^That doesn’t seem fair. Some kids want a school in a rural area but with a college town that still has a lot going on – like Penn State, for example. How would you know if Clemson had that kind of feel unless you visited?
“That doesn’t seem fair. Some kids want a school in a rural area but with a college town that still has a lot going on – like Penn State, for example. How would you know if Clemson had that kind of feel unless you visited?”
Absolutely agree with this statement.
My daughter loved the feel of Penn State, because it had a large college town that was almost part of the campus. She also liked it because, although the campus is large, it felt like everything was walkable (even if it was a long walk).
When we visited Clemson, she was very disappointed. Although it is considered a “large university”, the campus did not have much to it…we were able to walk through it on a tour and cover everything. The town consisted of two blocks. When we toured Penn State, the students were engaging and all looked happy. The opposite with Clemson. My daughter was so excited to see the football stadium at Clemson after watching games on tv and seeing the strong fan base, but the stadium was not even included in our tour! We felt that all the money of the school must be put towards the football program because the campus buildings were not impressive. Our tour guide, who read a script basically,and had little interaction with the group did offer one bit of her own advice…“stay away from the food…it is terrible.” It really was the only school we visited that my daughter decided not to apply to, even though it was her top choice before visiting, and even though her transcript, test scores,etc had already been sent.
@ClemVegas Let people have their opinions about the schools without trying to correct them, for cryin’ out loud.
One man’s “plenty to do” is another man’s “bored out of my gourd”.
I am immensely entertained (and educated) by people’s perceptions of the schools. I am less entertained by people trying to defend their school by telling other people they’re wrong. I don’t care if you think they’re wrong, that is not what this thread is about.
Easy on the Clemson defense @ClemVegas . This thread, if you read it at all, is about impressions. It’s not about what schools are better or worse than others.
lol.
I agree and that is a great point, MOD – I have learned a lot from this long thread, in addition to its entertainment value. The points of these posts are for those who have not visited to understand the impressions others had, and then decide whether to visit to form your own impression.
Disagreements with those impressions are useful too, but Ad Hominem are never helpful, and always off topic.
Let’s go back to talking about hills, shall we? 
I don’t think I ever posted our impressions of Skidmore, Clark and Hamilton. Skidmore and Hamilton fell off the list after visiting. D liked the kids at Skidmore, many of whom were definitely a bit on the punky side, but when she had to choose a school to cut, it lost out to Clark, which had a similar vibe but was friendlier. We both preferred Clark’s campus. In particular, I disliked Skidmore’s campus; it was so drab.
I thought Hamilton was great. I liked everything I saw, except the quite disgusting quad guys’ dorm room, which was certainly in its natural state. I did think it was super rural. The whole thing left D cold, despite the truly wonderful arts building. She just didn’t like it and couldn’t explain why. Will soon be visitng some colleges with S19 and will report back if this thread is still going.
Speaking of schools in two-block towns, UNH. D did a summer program there and was very disappointed with the lack of town to walk to and around. She did love the cafeteria with its wide variety of options.
A city that went way up in D’s mind after a visit was Pittsburgh. D was initially dismissive, but we stopped by on a road trip from the midwest to Philadelphia. She was only considering schools in “real cities” like New York and Chicago. Then we came in from the west through the Fort Pitt tunnel. As the cityscape appeared her impression completely changed. We come from an area where cities don’t suddenly appear out of nowhere. Then she saw the bustling area around Pitt and decided that Pittsburgh was a place where she could consider spending 4 years. https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-5234183-stock-footage-pittsburgh-pa-circa-november-emerging-from-the-fort-pitt-tunnel-into-downtown-pittsburgh.html
To change the subject, I was just discussing the following question with my kids: How do you think your perception of a campus may change depending on whether you are an applicant, or accepted? I bet it changes a lot. Unfortunately, because of “demonstrated interest” many (we did!) feel compelled to visit before applying (at least at LACs). I bet my daughter might have had different impressions if she was accepted to the schools she was visiting-- not to mention the difference that would have occurred because she was a year older! In many ways, she is a different person as a senior than she was as a junior. And I bet she will even be different in another year. The idea that you can check out “fit” at 15-16 years old, and have it still work at 18 is kind of crazy. I hope she still loves Lehigh as much as she did when we visited before she applied!
ad ho·mi·nem
ˌad ˈhämənəm/
adverb & adjective
- (of an argument or reaction) directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining.
