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

[MistySteel27]

Recently D25 and I visited 2 schools in one day.
Elizabethtown same/down. We checked in and our guide lead us all over the campus. It had recently snowed but was in the melting, muddy stage which didn’t seem to matter to D. The paths were clear and easy to maneuver. Some buildings are newer than others, the new health and wellness center was really nice. We saw a typical dorm, there’s ac in all dorms. The tour the guide took us to meet the Dean of the music department and other departments as well. He chatted with us for about half an hour. He didn’t know some of the answers to D’s questions regarding music and that really showed her that a school where music is tucked in with other disciplines isn’t ideal. He was really supportive of the music program and touted its success for music ed placement. He was very proud of the entire education major and how they do their training.

Next we met with an admission counselor and she didn’t know the answers to many of D’s questions either like what are the clubs not just how many. Mostly things you can get answered on the website, she emailed her right after we left with links for answers to the spots on the website. Overall it’s a really cute school, feels too small and not robust enough in music for my D. It lacks diversity, but reflects central PA’s predominantly white majority. The guide said they do try and make it welcoming to all students though. She might still apply because it’s a free app and audition for the scholarship. Her instrument is high need according to the Dean so I’m sure it’s a good safety for D25. She also really liked the carrot cake they gave her.

Muhlenberg Down, off. We drove from Elizabethtown to Allentown about 90 minutes away for the open house. We checked in and they gave us vouchers for free lunch. The cafeteria was bustling with hundreds of extra people visiting this day. The food was good with a great selection. We headed back to the admission building for the tour and talk. The campus is beautiful and well maintained. Paths were clear of snow and easy to walk on. We were put into a group of about a dozen people for the one guide. My D was walking near her so she could hear what she was saying plus she had some questions. The guide was very nice and helpful.

Later D fell back by me and whispered she’s never going here and when can we leave. As soon as the tour got near our car we left. D said that she felt very out of place, the students are way too cool and preppy for her nerdy self. I think because there was so many extra people there including very well dressed parents that it intimidated her. I thought the students looked like typical 17 year olds who were shy and embarrassed. I did point out that nearly all of these students aren’t going to go here. She did like the guide and the student who sat at our lunch table. No more open house visits for her. I want her to get a real sense of the students who actually attend the school. Plus it doesn’t have music ed but does have very good performing arts and business majors. It did feel more diverse than Elizabethtown but skewed wealthier.

[goldbug]

Part II of our big Midwestern college fandango: Ohio schools!

1. Denison: Up for the boys/Same for me. My boys (17 y.o. and German exchange student) were favorably impressed with the the look-and-feel of the campus (although the German admitted that he generally prefers collegiate gothic architecture). There was a lot of emphasis on their ability to help students find careers (career center in Columbus, etc.). Our tour guide was cute, which surely didn’t hurt. It’s tucked up a hill from a quaint, New England-looking town that nonetheless has a decent Asian fusion restaurant tucked inside a brewery, as well as a CVS. They sampled Whit’s custard and were appreciative. The students seemed (on average) more normie than those at Macalester. Academics seemed fine. Lots of kids do summer research, which our tour guide said “looks good on your resume.” Dorm rooms were spacious and well-appointed. SO MUCH storage compared to what we’d seen at St. Olaf and Macalester.

2. Kenyon: Up/Same. It makes a stunning physical impression – beautiful architecture, a mixture of styles (some prominent collegiate gothic + interesting more modern buildings) laid out over a generous open space with a quaint village in the middle. I think the boys and I liked it even more than Denison, at least at first. The academics stood out on our tour. The dorm room we saw was depressing (but they are building two new dorms, and the upperclass housing looked interesting – lots of little houses?) The food was fine. We spent the night there and I realized that we’d basically patronized almost every extablishment in the village over our stay (a coffee house, a burger joint, the convenience store stocked with fancy snacks and essentials…) I started to have nagging feelings after eating alone in the cafeteria and watching the students. Eventually asked one of them where to take my dirty dishes and impulsively/bluntly asked “Are students happy here?” She ended up walking with me for half an hour and telling me her story. We hugged, twice. She’s happy now but had a rough time and did find the place to be a little isolating (through no fault of the school). She has made great friends, though – LOVES her professors – and said that having a car was what made a difference for her. I could really see that. It’s one fo the smallest schools we’re visiting and although being up on that hill would be beautiful, I could also see how after a while it could feel suffocating. I still have grit in my boots from walking back and forth on Middle Path.

