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

Parents Forum
1501

** Moved off list: **
Columbia - It seemed too lifeless. There were hardly any students just hanging out, so the vibe I got was all work, no play. It is an Ivy, so lots of studying is to be expected, but other Ivies that we visited were much more lively.

Carnegie Mellon - Too urban, bad dorms, I don’t remember actually going into any building, we just walked around in the snow.

Lafayette College - It seemed too small, even though I liked other schools that were much smaller! Got a rather athletic vibe.

Lehigh - The dorms were really bad (trash piled up; smelled weird) and the hills were impossible. But the library was beautiful and the info session was good.

Penn - I just didn’t feel like I fit in. It was an amazing school, but it was a little too urban and too big. Plus we went into a cafe and they didn’t have many meatless options except for some delicious-looking smoothies. When I asked for a smoothie, the lady at the counter said in a loud voice “NO SMOOTHIE”… it was kind of humorous. But still.

** Moved up list: **
Tufts - Great tour guide. He was really funny and engaging, and I feel like I got a good vibe of the school despite the fact that it was a break and there were hardly any students. I didn’t know what to expect at Tufts, but I liked it more than I thought.

Villanova - Lively info session, and despite the rain, the campus was alive. Students were very friendly and spirited, and I liked the faith emphasis, though I don’t know if it would turn off non-Catholics.

Haverford - It was gorgeous. The dorm we went into looked like a luxury modern hotel compared to most other dorms at other schools! Many buildings were nicely renovated and spacious (but cozy). The students seemed unique, and the tour and info session hyped things like small classes, the Honor Code, and collaboration. Although it’s a really small school, it was pretty spread out, so it felt much bigger. There was so much green space.

1502

@taliecharley, Congratulations!! Wonderful news! I’m sure she will be very happy there!!

1503

@momofzag, I’m disappointed to hear that but good to know. We are certainly in need but not in the eyes of the government :frowning:

1504

So sorry, haven’t been on in awhile, @citymama9. We spent signficant time at both Bucknell and Wake, and at Wake, spent meaningful time with a student who is related to a friend of ours. This student was in a sorority and told us that she joined because she was eager to have friends, but now, as a senior, felt that isolated her from meeting new people outside the Greek system (something that might apply at any school, not just Wake). Wake felt more Southern (naturally) than Bucknell and more preppy to my D–students were all very put together and it sounded like they dress up for sporting events, etc., which my D was not a fan of. She has an aversion to Vineyard Vines, and our tour guide there not only was wearing VV, but also took us to a dorm that was decked out in VV stickers! We just laughed about that! D auditioned for an arts scholarship at both Bucknell & Wake, and felt that Wake had more of a clique-like feel after spending time with some students and talking with the student we knew (who is from the Northeast). She loved the campus, the fancy dorms, and the food offerings, and thought it would be nice to be in a larger city (Winston-Salem) but from what we could tell, you couldn’t really leave campus to walk anywhere, which is something small town Lewisburg offers and she’s grown to appreciate. Both schools seem to have the work hard, play hard mentality, both had lovely campuses and wonderful classes/small class size, Greek life is big on both campuses, and both have strong reputations. Bucknell is much closer to home, which we all appreciated, and has a terrific alumni network (Wake probably does as well, I’m just not familiar with it), and while I believe she could have been happy many schools, we’re happy she’s happy at Bucknell. I hope this is helpful and sorry it took me so long to reply!

1505

@littleowl7 Thank you so much:))

1506

UP: D 2018, loved Notre Dame Tour- students were very friendly, Syracuse (great orange preview day in August) , She likes the feel of big schools, traditions, etc. She also wants to attend a research oriented institution

Down: Gettysburg, but my husband loved it :)-- I think too small for her.

Still looking-- will look more during March break and in the summer. This thread is very helpful. Thank-you.

1507

UP Roger-Williams, Son 2017 loved it. Great small size for him

Down: Roger-Williams, Daughter 2018, thought it was too preppy, too small, a student took her aside to talk about diversity on campus –

1508

Agree the quality of the admissions rep giving the info session makes s big difference in the students perceptions of the school. The Dean at Fordham also totally won over my daughter, she was in love after that tour. Barnard left her with a similar love of the school, but she likely won’t get in.

Lehigh is one she applied to without visiting, good to hear some feedback.

1509

East Carolina university. Very sketchy surrounding neighborhoods.

1510

UNC was my top… I visited and hated it. It was just way too much going on and not enough open space for me. On the same trip, Wake Forest definitely moved up. Loved the campus.

