I would not attempt leaving Worcester at noon, then to Mt. Holyoke, then back to Logan in time for a 7 pm flight. It might be theoretically possible, but this leaves no time if there’s a line to drop off the rental car, traffic on the Mass Pike, etc.
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Just to complicate things, if you’re that close, you should probably visit Smith too. Here’s info on their Environmental Science & Policy program:
https://www.smith.edu/academics/environmental-science-policy
My D23 looked at BMC, MHC, and Smith and ultimately chose the 3rd over the 1st and 2nd (as a recruited athlete at all three). They all have very nice campuses. One of the big draws for her was the town itself and the walkability from campus.
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Well then we should probably visit Amherst too. lol
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Also, is it worth visiting if it’s the college’s spring break?
Agreed, that’s too tight. If you switch it to a flight out of Bradley, different story (easy enough if you happen to be flying Southwest or another airline that allows a fee-free change of schedule, but probably prohibitive otherwise).
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Yes. Most of the colleges we visited during our spring trip were on break. Couldn’t help the timing – it was our spring break, too, so it was the only time we could go. We still got a good feel for the campuses even if there weren’t too many students there. Of course it’s ideal if classes are in session, but this is good enough for now. If it comes down to making a decision (i.e., if ED doesn’t happen), most admitted students’ days happen when classes are in session.
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If they are offering tours, there will probably be some students around. It won’t give you a,full sense of the vibe, but it’s better than nothing. I’d be less excited about visiting for a self-tour.
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Some self-guided tours are actually not bad, as long as you use the app and listen to the programmed material (as opposed to wandering around the campus yourself). We did a few when we couldn’t make conventional tours work with our schedule. I thought Mount Holyoke’s was especially good – lots of information (more or less what you’d get from a tour ghide, though you don’t have the benefit of being able to ask questions), easy navigation, and you can linger in some spots if you want a little extra time. We spent a lot of time in the greenhouse before moving to the next location on the tour.
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Mount Holyoke has a good self-guided tour and the campus is gorgeous. Smith is also a beautiful campus and Northampton is a great college town - good place for lunch. They are about 20 minutes apart.
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Can you reverse it - and do Clark in the PM?
I might look into flying into Hartford instead of Boston and doing MHC/Smith/Amherst on Sunday and then driving to Portland to do BBC Monday-Thursday and keep Clark on Friday.
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I was hesitant to make the other recommendation, because things quickly spiral into “If You Give A Moose a Muffin” territory! 
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It’s totally like that. She says she likes the sound of Mount Holyoke and Smith but isn’t sure why there are women’s colleges.
She said she wants diversity, internships, and fun activities. lol
She has a little too much of her dad’s pragmatism. She is like are any of them better than Macalester, because it’s easy to get to.
Should I add Reed to our Oregon trip?
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It’s out of the way and not to add any but did you look at ESF when developing the list?
As you have small and larger schools on the list, it’s sort of both with a focused school in ESF and larger with Syracuse - but at SUNY tuition.
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I get it, and yes, it’s an option, but a tour by a student gives you just an inkling of vibe. The self-guided ones give you info and a visual of the place. Certainly valuable but less bang for your travel time and not terrible different from a video tour, although standing in a greenhouse or concert hall can be far more inspirational than looking at it on your laptop! It really depends on what you’re trying to get out of your trip.
DS did a self-tour at one school when it was in session, and that was worthwhile, in part because a few students approached him to chat.
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I’m worried that she’ll change her major, so we didn’t really look at ESF.
I don’t know much about environmental science careers, but do you "need” to go to a college in the PNW if that’s where you want to find a job after college?
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Highly doubtful.
Today people find jobs online. And through contacts, etc.
I’m sure and it may require a little more work - that jobs can be found anywhere.
Whether there are ample jobs in the area - that I don’t know.
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Definitely not. I have personal experience teaching Environmental Studies and students get positions in every region of the US, including the Pacific NW.
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Okay, we finally have real scores. lol
Junior
White, female, LGBTQ
Highly ranked public high school in Missouri
4.0 (school doesn’t weight or rank)
33 ACT (28 math, 31 science, 35 English, 36 reading) will probably retake to get math score higher, but I don’t see any reason to take SAT (1340 on PSAT)
Major Environmental Studies/Science
APs: Euro, Calc BC, US History, Lang, Environmental Science, Lit, Stats, Psych, Bio
ECs:
2 years cross county
4 years track - pole vault
4 years tech theater - sound design
3 years STL Zoo teen volunteer program
2 years school newspaper
2 years mentor for freshmen during advisory
Not applying to any schools in state. Only states that have reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights.
Chances for ED to either Macalester or Bates?
Full list (for now):
Bates
Bowdoin
Carleton
Clark
Colby
Lewis and Clark
Macalester
Mount Holyoke
Pitzer
Scripps
University of Oregon
University of Vermont
Willamette
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In my experience, Reed is a “love it or hate it” school that provokes strong reactions. My child hated it. But she liked Lewis and Clark and University of Oregon, loved Oregon State (where she didn’t pursue environmental science but is getting a minor in Sustainability), and was meh on Willamette.
Purely anecdotal experience here, but as someone from the Pacific Northwest, I personally know happy grads from Lewis & Clark, U of O, OSU, Willamette (and Whitman, Puget Sound, UW, WSU, etc., in Washington, too). Oddly, I am not aware of a single Reed grad in my circle of acquaintances.
I suggest your child do a virtual visit and/or explore some of Reed’s YouTube videos and social media feeds. If intrigued, it is worth a visit. If turned off, I wouldn’t bother.
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