3. Oberlin: Up/UP. I’ve been vigorously defending Oberlin in a different thread (the “ED mistake” one) but the truth is, I was wondering (especially after Macalester): is my son too “normie” for schools with a visible and pervasive counterculture? Not if that school is Oberlin. This school wowed us. The admissions presentation was given by a pre-vet student who was still wearing her boots from the barn. She talked about how so many students at Oberlin have 2, even 3 majors/minors and emphasized the school’s commitment to sustainability (they have a bunch of LEED-certified buildings and are close to achieving carbon neutrality.) Our tour guide reminded me a lot of two of my son’s closest friends (played the same instrument + D&D, even!) and he was from California, which was eye-opening for the kid (he seems to think that most kids from California properly want to stay put.) The campus is huge and the variety of interesting architecture styles makes it feel even bigger, maybe? And the town, nestled in the middle, has a bunch of good restaurants and interesting shops. It felt so vibrant after Kenyon and Denison. My son spotted a sign advertising a a badminton tournament and was hooked. The dorm room we visited seemed reasonably spacious and they have some new freshman dorms in the works. There was a lot going on around campus – a comedy show that night (free), multiple master classes and performances at the conservatory (the one I snuck into was amazing, but just casually tucked into a classroom because – so said the cellist from the Verona Quartet, who was sitting next to me – there was a lot going on and they had to put it somewhere.)

4. College of Wooster: Same/same. After such a glorious day at Oberlin, we woke the next morning to dreary rain and the exchange student got a head cold. We had to hustle out of town and drive to Wooster in time for a 9:30 class, so everyone was cranky. My expectations for Wooster were not astronomically high – I’ve read glorious reviews and also noted that a fair amount of students transfer out. They had put together a whole day for DS: a class visit, a tour, an interview, and lunch with a student. We were dragging (too little sleep). Still…campus was large and lovely. It reminded me of parts of Duke’s East Campus (although the architecture was more collegiate Gothic). We ate breakfast in a cozy cafe with amazing local bagels. The lunch in the cafeteria was surprisingly diverse (a bunch of vegan options) and reasonably tasty. DS thought the physics class was easy but that wasn’t a bad thing. (he encountered new material and it didn’t go over his head.) The new life sciences building made a particularly favorable impression. The career services office smelled like a Yankee Candle Shop, though, and we were all pretty anxious to get out of there. N.B. folks: Harvest Apple Crisp (or Caramel Latte, or whatever it was) is a good smell for home; notsomuch for work. My son enjoyed his interview with another student. So far so good. And yet…our tour guide actually started talking about how she wondered sometimes where she could have gone if she’d decided to leave Ohio. She caught herself but it was interesting. And we heard a surprising amount (from different students) about bats getting into the dorms and students needing to get rabies shots. And then there was the campus paper which featured (prominently) the low approval ratings of the student-run survey. (Since we didn’t see comparable surveys of other schools, I want to be careful not to overweight this one factor but it made an impression.) In the end I think everyone thought Wooster would be fine but it didn’t pack the same punch as the previous three schools.

Later: impressions of Dickinson and (briefly) Lehigh.

[MAmomto4]

UMass Amherst — up

I’m not sure my son’s opinions will give much insight to future students but we visited UMass Amherst today for admitted students “Destination Day” and S24 really liked it!

I was a bit surprised how narrow & rural the roads were to get there from I-90, but it was an interesting ~30 minute drive. Once we reached Amherst S24 said, “I like this town” and once we reached the UMass campus (where my inner response was, “We’re on campus but it is still another mile to our parking lot?!”) his response was, “The campus seems big, but it is all part of the college. I like that there isn’t any town getting in the way.”

Most of the Destination Day events were not that interesting, the dining hall was a fiasco (way too crowded, too little time to find food between events, and impossible for my picky celiac son to find food in that environment), and it was really cold when we got there (20°F). BUT when we left my son said he really liked it, that he felt comfortable on the campus and could see himself there, and that it moved to the top of his list of the schools he has gotten into so far.

I tried to get more details out of him about what he liked. He said, “I like the way the walking paths are laid out.” I think what he meant was that there were lots of big buildings but there was plenty of space between them and it was easy to get around.

