many were from Northeast (especially Maryland) and one from Dallas, Texas.

We took the campus tour after the second class and then explored the campus ourselves afterward. The guides were informative and pleasant.

Some of the buildings are not as new, but the school is making plans to upgrade them so they will be more environmentally friendly. S24 said at least the buildings are not all bricks or red. The library is inside the Ungar Athenaeum, which was where the Family Panel held. It was big or had that historical look most other school’s libraries had (like Lehigh). But the size was good.

Outside of the campus, there is a mall (four stories with a Macy detached and a big movie theater nearby) just a short walk away. We wandered around the area, ate at the Kpot Korean BBQ, and felt pretty safe. Since we had to fly out the same day, we cut the ‘wandering’ short and headed back to claim our luggage from the office and left to BWI.

American University - Down (for me, S24 said its Same for him) I thought the campus would be… bigger. S24 loved the programs for IR and the building was pretty new and nice looking. Otherwise, I didn’t feel anything special about the buildings, or the campus itself. It wasn’t as modern as some other schools, nor have the European/Gothic look as few others. Maybe that was why I felt indifferent to the appearance of the school itself. The area around the school is mainly residential. It is a short ride via bus to the National Mall, or Georgetown.

We didn’t get to check out any class, but there were a MockTrial going on so there were students from other colleges there in formal attires.

We saw students going back and forth. We overheard a few students said how hard they were working on their project, and they had no life for a month or so to do anything else. Well, that’s music to my ear but not for S24!

One highlight was our tour guide. She had this musical note when she speaks. It almost felt like she was semi singing as she talks. I asked if she studied music, but she said she was very much into theater art before college. It was very pleasant to listen to her during the entire tour.

[HKDad1]

Oh oh oh, forgot to mention that S24 liked the smaller class size that Goucher offers, much like other LACs we toured. His afternoon class was Poli Sci, he liked it, but the issue was that the class was discussing part of the book which the students have read and held discussion prior, so S24 and the others were kind of a little lost during the class. But he said it was not a deal breaker.

And regarding American U, I was talking to S24 about the size of the undergraduate being 8k, plus 6k of graduate students. Maybe they offer a lot of classes because that is a pretty big student body for the size of the campus, as they have stated the class sizes are relatively small. Also After first and second years, housing is not guarantee, and rent around DC is not exactly cheap either.

[southernfemmom]

University of Georgia - UP. Very friendly and enthusiastic tour guides, lots of “y’alls” and southern accents. Although the tour starts on a bus, the guides did a great job of explaining how to navigate the campus easily and make it feel manageable. The campus itself is lovely, and we loved the football stadium in the heart of campus by the student center. We went in several academic buildings, and they all were well maintained. The student center seemed very nice. The Terry College of Business complex is new and impressive. North Campus (old campus) was the nicest. We walked around in downtown Athens and thought it was an ideal college town. My S24 loved everything about it except the Dawgs are a serious football rival of his favorite team, and he is struggling to get over it.

Clemson - DOWN. To be fair, we did not do an official tour, we just met with an alumn from our high school who is a senior and who does truly love Clemson, but was not an experienced tour guide, so he didn’t quite give enough information about the school to make it shine. S24 and I both thought the campus was nice, but nothing wowed us. The business school building is new and seemed very nice, and there also are some new dorms that looked nice. There also are some old dorms that looked very run down. We thought the downtown area was underwhelming. My S24 did love the surrounding area and being near lakes and the mountains was very appealing.

University of South Carolina - WAY UP. S24 got accepted to the Honors College, which was a big draw. We spoke with 4 Honors College students who raved about their great experience, and said the honors dorm is great and had wonderful things to say about the honors classes and honors community in general. We also did a general campus tour and we really loved it! There is a mix of architecture (lots of pale pastel stucco buildings that have an old South Carolina feel that my S24 really loved) and we both loved the many green spaces throughout campus with beautiful old oak trees and various areas with outdoor seating where students could hang out. The tour guide told us about food trucks and farmers markets that come to campus, and various activities that take place across campus, and it was very pedestrian friendly and easy to walk from one end of the campus to the other. The campus felt vibrant and friendly. We like the access to a Capitol city and there are plenty of nearby restaurants and shops. My S24 was particularly excited to see a Publix grocery store near campus! The only downside to the campus (in S24’s opinion) is that the football stadium is about 1.5 miles off campus. The school does have free shuttles, so it’s not a huge deal, but we preferred the location of Georgia’s stadium in the heart of campus.

[James_West]

On a ski trip up to Maine from metro NYC we toured UNH. Our S26 is really into skiing and CU Boulder is the top of his just started list. It was cold and windy and we were outside for most of the tour.

The positives for him were it’s close to good skiing. Size of the campus and the layout. The main part of the campus is a circle with the academic buildings smack in the middle. Most of the residential housing right accross the main street and the field house /gym right next to the housing. A little over 11k student body, not too big or small and close to town. Amount of majors for a very undecided kid. He also liked the focus on sustainability, like using the Methane emitted from the local farms through a Cogeneration plant to power the entire campus and that gas just doesn’t go off into the air.

Negatives-cold. As he put it. " I don’t love skiing that much that I need to freeze my butt off for three months" Also he has visited a number of other campuses when his older brother was looking. Maybe not the prettiest campus ever. I think the next trip we will headed south not north.