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21

A few more comments on Tulane/Pitt/UVM. We’ve visited all three in the past year for my D.

Burlington is really a very small city, more like a large town. Its very pretty but if you are really looking for an urban environment, Burlington is not it. You can walk to town from the campus. UVM seems best for kids that really like outdoor activities like hiking and skiing. The feel of the school is similar to other state schools except that it is much smaller than most. The thing that turned my D off was that there is a huge amount of construction going on, right in the middle of campus. Everywhere we wanted to go was blocked by construction fences that we had to walk around. I’m sure the school will be very nice when it is finished but she didn’t want to be walking around construction for years so that one went off her list.

Tulane is not in downtown NO but out in a very nice suburban type area with lots of big old pricey mansions. You can’t walk to much from the campus, but it is right on the streetcar line so you can get downtown easily. It has a traditional defined type campus. It is not an urban environment either, but the city is easily accessible.

Pitt is right in the city. The campus is very urban, and though there are some large green spaces the campus seems to blend in with the city rather than being well defined. The comment that Pittsburgh is car-based, may be true for the city as a whole, but you don’t need a car to go to Pitt. Students can take public transportation for free with their Pitt ID. My D liked Pitt a lot. I would disregard the "You aren’t serious about Pittsburgh are you? " comments. Why would someone say that?

22

Burlington is a beautiful college town. Are you accepted at Champlain? If so, you literally just walk down the hill to some great restaurants and stores and then you have the beautiful lakefront right there. Tons of recreational opportunities within an hours drive for skiing, hiking and getting away. Boston is only about 2-3 hours away if you want a weekend city getaway (assuming you would have a car of course).

23

Re:#16, @TurnerT - Burlington is a great city if you don’t mind brutal winters. My cousin and her husband have lived there for years, and love it. They are not even skiers. My sister has lived in Pittsburgh for forty years, and I have visited her numerous times. They don’t have a professional basketball team, but they have major-league hockey, baseball (in one of the nicest parks to be found anywhere), and a legendary football franchise. Their arts organizations are world-class, and there is always a lot going on. With Pitt and Carnegie-Mellon close to one another, there’s a very active student scene (NB: my brother-in-law was on the Pitt faculty, and so I know whereof I speak). Burlington has a smaller-city feel; P’burgh is more diverse, racially and ethnically - that might turn you, and others off, but I consider it a major asset.