The programs are good for his interests, all the staff we spoke to were extremely kind and helpful, and the students seemed happy and really engaged. Overall the school is very big, but (at least for his college — engineering) it seemed like the departments create a smaller community to be part of. But the large total size means there are lots of other opportunities that a smaller school might not have.

[rch9132]

Just finished up some visits/tours in Central NY region last week with local high schools on winter break.

I have twins who are juniors (Class of 2025) looking into STEM Schools with majors Environmental Engineering and Computer Science. We are in rural part of central NY so they are both looking for schools closer to or in more urban areas to gain new experiences and exposure.

My older daughter is a Freshman at Villanova so my junior twins have been on other campus visits with her and have familiarity with process giving them greater sense of what they are looking for.

Info below which hope it can help other families during the process.

Union College: Same…More Liberal Arts feel, very nice smaller residential campus with new Engineering programs and facility. Admission presentation was done by student vs. Admissions officer which fell a little flat. Kids liked idea of the Minerva House program (think Harry Potter Sorting Hat) where all students are placed in smaller social type groups from start which helps with making friends and networking. D1 Hockey Team and Program! Schenectady NY has improved a lot in recent years which is a plus. Overall, not “over the moon” as less quiet, less urban and diverse, but said they thought could be good option if things do not work out elsewhere.

RPI: Way Up.Information session started in new EMPAC center which was impressive. Also, one of the best tours we have been on as we got to go into all the buildings, labs, maker spaces as well as dorms and dining halls. Larger campus than I realized with great views of Hudson River and valley, I think I hit at least 10K steps on tour. Kids liked the ARCH program where you spend summer at RPI and pushing you into time away for CO-OP or Study Abroad. Another D1 Hockey School, sports complex set away from main campus but was impressive. Local area around college was a little run down in spots but tour guide (female) said she always felt safe in/around campus. My wife attended Russell Sage in downtown Troy NY which has been “questionable” over the years but you can see a lot of recent changes and improvements to downtown with new condos and restaurants popping up. Admission session stressed applying Early Action if you were looking into any Engineering or CS majors, most filled by RG round.

University at Albany State University of New York: Down. We took quick trolley tour mainly to check out new new ETEC Engineering and Science Building which was very impressive and located right next to many State Buildings and Agencies…so tons of opportunity for internships. Overall, campus was just OK, little more modern than most SUNY campuses but still a lot of concrete. Campus is somewhat of island itself, away from city. Also packed commuter lots which is big part of student body. Inner campus area was dead at 3pm on a Thursday even with some sun and mid 30s. Kids will likely still apply during SUNY free application week in October and see how things play out.

Syracuse University: Same. Attended open house during Presidents day. “Same” rating was more due to weather as it was a cold windy February day to be walking around a hilly campus. Probably higher score if we visited in April/May. We did tour engineering building and spaces which my daughter liked (Civil/Environmental). CS labs were just OK. Overall, much more diversity on this campus which kids are looking for a larger student body. Lots of school spirit being an ACC school, we got pic with Otto the Orange. Many new modern buildings built since I was last on campus. Attended School of Engineering/CS breakout session, looks like 50% accept rate and they recommended submitting SAT scores of 1300 or higher. Lot of focus on new $100 B MICRON computer chip plant in development in local SYR area which sounds like they will introduce partnership with SU for internships and jobs in future.

Heading towards Boston Area in April for another round of visits and will report back!

[onipl]

Susquehanna - same/UP

My mom & I visited for Admitted Students Day for Schools of Arts & Humanities. We flew from LAX to Harrisburg. Unfortunately there are no direct flights so it’s a long travel day but I’m not too concerned since it’s only a few times per year. The drive to Selinsgrove is pretty and you travel along the Susquehanna river. Aesthetically it reminded me of the TV show Riverdale.

We went through the standard Q&As, mock classes, lunch, and tour. Everyone seemed welcoming and friendly. They made a big deal about me coming all the way from California everywhere I went. I thought I might completely blow their minds if I told them I’m originally from Hawaii.

