<p>Hey,
I just returned from a tour with three rising junior girls of Brown, Wellesley, MIT, Harvard, Dartmouth and Amherst. We had a great time and couldn’t complain about the great summer weather, though it was a bit sticky the first day. The girls had never been to an East Coast school and some had never toured a small school. Overall, they absolutely loved Brown. The beautiful clean campus, the size (4,100 ug, 1200 g), the open curriculum, the integration into a city neighborhood while still maintaining a sense of place - what’s to argue about? It looked like a fabulous place to spend four years. Harvard was also a top vote getter in this adventure. The girls loved the freshman housing on the yard and liked the idea of belonging to a House for the remaining years on campus. They didn’t like the seedy-looking people hanging out in the commercial area (very suburban girls!) but loved the energy of Cambridge. Wellesley was a beautiful campus set on a pond around 30-40 minute drive from downtown Boston. It has around 2,300 students (all girls) with great academics, small classes and great facilities. We toured a dorm room too and it looked like a top notch place to attend. The girls didn’t think they wanted an all-girls campus though. So even though they appreciated the programs offered their enthusiasm was muted by the all-girls factor. Wellesley is practically right next to Babson College (co-ed) and not far from Brandeis University. It also participates in a program with MIT to for students to attend classes at eachothers campuses. MIT was the least favorite campus we toured. Admittedly, this was due in large part to a less than stellar tour guide. A lot of the campus is under construction right now and I’m sure that affected the girls’ perceptions. They pretty much were unanimous that unless they were certain the sciences or engineering were going to be their major, this wouldn’t be their choice. I have to say, the setting of the campus along the Charles River was very attractive to me. Another favorite (for my D) was Dartmouth. We visited on a spectacular day. The student body is about the same size as Brown but differs in that city streets don’t cut through the campus and of course it’s a much more rural looking place. She will definitely have to visit when it isn’t 75 degrees (especially as a Phoenician!) before she applies. There is a big quad at the campus entrance and a small shopping and dining area next to the campus. The girls liked the D plan which is a requires summer attend during one summer sessions (after sophomore year) and a flexible recess session. This plan was implimented to address a housing shortage but even with two dorms under construction there was no mention of ending the system. Amherst was our last stop and they all really liked the campus and the open curriculum. It was third on all of their favorite schools list. We toured a great dorm which was a very old academic building that had been completely remodeled into a really inviting dorm. It had a living area and common room that made me want to be a student! Overall, the girls really liked Amherst just not as much as Brown. Basically, these are all great schools. If they have the program you’re interested in studying, and you can get admitted and afford to attend you can’t go wrong.</p>
<p>The MIT campus seemed largely under construction in 2002 when we werre in Boston with D!
Thanks for the report- let us know if you make the rounds again in the winter!</p>