<p>At the moment I’m on an overnight visit in at Occidental College. </p>
<p>It’s gorgeous. The people are nice and I really do like it. However there is something off I can’t quite name. It’s like I am on a slightly different frequency than Oxy. It’s not different enough to balance out or similar enough to be in unison. It just creates a hiccup. Did that make any sense?</p>
<p>My dilemma is Oxy was my first-ish choice. My other top choice is BU. Oxy paid for me to fly out to LA, but because of financial reasons, flying out to Boston is going to be an issue. The plan was, that I would visit Oxy, and if I absolutely HATED it, I would go to BU without having visited. However, I don’t hate it. This off feeling isn’t enough to warrant me to go to BU automatically. But it’s enough to make wonder very hard how I’d feel at BU.</p>
<p>Help? I have another day at Oxy and I hope I can sort this feeling out. I feel like I may be overthinking, but I also don’t want to convince myself of anything. </p>
<p>If anyone has some insight, it would be appreciated. Visiting BU may be the only solution. Ahhhh.</p>
<p>My son did the same thing on a visit to Tufts. It was his # 1 choice, never felt right and he moved on and in the end didn’t even consider going there. Other places felt right to him, and that in the end made up his decision.</p>
<p>You should visit BU. Very different from Occi. What you are feeling may simply be the awkwardness you always feel when you meet new people and surroundings. I think it would eventually feel like home.</p>
<p>Bear in mind that BU won’t be gorgeous, and while you’d meet some nice people there, it’s urban and carries the bustle and impersonal vibe of any urban setting. Is gorgeous and nice part of what you like at Oxy or part of what feels “off?”</p>
<p>I like that it’s gorgeous and the people are nice. It’s just the “vibe” I guess, that feels a little off. When someone asks, “How do you like it here?”, I can’t bring myself to say “Oh my goodness I love it!” like I hoped I would be able too. Part of me thinks I’d like the impersonal bustle of BU more, even if it did mean I would sacrifice a traditional and pretty campus.</p>
<p>No campus on earth is perfect, and usually you can tell what the imperfections are and whether you can live with them. However, if something is off that you can’t quite point a finger to, then it might be your gut feeling trying to tell you something, and you’d be wise to pay attention to it. I would try to at least visit BU and borrow money if I have to (at most several hundred dollars?). You don’t want to regret your decision later.</p>
<p>finsong, I’m in the same boat as you…I got into my first choice but when I visited it just didn’t feel right, even though I really wanted to love it. I agree that part of the problem could simply be the awkwardness that comes with visiting a college you don’t actually attend. I’m visiting my second choice school to see if I get a better vibe from the atmosphere there, but I guess if I was in your position and couldn’t visit, you just have to think about whether a big or small school is better for you. Also, keep in mind that spending a couple days with one host isn’t necessarily a good representation of what the school will be like for you. The feeling may also be different next year, with a completely new freshman class.</p>
<p>Anyway, the second day of my visit was better.
I adore the campus. It’s gorgeous.
I love the dynamic with the professors.
I live LA and the weather.
I loved the other prospective students. </p>
<p>But I as able to pinpoint the origin of my uneasiness: the current student body. No matter how hard I tried, helpful, interested, and open students were few and far between. Nobody was trying to get me to come. The acted like the prospective students didn’t exist. I hated the social environment. I hope that it’s just because finals are coming up and it will be different if I’m a student. But I don’t know, I just felt no connection to the current students. </p>
<p>I realize BU would be “impersonal” but I feel like having so many students would foster a more interactive group. Ahhhh. Thanks everybody.</p>
<p>Finsong-My daughter & I visited Oxy over 4 years ago during midterms. I thought the
kids seemed a little off ( dazed) off but my daughter talked to one student and felt like it was a go. I know now that it was the effect of midterms. Oxy kids work hard and it shows.
She made solid friends her first year and this year they are all graduating together. Very exciting. It’s been a great school for her but I wish you good luck with your decision.</p>