The campus is beautiful. The buildings are all brick and go together. They all seem very updated and nice on the inside. Dorm rooms are relatively spacious. They are air-conditioned! Food in the dining hall seemed pretty good and they have an ice cream machine with chocolate, vanilla, or swirl so I will not starve. There are several other spots on campus to eat as well plus a Starbucks. I loved the library. They have awesome study nooks and it looked so cute and cozy. And they had wrapped surprise books for “blind date with a book” which my local bookstore also does.

Students seemed happy and all talked about where they had traveled. I love that SU has built in travel abroad for everyone and that they have so many different options. There is Greek life but it didn’t seem especially overwhelming. This is clearly not the place to go if you want a city type of nightlife but it seems like there is plenty to do on campus to keep most students entertained. Everyone lives on campus all for years (a huge plus for me) and housing changes from traditional halls to suites to apartment-style as you progress.

During the department sessions I chose to go to theatre because although I am an undecided major, theatre is a huge extracurricular for me currently and I wanted to see what was available. The theater is attached to the student center and seats 400. They have 5 productions per year including 1-2 musicals (they alternate 1 musical and 2 musical years).

I was trying to decide what the personality of the campus is because it didn’t seem especially focused in one direction, but I think it is very much a traditional liberal arts college and is perfect for students who want that experience. I feel like I would stand out here, maybe because I am Asian, maybe because I’m from the other side of the country.

[George-P-Smackers]

Strongest impressions:

Colby went down down down. The place gave the whole family the heebie-jeebies. Just not for our kids—the tour of the lavish sports facility didn’t help. Felt like we were in Dubai. (Maybe the new performing arts/creative center would have made a better impression.) When we were driving away, the Big Star song “Night Time” came on, with the verse “Get me out of here / Get me out of here / I hate it here / Get me out of here…” Daughter: “That’s me at Colby.”

Bard went way up. Loved the intellectual atmosphere. Visited the graves of Hannah Arendt and Philip Roth. Son wasn’t all that impressed with the science going on there, but excited by the humanities seriousness.

[mo4620]

Siena College - UP: S24 and I visited for Accepted Students Day. Prior to the visit Siena was his #8 choice. He was initially not thrilled about even going but our deal was that after his acceptances he would either visit or cross off the list. He agreed to visit Siena mainly because he had not visited any smaller schools and wanted something to compare with his other options. After visiting, it has become his #1 choice.

When we first arrived they had a sort of “exhibition hall” thing going on. He is extremely introverted and has some social anxiety, so he was initially feeling a little overwhelmed. But as we walked around, people from the school (admission staff, faculty, students, and a couple of the friars) engaged him in conversation and he started feeling more comfortable. Everyone was super welcoming, very friendly, and very upbeat and positive. Eventually he felt comfortable enough to go introduce himself to the members of the men’s club soccer team and talked with them for a bit!

We attended a couple of student panels and continued to get positive vibes - everyone seemed warm, welcoming, and happy to be there. S24 really liked how the student panels emphasized the sense of community and the college’s focus on educating the “whole person.” They also reaffirmed his feeling of being treated like an individual instead of just a number. He’d gotten that sense during the admission process and it was great to hear from students that this isn’t just an admissions thing.

The college itself is small and clean, well maintained, and very, very walkable. It’s basically organized around a central loop, with some outer loops for housing and athletics. They only have one large lecture hall and we were informed that it’s only used occasionally, typically for special guests, as most classes are under 30-40 students.

S24 liked that they have access to public transportation via a bus line right at the campus entrance. He also likes the proximity to Albany without being right in the city, not to mention the fact that it’s basically 3-ish hours from anywhere he’d like to be (Boston, NYC, Montreal, and our home in Rochester). He also felt that being near the state capital would offer a good market for potential internship/job options.

They split the parents and students up for lunch. The students were assigned small groups based on shared interests (these were determined based on the admissions team’s observations of their applications, which S24 felt was another example of being “seen” as an individual). The parents were sent to the main dining hall to eat - the food was quite good and there was lots of variety. S24 was a little disappointed that the prospective students were unable to try out the dining hall and commented on this in his follow up survey. A week later, they emailed him and offered him a coupon for 2 free meals (for him and a friend/family member), which continued to help him feel seen and heard. This is the only school where that has been so apparent and honestly I think that’s a huge thing for him.

So now we wait for financial aid packages… We have 2 other Accepted Students visits scheduled for late March. If they wow him, or if the financials don’t work out, things could certainly change…but so far, Siena is definitely the front runner, in large part due to his experience during our visit.

