I’m like @fretfulmother in that I also prefer Philly and Boston, but I do have to admit that as a HS kid I automatically rejected any local schools (NJ/NY) so I only applied OOS and chose to go to Boston.
I’ve never toured Temple so I can’t comment on that part of Philly. I’ve only toured the Drexel/Penn area. I did visit Stevens way back in HS and felt that the campus was too small for me. I also wanted to be right in the city, but not NYC (and further away from home!).
Boston is a great place to be a college student. We visited Northeastern a few times with S16, but did not end up applying. We felt that the co-ops would be too disruptive for him.
@palm715 I really don’t have a lot of information regarding Temple and Stevens. However, because of my S’s early acceptance to NEU, we looked into the Engineering program a bit close. We really liked what we saw. NEU is about to open a whole new (super nice/cutting-edge) building dedicated to Engineering. Additionally, I can’t remember where I read that NEU dedicates A LOT of its money to the school of engineering. We liked that. I also remember reading that just recently NASA had given two (2) colleges the project of humanoid robots – something related to life in Mars-- which colleges were those? MIT and NEU. I think that says a lot about how much the school is raising its profile in the field. Regarding location, my S visited and LOVED it! He loved the kids and the atmosphere. I think I’m biased, though
@waitingtoexhale - I was saying that we the parents wanted her to give proper weight to the school choice since it was more than just undergrad and would have reduced a lot of the work during undergrad trying to get into grad school again. We didn’t visit any of the admitted days.
@Midwest67 it hasn’t been a consideration, although I believe all school’s Mech Eng programs are heavy with international students and men compared to the general school population (expect Stevens where males are 70% and higher international % overall). Culturally, she could experience some sexism at all three, but I pity the fool who does. She’ll put up with mansplaining to a degree, but if you harass her, she will cut you. It’s one of my favorite things about her.
@texaspg Well I’m pretty sure the final list I’ll be choosing from is Yale, Harvard, Vassar, Dartmouth, Columbia, and Bowdoin. The first four are more likely, though. Haverford might sneak in on the list.
@palm715 I have NEVER felt that anyone “gummed” up this thread by being more active at times when a particular matter was important to them. I also agree with comments above - people on this thread are nicer than anyone else encountered on CC. So gum away…you have great support, insight, and experience to draw from here!
Our household is also wrestling with figuring out which school is the “best choice” when it is very much muddied by lopsided financial aid choices.
It is nice knowing there are kindred spirits here wrestling with similar issues!
@zelannie we have found that the concept of Greek life at the SLACs and at the large schools are significantly different and that has been a constant. Whitman was listed as one of the schools with the happiest people and that seemed to really show on campus. We were assured that the Greek life was not a major factor on camps and was very inclusive.
I wish you guys luck on Reed I found that I was looking in the wrong place the first time for the mailing, then when I found the right location on the site, that it had only been entered into the system the night before.
@Waiting2exhale, I’m so sorry to hear that your daughter’s very positive visit and vibes from her admitted student visit are being deflated by her HS peers. I’m a bit worried that might happen for our S when he goes back to school tomorrow since most of his peers are going to the flagship in our state (which he didn’t apply to). One thing I think that has helped my S is the connections he made before and now at admitted student day, because he’s continued to keep in contact with them now that they’ve been able to think more concretely about actually going to school together.
Did your D connect with any of the other admitted students enough that she can keep in contact with them? My S was texting even on the ride home with the group he ate lunch with, and he keeps randomly asking me questions about the visit (like about the 3-2 cybersecurity program) and then sharing the answers with the group. If your D has a connection to the new school, it might help her realize that she should go with her gut feelings rather than be swayed by others. Hope her spirits are not too low during the rest of her journey home :(.
Yes- @palm715 Please don’t feel like you are asking too much of us! Sometimes I read through some other threads & I am tempted to comment but, then it feels like I may be sucked down into a black hole of negativity.
Everyone on this thread is helpful & supportive. Although I don’t have advice about the 3 schools I’m still rooting for your DD as she makes her decision.
@lifegarding We can definitely relate to your situation . DS16 has turned down at least 2 coveted schools in our state for his top choice , and he’s fielding questions. But for my son, it was all about educational opportunities, innovative programs and feeling truly connected and wanted by the school he chose . It was also the school where he found his " tribe" . Much success to your son. It speaks volumes that he was able to determine what he wants and needs rather than follow the crowd just for sake of following the crowd.
thanks, @carolinamom2boys - you’ve provided so much helpful feedback along the way. I think our S’s are somewhat similiar, too, in the way they go about making decisions like this. And you’re right, if our S’s are able to stay the course despite input from others, I think it shows that they have put thought into their options and identified the school that is the best match for them and will be most rewarding. I wish your S all the best, too…so glad he’s found his fit.
And @Waiting2exhale, sorry I misread your first message and replied too soon - I thought it was your D’s HS peers who were making the comments. For my S’ visit, he didn’t interact much with current students except during the visits to different dorm room styles. The bulk of the time was spent listening to faculty or meeting with other admitted students for the first time in person after connecting through Twitter, FB, and group texts.
@lifegarding: That would be a positive sign that she had been able to weed out the negatives and latch on the good stuff (does anyone else hear a song coming?). Now that you speak of it, I wonder what her stay will have revealed to her about the kids she had fallen into making contact with online. I don’t remember her speaking of anyone in particular, except for her host, a kind of socialite in her own circles (my daughter did a full-swing Google look up on her). I will listen for that as well, and see if those digital connections might have acted as a buffer in any way to that which was jarring.
@Waiting2exhale sorry to hear about your D’s experience-- some good ideas have been shared about how to process it. For my D, the connections she made with other admitted students have been maintained since our visit in Feb via a groupme text- and for some that were on the fence, the connections have been a factor that helped them decide that the school was where they want to be. So maybe the contacts will continue to provide confirming (or disconfirming) information in the next few days as well.
@palm715 good luck with the decision. It must be hard to have not been to the schools. Knowing not much about any of your schools (ie my advice is pretty useless), seems like choice should be between Stevens and Temple. Her “favorite” vs most affordable. I love what I read about Temple honors program online.
Are there any parents on here that are deciding between colleges that give good scholarships for NMF? We are trying to decide between two good NM scholarship schools, as well as one additional school that only gives need based aid and is a financial stretch. The NM threads are not that active and helpful…so just decided to put the question out there on this thread.
@palm715 has emboldened me to start sharing more as we wrestle with decisions. Thanks @palm715!
At some point I may even list the 3 schools on our final list (there were 4, one just fell off). S16 has shared today he has no idea how to make a decision about the last three because they are SO different. Each of those final three have unique reasons why he likes them…
