That is exactly our plan…except, we actually got tickets to the Union theatre production of “Witch” for Sunday afternoon. Of course, Monday is predicted to be the coldest day of the year…but the snow will be pretty.
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Very pretty. 
With global warming, the coldest day of the year is 15 degrees. Consider yourselves fortunate. In the old days, the coldest day of the year in that part of the world was 15 below! Haha. 
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Not in OH/NY/PA but affected by the same storm is Bowdoin. I’ve heard they canceled their Sunday tours but are running on Sat and Mon. Estimated 6" there. I’m also a west coaster traveling east that week for colleges. I don’t mind driving in snow, but once I almost got caught in a big one in MN. Locals in Minneapolis just left their cars out in the streets of the city when the snow got too deep.
Good news for you. . . The coldest day of the year has been moved to Tuesday. 
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I saw that! It’s going to be 20 degrees with a 40 mph wind now! I’m looking forward to this trip. I think it’s gonna be great. The snow I love and that will be fun (my only snow concern is them cancelling things, but looks safe for Monday)…Skidmore cancelled our tour last year for snow, so they never made the list…
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20??? The latest National Weather Service forecast has it up to “24 and breezy.” The way things are trending it will be “40 and balmy” by the time Monday tolls around.
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Safe travels and good luck!! Looking forward to hearing how the Tour de Blizzard turns out!!
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Currently live in the Albany area. If you are planning on both Union & RPI, would consider staying centrally on Wolf Rd in Albany. Stores, restaurants, easy to navigate, etc. Lots to choose from. I’ve heard Staybridge Suites are very good from others but I particularly like The Desmond (Crowne Plaza).
Albany to Rochester is a super easy drive. Sun can be a pain depending on the time you drive. Would concur to stay at Hilton Garden Inn in College Town. DD went to ROC and loved it.
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Well, made it to Schenectady but that was a LONG drive on snowy roads. Was hoping to be ahead of it, but left Ursinus at 1 so it snowed the entire way. Looking forward to admitted student day.
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Quick updates from the road:
–Pittsburgh is an amazing city – visually stunning, great architecture, interesting neighborhoods, yummy food, culture, etc. We barely scratched the surface, due in part to obligatory cousin meet-ups (two) and a day spent at Pitt. But highlights included a great brunch at the Upstreet Diner (classic brunch food with middle eastern flair in Squirrel Hill), Bicycle Heaven (exactly what it sounds like), and the National Aviary (see photo). We did stop by Primanti’s and tried the obligatory sandwich with fries and for some reason it didn’t land. We stayed at the Courtyard right next to the admissions office, which was convenient for getting to the 8:30 start in a timely manner. Parking is…not cheap. But as a Donald Shoup (RIP) devotee, I believe that there is no such thing as free parking. 
–Pitt seems like a great school and although I’m still waiting for impressions to settle, I have a feeling S25 probably won’t land there. He liked the city and the Cathedral of Learning (who wouldn’t?) but the presentations left him feeling tepid somehow.
–What I liked: the engineering school is only about 2000 or so undergrads, so they said they really get to know them all. Course accessibility doesn’t seem to be a problem. Very hands-on freshman advising (you get assigned an advisor and interact w/ them weekly). Unlike some other schools, getting into a major isn’t competitive – you just need to have a 2.0 freshman year to continue in good standing. And you don’t have to pick a major until late freshman year. Something like 85% of students who start out in engineering continue as sophomores. It seemed in general like a supportive, not competitive environment. They have a robust co-op program that seems to yield dividends on the job front.
–Things that gave me pause: I don’t think I’d quite put together before how all-consuming engineering is. You start out in classes with other engineers from the outset and it seems as though exposure to other disciplines is minimal. Even the standard chem/physics/math classes are actually sections designed for engineers, and the writing requirement is a writing-for-engineering class. I asked if students who placed out of the first two semesters of calc used the freedom in their schedule to knock out any humanities requirements or explore the curriculum a bit and was told nope – they just advise students to continue with the standard math sequence. (ditto physics and chem). it looked as though a student like my son could end up graduating with as few as four non-engineering school courses (six are required but they give you credit for up to two AP courses and he’s got a bunch of history/language/lit AP credits). So on the one hand, great to be able to focus right from the outset and be confident that you can graduate in four years (+ a semester if you choose to go the co-op route). On the other hand…it’s really a trade school experience more than a liberal arts education. I think this is probably true for almost all the schools that S25 would attend if he ended up committing to engineering. And Pitt does have a wide range of back-up options if he ends up changing his mind. I just don’t know how he’d be exposed to those options without the flexibility to taste some non-engineering content freshman year. Food for thought…
We cut the tour short this afternoon because it was cold and slow and the boys (S25 and his cousin, up from NC) were unenthused. Made it to a colder, snowier Cleveland, where we are staying in the picturesque Glidden House Hotel. It’s in a stunning location, across from the Botanical Garden and the Gehry-designed business school. We passed the Cleveland Orchestra Hall on our way in and there’s a violinist down the hall from us diligently drilling their scales, arpeggios, and etudes – I’m guessing they’ve got an audition at CIM tomorrow. I stuck a little “good luck” note in their door. It’s going to be a balmy 11 degrees F tomorrow morning when we set out on our tour. More soon!
