U of Georgia: Different opinion: gorgeous campus and amazing, vibrant college town (one of my all-time favorites). And I thought the Greek houses were across the street from the main campus. I haven’t been there in 10 yrs, but that’s what I remember. Anyway, it’s great that we all don’t find the same places attractive:) That would be a problem.
Interesting to hear about Purdue. Son’s HS friend started there for a business field major partly because of flow into the same major for a masters but transferred to Wisconsin a year later (there’s another story there about son not telling us parents about the apartment situation…). I can easily understand reasons for the transfer based on the campuses- both with good academics for him but very different atmospheres.
I would caution people about making assumptions for grad school work when choosing that undergrad school- it doesn’t need to be at the school intended for a masters. Go to the desired school for undergrad, not the one with the specific masters eventually. btw- think the kid initially worked after his bachelor’s degree, have lost track of him so who knows if he ever felt the need to get an additional degree.
Thanks @taliecharlie! Your post was very helpful and detailed. Did you visit all of the schools while in session? We visited Lehigh during the summer, and I think that it was a mistake. The presentation was not polished and the tour was really bland, but I wonder (especially after reading your post) if we overlooked some positive elements, including the “dorky” students which are definitely a plus --at least according to mom and dad 
hi @harper8! We visited Lehigh during the summer, but my daughter returned without parents during the school year to confirm it was the right place for her to apply ED. Our info session was terrific (one of the best I saw on my 'round-the-country tour, it likened Lehigh to Chipotle where there everyone is offered the same ingredients but makes their own burrito), but our tour was also “bland.” However, at least in our case, I think that there is just something that is triggered with the kids that makes them love (or hate) a place that we adults just can’t see. Maybe it’s like that high pitched noise they pipe into shopping malls to prevent teens from loitering? My daughter claimed to love Lehigh and overlooked a number of factors she pointed out as negatives at other schools. The food stinks (so I hear), the dorms are pretty run down (so I saw) and the Greek system makes social-life a bit cutthroat, at least to me. But she loved it for whatever reasons she has, and after looking at so many schools with her, I learned to go with the flow; if she is happy, I am happy! Of course, I put in my $0.02 and tried to set up “bumpers” regarding application standards, to ensure she was applying to schools within academic range-- I guess we’ll see if I did my part soon! (I really hope it was a mutual love at first sight!) Separately, I note that looking at schools and trying to see them through my daughter’s eyes was one of the highlights of my 2016 and parenting in general. So wonderful to see your kids grow up and have opinions and insights, some of which you had a part of…and some of which you didn’t. And so wonderful to spend so much time together on the road. Can’t wait to start again in a few months with my son! Good luck!
@1518mom! I still don’t agree, and I stand by what I said before. Do you realize that admissions counselors, for the most part, work at a college for a maximum of two years? Why? Because they’re often recent grads of that same college and this was the best job they could find. They also get paid around $45,000 a year. I admit, there are other admissions counselors who have been in their positions for the long haul, but they are few and far between. Don’t get me wrong, I give admissions counselors a lot of credit. They work long hours (especially in reading season) and have to travel, and on top of that they’re not well compensated. But because they only keep these jobs for a year or two - leaving for greener pastures, or to attend graduate school, they are no way the “face of the university.” And the people answering the phones are typically students. While students might be the face of the university, these particular students as well as the tour guides are just a few students out of a few thousand or tens of thousands at this college. So while the admissions office may be the first office you contact, it certainly doesn’t speak for the school.
tigermommy, My daughter surely disagrees with you! We went on a tour where the tour guide was nervous and my daughter later said she was the worst tour guide at all of our visits. We asked someone a question after the info session, and both felt unwelcome. She then told me “she was good” and wanted to leave. Our negative experience bothered me so much I e-mailed admission and heard back 3 weeks later. Within that time, I started this thread.
@tigermommy I’m not sure which comment of mine on this thread you are talking about. I don’t think I’ve ever said anything negative about admissions counselors. I don’t know why you feel you need to lecture me.
Also, I do disagree with you. The Admissions Office IS the face of the college/university for many families. With schools spending so much money on recruiting students, you would think that some of that money would be well spent ensuring that the interactions with the Admissions Office are positive.
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Hmm…a series of comments were deleted (for good reason), but I don’t know why my comment indicating that I found a comment I made in June that said basically the same thing as above was deleted. @tigermommy We’ll just have to agree to disagree.
I should add, we just finished a college tour that left DH and I quite unimpressed with the school. However, the meeting with the admissions counselor was the highlight of the day.
I am not sure what the original post meant by “third-world” and it obviously a harsh judgment. Several friends of mine recently spent time in the New Orleans area. While the party element appeals to many, my friends remarked that it is also rather unsafe and dirty. There is open drinking and quite a bit of poverty in the city-Bourbon Street area. Yes, Tulane is not in the downtown, but many students party there at the bars and restaurants. While some schools have more of an on campus party scene, Tulane students frequent the city for nighttime entertainment. This is an area frequented by many party types and excesses in alcohol etc… The post did not include any details, so I can only guess this is what they might have meant. While this appeals to many, others might feel that it is “third world” with respect to conditions of living??
Perhaps they got the phrase from a recent article:
New Orleans ‘most modern third-world country,’ Brooklyn transplants tell website
Orleans is “the most modern third-world country,” said a woman only referred to as Mary and described as a former Brooklynite who has lived in New Orleans for the last five years.
The major common drawback mentioned by transplants and natives alike was “the threat of random acts of physical acts of violence,” and a perceived lackadaisical response to it by law enforcement officials.
