Stanford was cheap compared to the East Coast schools! Also, not in the first rank. Also, the average SAT scores were in the 1350-1400 range, about 150-200 points lower than today.
2 Likes
Don’t forget that SAT scoring has also changed over time. Per the concordance below, that would equate to 1410-1450 on today’s version, and that does not include the fact that the 1500-1550 scores of today have been happening in the test optional era, where I suspect that those who applied TO were below the 1500 mark. Of course, many of the highly competitive schools are going back to test required, and we’ll have to see how that impacts their test score ranges.
3 Likes
I was there when then Wesleyan president, Colin G. Campbell (who passed away a little over a year ago at age 88), was under tremendous pressure to cut its PhD programs which, at the time, were being financed mostly on Wesleyan’s dime. Part of the argument was that undergraduates couldn’t benefit from that kind of advanced research. Fortunately, Campbell could see further than the short-term financial fixes being offered.
2 Likes
Regional airports are usually more expensive to fly in and out of—and often way more expensive.
The few I have looked at (not always for college purposes) are not necessarily more (or much more) expensive, but they do tend to be severely limited in terms of airlines /direct route options. This would be an issue for me - if I’m flying my kid there is already a “connection” in terms of getting from airport to college, I don’t want to add in yet another possible issue to hassle with. (Of course, the one time we flew D19 home with a connection - which was just so we could use up expiring southwest credit - she was delayed by a storm en route, in Denver, for hours).
We worried about these issues a lot initially, as we were living in Tokyo when S19 went off to college. But if you limit yourself to the schools you can reach using only direct flights from Tokyo, it turns out to be a pretty short list, so we moved on to flights with one connection and schools not too far from the airport. S19 ended up at Denison and flew mostly Columbus to Atlanta and then on to Tokyo. Columbus is a small, manageable airport, easy to get in and out of. Over the four years, he only had one serious problem, when a flight was cancelled and the airline put him up at a hotel near LAX for a night. I wasn’t too happy about that, but I think it was rather thrilling for him. Another highlight was being driven across the tarmac in Atlanta one time so he wouldn’t miss his flight. Overall I think he gained a lot of confidence through his travels (as well as Platinum status on Delta).
6 Likes
We live in the country. I truly wish we could walk or bike to work or school. It would save so much money. But I have the shortest commute in the family and it’s about 8 miles one way. And a portion of that is on a 55 mph county road that is definitely scary to be a pedestrian on. Plus, we get very harsh winters so not only do we all need to have a car but they need to have all-wheel-drive. 
My daughter insists that one of her life goals is to live in a city and never drive again. She’s not a fan of driving. Funny, one of her criteria for college is a place Where she doesn’t need a car. Good public transportation and a walkable city.
2 Likes
Wake has the nicest student athletic center I have seen anywhere and the dorms are all either new or newly renovated with very nice common areas. They definitely show both off during admitted student days but perhaps not regular tours. I’ve been on maybe two dozen college tours between my two kids (nearly all T30 schools-both east and west coast) and not going into more than one or two buildings is very common and literally only one showed us a dorm room — Occidental.
4 Likes
I understand the cost and effort involved with taking your kids to see a college, and I understand the frustration of not getting to see what you want to see. But there are good reasons. I live next to a large university, so I’m sharing this from my perspective of being on that campus every day. Even at big universities, the campus is usually quiet during the summer, and as soon as graduation wraps up, construction projects pop up all over.
Campus tours typically skip most academic buildings because tour groups can disrupt the classes being taught, which are the core mission of the school. However, the buildings themselves aren’t locked, and access is generally available.
If I were touring with a prospective student, I’d start with the official campus tour. Then, if we didn’t get a chance to see inside certain buildings, I’d choose a few of interest and visit them afterward on our own.
The exception is the dorms, as it should be. Dormitories are the students’ home, and for the residents privacy they don’t need tour groups walking through their personal spaces most days of the year. Fortunately, there are plenty of photos posted online of each dormitory—including common areas, rooms, floor plans, dining halls, laundry facilities, and more. It’s not quite the real deal, but it’s more than enough to get a clear idea.
For parents, touring campus with their kid is an important and personal event, but for schools, it means managing thousands of prospective students while keeping current students’ needs and safety the top priority.
11 Likes
I think this varies by university (and could be location dependent too). At D19’s college you needed your card to access any building other than the admissions/welcome center. I have been taken on tours at other campuses where they have had to swipe/tap the group into academic buildings too. Probably varies a bit between urban locations vs enclosed campuses, etc. It’s maybe a question to ask on a tour or email the admissions office.
2 Likes
I should clarify I was speaking of formal touring times. Buildings are locked on weekends and after hours.
On the campuses I referenced buildings are card access 24/7. Again, possibly due to their urban locations.
2 Likes
I agree with this philosophy, but I would say way more than 1/2 of the tours we have been on (12ish?) have had dorm tours, so it isn’t rare or “the exception” in our experience. I think Tufts is only one off hand I can remember where we didn’t see a dorm room. I can remember 9 that we did (the rest I don’t recall either way). I actually have no strong to desire to see dorms - most schools have so many kinds that going into 1 isn’t representative (so why bother?) and it is not how to pick a school for me..
Also, I have never been on one where we didn’t go into at least 2-3 buildings, even in summer. I would find it really weird not to go into some.
3 Likes
Also, Umass-Amherst helps you find housing off-campus! They do not just leave you to fend for yourself. They support you really every step of the way with everything. They have a whole off-campus housing dept.
6 Likes
My family and I have been on a couple dozen college tours and it seems very random in terms of whether you get to see or enter any academic buildings or dorms.
Of the ones we have toured, we did see academic buildings and dorms in the following colleges/universities: University of Portland, Holy Cross, ASU, UOP, Pepperdine, LMU, Baylor, USC, USF, Colgate, Occidental, Chapman, Seattle U, Wash U, University of Oregon.
We saw academic buildings but I don’t think dorms at BC, Santa Clara, UC Berkeley, UCLA, BU, Hamilton, Amherst, Williams, Northeastern, Westmont, Cal Poly.
Some colleges just showed the outside of buildings rather than actually go into classrooms.
4 Likes
We saw dorms at BU, but that was a few years ago.
Now that you say this, we did not see a dorm at BU (though went in a number of buildings, at least briefly), but they are about to rennovate their warren notorious towers soon, so may be skipping them because of that?
Possibly. I don’t remember which dorm building we saw but let’s just say the dorms were not exactly a tipping point in favor of applying!!!
2 Likes
Since you live in the area, how does it compare to the old Mills campus and dorms? Have they changed much?
This is the first time I have visited the Mills campus. But most of the buildings seem to be older than 2022. 
There are a few new-looking buildings (business school, science labs, renovations to part of the library, I might have missed something). The new-looking buildings are not the same style, but still seem to fit in to the campus well.
My feeling is that the Mills original architectural style fits in nicely into the landscape and has aged well.
Northeastern article about Mills campus: The Mills Campus is an Oasis of Beauty, History, Modern Spaces
1 Like