1511

@ironcity50 I like your name. You must like Pittsburgh or beer or both! :slight_smile:

1512

@a20171 you hated UNC because there was too much going on… That is the exact reason why my daughter loved it!!! It’s a really busy place, all the time.

1513

Youngest with siblings in private U’s. This one has always loved the idea of big public and is liberal art major (my first, very different than shopping STEM schools).

USC - Consistently UP - private that is ok because of the size and urban setting. Thinks there is something for everyone there.

Consistently UP - UW (Washington) - D loooooves Seattle. Third visit, applied as OOS. Just stopped by to learn more about housing because were in Seattle for event at Seattle University. Campus is still awesome. Liked that most of the housing is new and awesome with a lot of private bath set ups (no end of hall group baths). Housing does feel oddly off campus even if just a couple city blocks away, not sure what that means, if anything, in the scheme of things. The older dorm buildings that are being torn down and replaced next year are actually on campus but on far north end away from the others (yet closer to classes). Thinking it wouldn’t be great to be in those compared to new ones…housing guaranteed for freshman but only if you apply the first week application opens (important). I did realize that UW can be a lot like Berkeley in terms of activism. Of course, it was women’s march day, but you get the vibe that it is a very politically active campus. Someone was shot on campus that very night, ugh, a highly unusual event of course.

UP (surprisingly!) - Seattle University - there for Sullivan Day, been there before and this D has been completely turned off to the idea of smaller or mid size private schools. Told her it was ok to totally hate it and if so, we would cross off all smaller privates from the list. But they are giving her a lot of money and I wanted to use it as a baseline to think about a small versus big school. Even left her with cash incase she wanted to bail on event early and go downtown (her request). She stayed all day and actually enjoyed herself. Didn’t ask a thing afterward. Picked her up at 4 and flew back that night, and didn’t discuss it at all cause I knew she was baked after long day. This morning she started asking older sister about small versus big schools and when I walked out, she said, “Hey mom, I’m glad we went, I liked it better than I thought.” tbd, but glad she opened her closed mind and is thinking about other things to consider in a college education. Worth the trip for that.

University of Oregon - UP. D loved the vibe, the rain, the green, the political climate, the chill students who seem to be about respecting others in all aspects. Everybody seems to love being there. Went with dad awhile ago, I am taking her this weekend to check it out further for some event day they have. Accepted to U Toronto, and UO may have knocked that one down the list. Don’t mind, UoT is really really far to deal with.

UCB - up because of the music scene, many concerts on campus and easy access to SF for that same music scene. Ah, the priorities of college.

1514

Went to college there and lived there for 10 years. Now live in NC. Still nothing like enjoying a cold iron at a pirates game

1515

Auburn - down No real tour available, no one very interested in talking to us, seemed in a rush for us to leave. Did accept and give a good scholarship but no longer interested.

Iowa State - down. Too much construction and no real town area around the college.

Kansas State - up. People were VERY helpful and set up visits with department heads that could actually give us valuable information. Honors college sold my son on their program. I didn’t like the student center or that we couldn’t find anywhere on campus to eat. Construction.

Colorado State - even more up. Beautiful campus, great tour. They showed the polo team in their movie which showed my son they appreciated their polo team.

1516

Ooh polo! My neice does polo at a school close to us so we have gone to - games/meets(?) Wonderful. So much energy in that sport. It is surprising how little public interest there is in such a fantastic game.

1517

My DD had Carleton and U of MN-Twin Cities on her list. I insisted she also visit Macalester because I knew it was similar to Carleton. After visiting all 3, she dropped Carleton because it seemed traditional and stodgy and having grown up in a small town of 12,000, she wasn’t thrilled about Northfield which is only slightly bigger (18,000). On the other hand, she loved Macalester-it seemed very hip and vibrant and she liked that it is in St. Paul. Similarly, she had Lewis & Clark on her list so I insisted that she also visit Willamette because I knew it was similar to L&C. Both ended up on her list.

1518

My son plays polo for the local interscholastic team. He wants to be involved in the sport in college if he can. Polo is fun, in fact my son is at polo practice now! It makes CSU a big plus as well as their equine science major.

1519

@momocarly it would be more helpful for the purposes of this thread to specify which CSU.

1520

Up:
Carleton — Far and away the best lecture D attended at any school.
Kenyon — What a magical place.
Univ. of Michigan — The resources and breadth of the offerings at this place — wow.
Olin — Coolest group of students and profs of any school we toured.

Down:
Duke — Forgot my machete; it would have been helpful for cutting through all the pretentiousness.

Off:
MIT — Found Mordor.
Swarthmore — Thick black smoke is still billowing off this crash site months after the visit. Horrible vibe.