<p>I thought it is interesting when kids came home for the first time since they went to college end of August and compared their college experience. My S has friends attending a big state univ said it is “boring” and their dorm is cramped (3 kids in normal double occupancy room); friends attending a big ivy in the north, comments are too much homework, need to take bus to go to some class, getting cold too soon, take too much time to go to certain cafeteria with better food. My S loves his school, convenient, food is ok.</p>
<p>A testament to why finding the right fit in a college (within financial reason) is so important.</p>
<p>I’m surprised they could all make it home. </p>
<p>Small to mid-sized private universities also have overcrowding in dorms, with three kids in a room for two.<br>
Weather can be unpredictable in many part of the country, with unexpected cold snaps followed by weeks of warm temperatures. I would say this early on, it’s less about fit and more about whether you have the kind of kid who intends on enjoying himself versus the kind of kid who likes to complain.</p>
<p>S’s school doesn’t close for Columbus Day; D has a four-day weekend, but it never occurred to me that she should come home for it. The four-day weekend she can come home for is Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>Interesting this post shows up right under OP’s post of a month ago about tracking his student’s phone and computer to see if he is going to class, when he goes to sleep, etc.</p>
<p>My D is at a sophomore at a small LAC and has friends at bigger schools who like their colleges, and one who transferred at the end of freshman year. No one came home before Thanksgiving though.</p>
<p>whats’ Columbus Day weekend? 
</p>
<p>We saw this over the first Thanksgiving. By that time midterms are over and we often have new of kids not returning next semester as well. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Or perhaps “fit” depends on the student. Within similar cost constraints, academic interests, and admission credential ranges, some students can easily adapt to many situations, and would therefore find many schools to be good fits. Others may be quite picky, and would therefore find it more difficult to find a good fit.</p>
<p>This early in the year, making friends is the most important thing. That can trump almost anything else.</p>
<p>Hey, why is Columbus Day a federal holiday anyway? </p>
<p>CC wasn’t the 1st European to “discover” the New World. He didn’t even know where he was-- thought he was in Indonesia.</p>
<p>Lots of kids were on Fall break this weekend.
The freshmen are still getting settled, they may have entirely different attitudes in a few months.</p>
<p>That is true. I lucked out in my college/dorm experience. Within a few weeks I had a lot of friends, and my roommate and 2 others became close friends/roommate over the 4 years. However, there are lots of cases where freshman take a few months to get into the groove of things. At a larger college DS was part way through the 2nd semester before son seemed to be “finding his tribe” academically. (He found music pals earlier due to pep band). </p>
<p>Columbus was the first with a discovery that yielded more Euro movement to the Americas that created what we have today. All the rest followed him–not some guy from Norway. </p>
<p>Yes, you never hear about the overcrowded dorms on the official tours. It is a good question to ask to current freshman.</p>
<p>Some colleges are crowded every year, while others are only crowded when they mis-calculate the yield. Some colleges have an occasional triples, while other colleges have almost everyone in a triple and have converted the lounges into housing for 4 to 6 students. That can be very stressful, because there is no place to escape if one student wants to stay up late and another needs to wake up early, etc. Some colleges have high turnover of freshman students and in a couple months, the triples are gone. However, sometimes a student has to move to a different hall or dorm to get out of a triple, which can mean leaving friends behind.</p>
<p>One study was done of triples. It said the main effect was that freshmen students went home much more often to escape the crowded conditions.</p>
<p>I purposefully did not encourage my kids to consider any colleges in upstate New York. I really believed that the cold weather, ice and snow would become really depressing, particularly since you are in college during the colder months with the reduced hours of sunlight. I also believe that bad weather conditions encourage binge drinking, because there is nothing else to do, particularly in cold isolated towns.</p>
<p>Many schools do not have mid semester breaks at all, even with a Federal only holiday to consider in many states. . And many states no longer honor Columbus day. I’ve always needed to remember there’s no mail that day- the only significance for me. The only break is Thanksgiving- and that is just Thursday to Sunday for schools I’ve known. I remember taking a calculus exam the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>I would not consider winter weather a consideration any more than I would consider the terrible heat some places deal with. Cold snowy climates can have plenty of sunshine and fun things to do on campus hills- sledding on dining hall trays, skating and snowball fights. Also conducive to staying indoors to study, although harder in front of a bright sunny window. Bad weather may mean less bar hopping, not more. I have yet to see where warmer climate schools have better academic reputations for their undergrads. The northern flagships seem to do better than the southern ones.</p>
<p>Funny… my very happy (also studious) college experience was about as far upstate as you can go. It was very cold. And dreary too, but I already had some of that growing up in the Hudson Valley. However the area did not have the “lake effect” huge snowstorms. And there was not too much of my least favorite weather - Cold Rain. </p>
<p>I remember when my D was a freshman and she and her friends got together over Thanksgiving. They were at a variety of colleges, including my D at an OOS flagship and others at an Ivy, MIT, a couple top 20’s and a couple LACs, ranging in distance from 8 hours to 16 hours away from home. What amazed me was that they all loved their schools and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. A couple years later, I don’t see these kids as often, but I haven’t heard that any of them have changed their opinions.</p>
<p>I’m surprised more colleges didn’t align their fall break with Jewish holidays instead of Columbus Day.</p>
<p>I think the colleges offering a ‘fall break’ or long weekend are trying to hit the half way mark as best they could. One daughter had a 4 day weekend, but she’s been in school since mid August. Other daughter didn’t even get the day off but she’s only been in school since Labor Day.</p>