<p>I don’t understand why visiting w/ a critical eye would be less than open minded. I’m not looking for perfection, but I’d certainly like to know what D is getting into.</p>
<p>D and I will visit Furman in the fall and we will talk to students (haven’t contacted admissions b/c I don’t want to talk to hand-picked student). I accept that whatever we observe will be a limited picture b/c it will not reflect every student’s experience. But, I am admittedly less interested in an objective assessment (if such a thing exists) than info that will assist me in determining whether campus is one where D will be happy, productive and safe. </p>
<p>(Good friend’s exp as a female grad student in UPenn’s physics prgm was very diff than that of the male students. For example, guys had computer terminals in their dorms; she didn’t and often had to get locked in the library overnight to finish assignments. Needless to say, she was far more critical of the program than the male students and while her opinions were by no mean representative, they would be invaluable if you had a D applying to the program.)</p>
<p>As for guides, I find that every school embraces the favorable reviews and dismisses the unflattering ones as over-stated, out-dated or ill-informednegative ones (ie: Vandy will boast of if #8 ranking as a top university, but insists that the #2 in no race/class interaction is incorrect and unwarranted. Also, I don’t know of a single admissions office that will acknowl anything other than racial harmony). That doesn’t mean the guides inaccurate or even if partially inaccurate, that they aren’t a good place to start - - flagging some possible issues or areas of inquiry. (AS for Duke and Dartmouth, both get what I consider an alarming number of negative reviews. But the fact that other parents/students chose the school regardless of those negatives doesn’t mean that the negatives not exist or I ought to overlook them.)</p>