[2labs]

Kid knows where she’s going now (Colby) so I thought I’d do a quick summary of college visits over the last couple years FWIW. She was considering two paths - more art focused (for animation or cinematography) or LAC, and as time progressed she gravitated towards LACs (a summer session at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn last summer helped her recognize that she didn’t want to focus on art all the time in college).
Summer after 10th - saw:

1. Boston College - liked the campus a lot, architecture, feel, proximity to a city.
2. RISD. She wished there was more of a campus green there, but loved that it was close to Brown and she loved their quad.
3. Conn College - it was summer so few kids on campus, but she liked the campus, the proximity to the water. But none of these three schools immediately said “home” to her.
   11th - saw:
   Winter break went to southern Cal and saw:
4. Oxy. WAY UP. She loved it and could see herself there. She did a day-long program and this moved to one of the top schools on her list. I think this would have been her first choice had she not gotten into ED2 school.
5. Scripps. UP. She thought it was beautiful and loved the consortium with the other Claremonts. She wasn’t sold on all female school yet (but she ended up applying ED1, didn’t get in).
6. USC. She loved the facilities, especially the film school, but it just seemed too big to her (and impossible to get in). She ended up not applying.
7. Cal Arts. I thought this could be a winner, but she hated it. It felt “like a high school”, she didn’t like the location, and I think this was the beginning of the end for more art-focused schools.
   Back on the east coast, through the year we visited Williams (though she thought it impossible to get in, and too close to home, she did admire it), drove through Middlebury many times (but again too close to home for her), UVM (she liked this even though it was bigger, based on its location in a bigger town in Vermont and lots of hustle and bustle when we were there).
   We also visited Wesleyan, which I thought could be a great fit for her since they have a fantastic film building, but for some reason (and we did two visits there), she wasn’t 100 percent sold due to some unexpressed “vibe” that I couldn’t figure out.
   We also saw Trinity. She liked the campus a lot, and could see herself in the mix of people, but, though she said she wanted to be in or near a city, Hartford (and especially Trinity’s neighborhood) was not her idea of urban bliss.
   As I mentioned, she did a progam at Pratt (4 weeks in the summer), and she loved being in Brooklyn, and liked Pratt’s campus well enough, especially the green space in the city. BUt she said the dorms and the food weren’t top notch. On the day I picked her up from the program we saw NYU (she eliminated it because of the lack of a traditional campus) and Barnard (she liked the campus and considered it, but decided in the end not to apply).
   Our LAST college visit was after she had applied to Colby, during MLK weekend. Even though she had said she wanted a school in or near a city, something about the campus really spoke to her and she really really liked it, despite its being over an hour to Portland (which is not even that large of a city). The new art facility really blew her away. She asked the admissions office if she could switch her regular application to ED2 and got in! This goes to show a) even though you think you know what you are looking for, it always pays to visit; b) keep an open mind, priorities can change; c) people’s reactions about a college can differ greatly (see post above a bit with a completely opposite - and I’m sure equally valid - reaction to Colby).

[2labs]

I forgot Davidson! Her older sibling is a senior there, she visited during family weekend and liked it a lot. She thought the campus was beautiful, liked the town and proximity to major city, but wasn’t completely sure about the fraternity/eating house situation I think. She did love the art building there, until she saw Colby’s newer fancier one …

[George-P-Smackers]

Yes, one thing we should have insisted on at Colby was to see the new arts facility, even though I think we were told it was still under construction (?) when we were there a little less than a year ago.

A consistent source of our kids’ frustration on nearly all of our tours of liberal arts colleges was how little was said about the arts, and especially little about the humanities.

At least there was sometimes a nod to the performing and fine arts—sometimes literally just a nod at a building—and then onto more celebration of outstanding opportunities in the sciences and social sciences.

But acknowledgement of humanities scholarship—history, literature, art history, philosophy— was exceedingly rare. I guess they know their audience? Or maybe the humanities students at these colleges just don’t sign up to lead tours. Wesleyan and Bard were exceptions.

I remember at Brown we had twelve tour guides to choose from. Not a humanities major in the bunch.

