We also had a spreadsheet – but it was not specific to tours (although it sometimes shaped which schools we prioritized for tours). We had many of the items listed above by @momofboiler1 including:
acceptance rate, GPA and test score ranges
enrollment/size and type of campus (urban, rural, suburban, etc.)
ranking/popularity of intended major
cost (I adjusted this number when scholarships were received)
application deadlines and # of supplemental essays
whether applicant interest was considered (from common data set)
other info/impressions
When scheduling tours pre-application, we prioritized schools that more strongly considered applicant interest. In addition, if there were too many supplemental essays and the school hadn’t impressed my kid, it sometimes came off the list. My third and final kid is graduating from high school in 2026 so I may need to resurrect the spreadsheet once again!
D22 used the Campus Visit Score Card from the College Board (https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/CollegePlanning/media/pdf/BF-campus-visit-score-card.pdf). It’s not perfect - I don’t think she ever used the Contacts section - but it was helpful to have specific reminders to think about and jot down different aspects of the campus during the visit. I think we’ll have D26 start with that, and then she can adjust if she prefers a different format.
My son customized similar based on his priorities (specific academic programs, nearby town/village feel etc) and created a google form to store answers. We really benefitted from him having done some sort of values/priority surveys before we went to see schools. He tweaked that based on actual experience of course, but was a nice starting point.
We visited Northfield in 2021. Truly, my son loved everything about it. The Malt-O-Meal factory the small town vibe with family owned cafes, grocery store, organic food co-op, bookstores, antiques, etc. We visited on a 40ish degree, overcast weekend and my son spent a great deal of time wandering the town on his own. Northfield is a two college town and kids from both colleges can eat at either college. St. Olaf campus felt large and expansive, kids were out all over campus playing frisbee and mingling in groups. St. Olaf sits on a hill so I would say it is about a mile from the downtown area. If they are wanting to go to Target though, that would require a car, but I am sure the college offers some sort of transportation there and back on a regular basis.
Side note, my son’s principal attended St. Olaf after being accepted to Harvard.
That must be from a few years ago. There was no “ we even have a cheese club” and there was no “we have a unique superstition: don’t step on the seal/crest/whatever or you won’t graduate in four years!”
When I was in college the tours met on the main quad at regular times and anyone was free to join.
Crafty kids used to show up early and pose as tour guides and take people to terrible places like dive bars, make up ridiculous lies, etc. One time a guy had his girlfriend pose as a potential student on the tour, and they acted like they were flirting for a while then started making out.
Great write up. One thing - I wouldn’t let this be why a kid chooses or doesn’t choose a school. It’s nice to be close but there’s only so many times you are making the trip ….
Sounds like a nice getaway regardless of where she attends.
Please tell me which college this was, because that knowledge will be what I need to force me to become a mad scientist and invent a time/youth machine so that I can go attend there.
D21 and D23 made their own notes during or after the visits , and saved into a google doc as they saw fit. D23 had pictures she added, too. They just wrote themselves notes on whatever they viewed as important to them. They did this for virtual visits/sessions as well. I stayed out of those details and tried to not express opinions unless asked. I usually could tell by their faces if they hated or loved schools but tried not to reveal I knew. DH had a harder time keeping his feelings close to the vest. He was almost offended when they did not love a school he did.
OH @UTmeritseeker if Greek Life is a strong consideration, make sure that you inquire not just about the impact/prevalence of fraternities/sororities on the campus social scene, but also the competitiveness of the bid process. Hearing right now from numerous friends about their son/daughter’s difficulties with fraternity/sorority acceptances. “I didn’t realize how competitive it was to get into a house!” is something that my wife and I have heard like 3-4x in the last week, so fyi…
I know my previous posts were from a couple of weeks ago, but wanted to provide an update on the Binghamton vs. College 6 hours away topic. After the disappointing Bing visit D24 and I sat and had a good talk. She admitted that she really loved Temple when she visited but had concerns about safety. So we talked through that (about being smart, staying on campus etc). Our first visit to Temple was in the summer so the campus was pretty quiet, yet she still got a great feeling. We went again yesterday (after visiting St. Joseph’s) and this was the best thing we could have done. We just walked around campus together and went to see a friend’s apartment (he is a freshman). Seeing the campus fully alive just sold her. We even witnessed a sit-in and everything lol. She loved the urban feel and was very comfortable with the security presence around the campus. While urban, the campus itself is pretty well defined and made her feel more comfortable. Will I worry about safety? Of course - but as a mother of girls I always worry!
I guess one thing I learned from this whole process is to make sure to visit campus when things are in full swing - get the true vibe. I know that is not always possible and we did multiple visits over the summer ourself, but going back yesterday really helped her be very confident in her decision. I now have a happy future Owl
Just curious for me and others - how was St. Joes -the good and not so good. We read so much good about the school on here. Obviously, she’ll have bias toward what her preferences are.