For more info, check out the article.
I’ve only read a few posts on this thread so maybe this is totally redundant…if so, I’m sorry!
I wanted to suggest that the more leg work the family puts in BEFORE the visit, the better. And I mean specifically, with the applicant’s personal interests in mind, digging up specific people at the school that might be willing/able to meet one-on-one during the campus visit. Interested in a club sport? Try to dig up a team captain. Interested in a specific major? Try to meet with a specific professor in that department. Those personal connections matter a lot, almost more than they should (in my view).
We always had great experiences with the folks in admissions, but sometimes they can be just swamped. It can help to supplement with other specific activities/meetings on the agenda.
I agree with @profdad2021 ^^ - my kid got a lot more out of the visits where she did extra work in advance to connect with current students, professors, etc. As she said, “If I wanted canned answers to my questions about what it’s really like to go to school there, I could just ask someone in Admissions.”
Another benefit to @profdad2021’s suggestions is that when it comes time to write those “Why X College?” essays, it really adds meaning to say “When I met with Professor X…” or “Learning about the close relationship between teammates from…” It makes it more personalized than a generic essay and shows AdComs you’ve done your homework.
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I’ll add our recent visit to Tulane and opinions from that trip:
Loved the feel of the Garden District of New Orleans where the school is located. It is literally right next door to Loyola University, so there should be a good number of students in the area. BRING RAINBOOTS! It rained most of our 4 day trip and we found them necessary. Hunter boots are sold plentifully in the LBC for this reason - and the admissions office even gave us umbrellas for the tour. The streetcar is super convenient for getting around NOLA. Very walkable campus, great layout, I would not bring a car as a student - they provide student transportation around necessary areas of the city, and the streetcar can be used for the rest of travel. It felt very safe - surprisingly - both the city of NOLA and the school. We are from Atlanta, and I anticipated that NOLA would be similar but I was wrong - it felt much safer. The students seemed genuinely happy and not overly stressed. There is no Greek housing for sororities - we didn’t know this prior to visiting. Tulane had a great vibe, warm weather (despite the rain), challenging academic programs, great student life, and happy students and staff. They had many of the upsides of a larger university, yet maintained the feel of a smaller LAC. It definitely secured one of the top spots on my daughter’s list.
@taliecharley Looking forward to a Lehigh visit this Spring with my daughter. Fearful of the price tag but hopefully they award merit?? Any insight on that? Good luck to your daughter…fingers crossed for her!
Visited our last college on Tuesday, Vassar. Very nice, nice tour guides, thought the town was a litter nicer than expected, at least what we saw. Moved to the top of daughters list but is a reach for her.
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Moved off:
Vanderbilt - pretty campus but she was very unimpressed with the town of Nashville and turned off by the cowboy hats and boots she saw!
Boston University - turned off by no real campus and the freshman towers - felt very impersonal and like a commuter campus
Kenyon and Oberlin - we were in the area and made these visits just to make sure her desire for a “private medium sized research U in/by a city” would stick. It did! She especially could not see spending 4 years in what she described as “the summer camp snow globe” of Gambier (I thought it was lovely!). Verdict: LACs are not for her.
Stayed on list but moved to back:
Boston College - student panel of 5 young women seemed rehearsed and all were wearing skirts or dresses - daughter thought a sign of too conservative? Also the campus seemed deserted despite classes being in session—no one walking around (other than those touring) & the student center was very quiet. Also didn’t like that there was no real (directly adjacent to campus) college town
WUSTL—liked the school but not St. Louis; didn’t like that there was no real (directly adjacent to campus) college town. Also remarked how the campus seemed devoid of mature trees!!
Tufts - good guide, campus was just not special……also possibly too small.
Moved up:
Brown -
first impressions matter - out of the blue we were engaged in conversation by a current student - then all other students were so friendly. The campus was abuzz with energy and students who looked incredibly happy. Loved the campus, academic freedom of curriculum, and Providence and could see herself there.
Northwestern
Two visits - first one she had the basic admissions presentation (I thought the presenter was a little too polished) at the lakefront visitor center with the killer view of Lake Mich on a party sunny day out the windows. Our tour was led by a very down to earth and funny senior. We were both struck by the fact that he was still so obviously in love with NU after 4 years. Nice mix of prospective kids in our tour group I’m sure also helped. She loved the lakefront campus, prospect of using the sailing center, the variety of strong majors, the mix of old and new architecture, having a team to root for, and loved the adjacent thriving college town of Evanston. Also loves Chicago. Second visit was a Purple Preview day this past fall where she shadowed a student for a day, visiting classes and the dining hall and student center. Young woman she was matched with again was very down to earth, with eclectic interests. She found that all the current students she talked to that day were so friendly and engaged and supported her notion that NU students, while driven, were more collaborative than at other top universities. “No one took themselves too seriously despite being super smart” Sealed the deal for an early application and she is headed there next fall!
@tpcrd66 my daughter was accepted, so she will be attending! My sense is they are not too good on merit. She applied for a small scholarship for her major, and hoping on that. Hope you enjoy your visit!
@tpcrd66 I believe Lehigh has recently pulled back almost all merit aid in favor of need based FA. Definitely check into it if that is important to your family.
Lehigh has the reputation of being GREAT on need-based aid, fairly stingy with merit awards.
Re: Boston College and the women on the student panel wearing skirts/dresses – I would think it was probably suggested to them that they dress up for the event. I doubt the kids on campus dress that way normally.
I do think BC is a little more dressy than many colleges.