[2labs]

Agree - not a big emphasis on arts on most LAC tours. Wesleyan did focus on it, and Oxy on the MAC (Media, Arts and Culture) major, and our Davidson tour went to the Arts building and our tour guide was an Art minor, so that was nice, but otherwise slim pickings. Lots on Econ and Poli Sci majors everywhere.

[Izzy74]

Gonzaga UP- S25 and I did a quick visit to Gonzaga over the weekend. D23 did not care for Gonzaga, I think mostly because she wanted to be out of state and their Arts and Sciences college maybe wasn’t as impressive. We also visited when they still had Covid restrictions. Somewhere on this thread you’ll find a “moved down” post from me about Gonzaga

S25 and I attended Gonzaga’s Preview day and had a great time, I was impressed by their business school, especially Accounting, which S25 is possibly interested in. He is my pnw kid and the area appealed to his outdoorsy side. The climbing team is great, there’s a hacky sack club, and camping trips, and discounted ski tickets. The buildings are in decent shape, the STEM area relatively new but the business school was older, the dorms were standard but not bad.

He also had an interview, which went well and I think was good practice for some of the more competitive schools he’s looking at. The admissions officer encouraged him to apply for the Honors program and put him in touch with the Climbing team Captain. Overall just seemed like a nice school full of nice kids.

I think Gonzaga is a likely school for S25 and I’m so glad he found somewhere he’ll be happy if some of these more selective schools don’t work out or maybe even if they do.

[Luanne]

University of Alabama in Huntsville - up. We tried to visit in January and were there and in a hotel when they canceled for the possibility of severe weather the next day. Ugh. We made it back down a couple weeks ago and had nice weather. Yay!

The campus was pretty enough for her. She has a subjective ranking of how pretty they are and so far Tulsa and UA in Tuscaloosa are ranked the highest. She really wants a campus with some character. UAH has enough to make her happy.

The dorm was a hit. Having her own room is a huge requirement. She knows when she need time to herself and can’t imagine not having that. I think a suite environment will be good and hopefully she will interact with suitemates. The rooms are pretty small, but we’d make it work. The bathroom is open to the rooms, which feels odd, but I’m sure they work out showering and the naked dash to the rooms, lol.

The food was some of the best we have. She generally gets the pizza so she has a constant comparision and it was good, she says. She is a picky eater and they had quite a few things she would choose to eat. More than most places.

The engineering tour was underwhelming. We didn’t see much, really. We saw doors of labs and posters of capstone projects completed 10 years ago. We did see the machine shop and project room, which was good.

The art tour was much better and we saw a lot of art spaces and learned a lot about what they offer for animation classes. It was a positive.

What I liked was how many kids were hanging out and interacting with each other. Kids play pool and ping pong in the student center. Kids chatting at lunch. Kids doing classwork in groups. I feel like generally we see kids with earbuds in sitting on their own working.

Huntsville has everything she wants as far as a city goes, except great public transportation. We asked numerous people and everyone said you really need a car. But later some googling found a bus that picks up on campus on Friday afternoon/evenings and makes rounds to Walmart, Target, the mall, etc. That’s perfect. All she needs is to be able to hit a store easily every once in a while. She is still working on her driver’s license and definitely will not have a car freshman year.

Overall, she came away quite happy and able to see herself there.

[dfbdfb]

UAH was one of my C19’s three final possibilities, and so we went there to tour during spring break her senior year. (Hadn’t had a chance to tour it previously, but ABET accreditation in industrial engineering plus a very generous stats-based guaranteed scholarship plus family nearby meant that she applied to it.) Her impression of the physical plant was similar to your kid’s impressions—very pleasant campus, good facilities, dorms quite good, food pleasant, campus vibe pretty solid. The tour somehow focused on the facilities for everything other than engineering, which was weird given that it’s a university known for its engineering programs, but whatever, still good.

The thing that moved it off her list, though, was meeting with one of the industrial engineering faculty—and I can say that he did everything right, it’s not like he scared her away or anything. It’s just that he played up arguably the biggest strength of the IE program there, which is that its students get incredible opportunities to intern in and otherwise connect with the local aerospace industry, and local industrial engineers working in aerospace are strongly connected to the research and teaching being done on campus, and so you’re basically set if you get an IE degree from UAH.