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If Pitt isn’t right, that’s great.
But don’t forget, sales presentations - ie the presentations - often don’t hit - but if you liked everything else, don’t let the admissions team be the reason to attend or not attend a school.
Thanks for your update.
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Totally. I think what was different about this day was that it was run by the engineering department for admitted students and most of the presentations were actually topical, made by faculty and dept. administrators. So I was hoping that the deeper dive into actual content might have registered a bit more. I do find that standard admissions presentations can get amazingly repetitive.
It is so great to read this update!! I’m feeling badly that I suggested Primantis, since it didn’t land, but at least you know you got a classic Pittsburgh dining experience. And all of your other options sound pretty cool.
Of course I’m curious if you got to see any quail while at the national aviary. 
I don’t know if that would make you miss your feathered friends from home, of maybe just give you warm fuzzies for seeing their kin.
And I’m very interested in your assessment of the engineering program being so focused, and I’ll be curious to hear if you get that vibe at other schools.
Safe travels, and hope you get some rest!!
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Engineering is not “ttade school.” Engineers need all the math and science to meet ABET standards and to succeed in their careers
Taking lots of math and science is typical at the front end. Your son can take some liberal arts types courses if he wants. It is important that your son decide if he even wants to start in engineering. It is a hard major. Good luck.
Which Primanti’s did you go to? That can make a difference in the experience.
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Well if nothing else, I’m glad you aren’t frozen!
Re: engineering, I think if you come in with enough prerequisites kicked out from AP credit you do get some room for fun, just that room comes later in college rather than earlier. You don’t really want to pause for a year or semester in your math or physics, because you don’t want to forget what you’ve already learned and make that next level that much harder, but that means you are freeing up time more likely in a junior or senior year.
So for a kid who may want to try other things to make sure engineering is right, even with room in the schedule the room might be at the wrong end of the schedule. That said, if the kid is an engineer who wants to add on some fun classes or a minor in something unrelated, maybe you can do that, with classes that tend to run a bit later (like when other people are taking that third or fourth level math class sophomore year that you knocked out freshman year).
A good thing about Pitt (and CWRU) is that there are a wide variety of other students there, so just living in the dorms or doing activities you’ll meet people outside of your zone and hear about things and try things you otherwise might not.
And re: Pitt - it’s such an interesting place. Both my boys loved it on paper, and wanted to love it IRL and everything should be great, and it just didn’t catch their interest. I never could put my finger on why, just somehow it didn’t click. If that’s the case for you, then maybe that’s his way of knocking a few off the list.
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Don’t feel bad – you were one of maybe 10 people who suggested it! I think maybe we weren’t hungry enough. Also we were eating to-go sandwiches in the car. My son was like “I like fries. I like sandwiches. Today I learned that I don’t need them to be smushed together.” As long as he’s learning, right?
Fair. I think as someone who had a conventional liberal arts education, this was eye-opening, however. I didn’t have to pick a major until my sophomore year in college, and I got to sample courses in a bunch of different departments before deciding. The major I ended up choosing wasn’t really on my radar in high school. I know why engineering can’t quite function the same way (ABET requirements, etc.) and am happy that our engineers are trained to a certain minimum standard because it means that the things they design and build for us to use tend to work and not accidentally kill us. That said…it’s a big leap of faith for some kids. it has to be! most of them don’t get exposed to engineering in high school and – more to the point – they’re also not really exposed to a bunch of other disciplines that might be appealing. I don’t buy the idea that if you aren’t born with a socket wrench or soldering iron in hand, you’re probably not meant to be an engineer. But I keep wondering how the heck someone’s supposed to know what else is out there if all they get to take as freshmen is engineering courses with other engineers.
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We went to the Penn Ave one (son wanted to stop by Duolingo HQ on our way out of town so he could take a picture of the owl logo before it went away. Random but cute.) Ordered two sandwiches to share: a Reuben (that one was our favorite) and a capicola and cheese. I think both, but especially the second, seemed a little dry, actually. I wonder if we were meant to order sauces on the side or add ketchup or something?
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If you ever get back to Pittsburgh, the original Primanti’s is in the Strip District. We eat at the bar and like the atmosphere. Very different from the other locations
Both sons went to school for engineering. They had many non engineering friends. Met in freshman dorm, sports, clubs,etc.
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Ok, now I have warm fuzzies looking at that little ball of fluff … adorzable!
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