Ad hominem literally means “to the person”
You posted:
No disagreement with the impression that it was not in a large city. Simply a comment about the poster and that shey should have known. Ad Hominem.
@rhododendron , love that story. It’s a great view. Pittsburgh is a great student town. Not particularly expensive, lots going on (and lots of student discounts), pretty safe, and friendly. Thanks for the link!
@Lindagaf
You gave me a chuckle, because I am certain we saw that same boys quad room at Hamilton and it was gross! Though, if 4 neat girls had been assigned it, it could have been a nice space!
We loved Hamilton, except my D thought it was too small, both in terms of campus and number of students. But I have no doubt, it’s a fabulous place for others.
I believe @ClemVegas is enjoying being argumentative; which is not what this thread is about. I suggest we continue with the topic, and no longer respond to and encourage his/ her feedback…
Crossed off: South Carolina and Pepperdine. SC just really irked me, even though everyone loves it there. Pepperdine doesn’t have much going for it besides the view. Very small and not a lot of activity going on campus, and kind of run down.
Moved up: Loyola Marymount. Almost cancelled my tour the day before, but ended up loving it. I had low expectations for it for some reason, but I loved the community and it’s beautiful.
Advice above is good. I’ll add one at this point because I am still bummed about it.
Rensselaer - the one college I thought both of my sons would love, they hated, because I picked a hotel on the wrong side of the campus and because Troy NY. Also because of the three-to-a-phonebooth, Lockdown:Renssalear dormroom they showed us (now I know why they skip them on some tours!)
Plus they found out about the M/F ratio. Better sooner than later I guess!
I still love that school tho. Amazing technical educations given there.
“because I picked a hotel on the wrong side of the campus”
I have myself wondered how much the hotel and surroundings affect my D’s perception of the school we are visiting. There has certainly been a correlation between desirability of the hotel and her impression of the college.
^^^ No kidding @ShrimpBurrito – I should have known better when I got the “Presidential Suite” for $179. It was enormous, with a fireplace, and not terrible itself, but as I said, bad (although convenient) location.
I now try to book earlier and find the “Ye Olde Paythruthenoz Inne” closest to the cool stuff. That trip advice website is very good for college tour-ers, BTW.
very quick hits:
Mount Holyoke–I loved it but my child did not. Just didn’t get the warm and fuzzy
Hampshire–both loved the philosophy/pedagogy–neither of us could get past the physical campus look and limitations. As a parent, I could never justify the investment against those limitations
Fordham (Rose Hill)–again I loved it–particularly blown away by the nature of the campus and the kind of oasis-like feel, especially when you consider proximity to NYC; child didn’t hate it, but didn’t feel the love either–thought everyone and everything seemed 'too perfect" whatever that means! Some educational limitations against her interests as well.
We have have a small trip planned for March break so perhaps better luck then!
@Lindagaf I wonder if it’s the same boys room we saw at Hamilton last year. I’ll always remember that dorm room for the Red Hot Chili Peppers “sock” poster on the wall. (if you’ve seen it, you know what I mean)
“I have myself wondered how much the hotel and surroundings affect my D’s perception of the school we are visiting. There has certainly been a correlation between desirability of the hotel and her impression of the college.”
We made that mistake at Williams. There aren’t many choices of places to stay, and we stayed at the equivalent of the Bates Motel. I think it made the isolation of Williamstown seem all the stronger.