The problem? C19 had (and has) no—maybe this should even be a negative quantity—desire to work in aerospace. Her interests in IE were and continue to be in the human factors and operations side of the field, and though UAH’s curriculum had that on paper, it was clear that such a focus wasn’t going to be possible in practice.

So the topic of the thread is why your kid moved a college up or down after visiting—and thus for my C19 and UAH? The thing that moved it down was, putting it in a semi-joking manner, the very high probability that she’d have a high-paying job in the aerospace industry waiting for her if she graduated from there.

(But even though it wasn’t going to work for my kid, I still like to point it out as a hidden gem for other kids whose interests line up better with what they do.)

[Blers]

We made our last campus focused trip a couple of weeks ago for S24. He was along for a lot trips for S22 so we had seen a few - that report way upthread.

This trip was focused on Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss for engineering.

Alabama -Mixed - it was very big campus. The tours are given by bus, so you get a sense of how spread out the campus is. The students giving the tours wore business suits and looked very professional. It seems that an old state hospital right next to campus has been taken over by the University and the tours run out of there. Between that space and the front lawn there is a lot of green space on campus. S24 really liked that the engineering campus was pretty contained, was essentially in the middle and that there was dining right in that area. He seemed turned off by the size - the seemingly big distances between the new dorms on the north side of the campus and the sports facilities on the south. 60+% of students from OOS.

Auburn - UP for him. Down for me. I thought it was going to be quainter and prettier than it was. S24 liked that there was a building dedicated to Aerospace and that the campus was not as big as Bama. We both really liked the on campus/student run Dixon hotel and the ease with which you can walk the campus. This tour was by foot. I just got the impression that some of the buildings were a little run down and coming from Bama where everything looks so new, it was a little disappointing. S24 sees himself at Auburn over Bama, so what do I know.

Ole Miss - same. S22 attends this school so we are all very familiar with it, but good to see it again on the heels of touring Auburn and Bama. I know I’m biased and see the world through Red and Powder Blue glasses, but the Ole Miss campus + the Oxford square are one of the best campus/town combos around. The campus is nice and contained, nothing is more than a 10 minute walk and the buildings are well maintained.

Decision day is coming so we shall see. I’m glad but a little sad that campus tours are over for a few years.

[EastCoastProf]

We just started college visits for S25. First two, a couple of semi-local to us schools in New Jersey.

Drew University UP. I had to convince S25 to go check it out because he didn’t love the virtual tour on the website, and he took the whole “university in the forest” thing too literally and said he wanted to be in a town rather than somewhere super rural. I had to assure him that there is in fact a town a 5 minute walk away. But by the end of the visit he was ready to enroll, lol.

We had a great tour guide who really conveyed all the different opportunities available to students by sharing his own concrete experience and the experience of his friends with classes, research, study abroad, etc, so everything he said felt real and organic, rather than quoted from admissions materials. My son who is very into music, but does not plan to pursue it academically/professionally liked that there was a clear way to get involved with music on campus without majoring in it. The campus was lovely and had the quintessential small liberal arts college feel to it.

The town of Madison, which is indeed something like a 5-10 minute walk from the campus was very cute in a “small town out of central casting” way, with a town square clock, little coffee shops and sandwich places, etc. The school clearly has proximity to NYC as one of its selling points, but we live in Brooklyn, and my son goes to high school in Manhattan, so that’s not really something new and exciting for him, but he liked that he would be able to get back to the city easily (there is a train station 2 blocks away from campus).

Seton Hall University DOWN. We went to Seton Hall later the same day, and it was the opposite experience – son had liked it a lot based on the virtual tour, and was excited to visit, so we signed up for the information session and a campus tour. The vibe was off in every way. The town of South Orange totally lacked the charm of Madison, the couple of buildings we saw looked very institutional, the interactions with the students facilitating the information session seemed impersonal and perfunctory. There were crucifixes everywhere. I know it’s a Catholic school, but their self-representation is, they welcome everyone, and from my brief time on campus I got the sense that they are more than nominally Catholic (which is the impression I had before). We are not religious, so that was off-putting. Everything about the information session had a “corporate retreat” feel to it, the student speakers seemed either really anxious or not enthusiastic about the school. After the information session and before the tour my son said “this place is not for me, can we skip the tour” so we did.

Overall, the experience persuaded him that virtual tours / videos on the website can give a very different sense of a place than one would get from being there in person.