Congrats @LKnomad for the potential acceptance to Rice. You’re welcome @Waiting2exhale and thank you @lifegarding .
@readclaygirl see about downloading the app “Group Me”. My D has done so and has been following conversations with people going to her college and others at other schools that are similar. Maybe there is a group for your college? D has found it very helpful-she sees that there ARE kids who do not party, who are her religious denomination, who have other interests she shares, etc. It’s much more active than the FB page.
@palm715 My D LOVED Temple. She loved it so much that it was the only very large school and the only non-HBCU to which she applied. She got in too, but by then had decided to go with her original plan of a small HBCU. What she liked though-good programs, a TON of activities and clubs to choose from, and the fact that it has other campuses, such as the one in Japan, so that you can take a semester/year abroad yet remain in the same college. She found the students there to be friendly, happy to be there, and helpful to visitors. She loved Philly as well, though perhaps for the very reasons you’re concerned with the area around the school. It’s very urban, which is what D is used to. Hope this helps.
I grew up near Northeastern and have peers and/or their kids who attended and everyone had nothing but good things to say about it. It’s also quite urban, just so you’re aware. The coop seems to be the main reason some kids choose it. The ones I’ve talked to about it found those experiences to be the highlights of their college journey. No engineers, though, so I can’t speak to any engineering program.
@4kids2graduate, re: NMF schools, we have UK on the list and will be visiting soon. OU is not entirely off the list, though perhaps in the “less likely” bubble right now. She turned down the NMF offer from Washington State.
Good idea @sseamom is it a free app?
@readingclaygirl , yes, D says the app is free. Hope it helps you find some classmates!
@4kids2graduate We are down to one NMF school and one non-NMF. Both are full rides and the decision is a tough one. NMF for us is Univ of Central Florida. Turned down NMF offer from West Virginia. If you have any queries, just ask (-:
Thanks @carolinamom2boys! But it is to Reed!
@4kids2graduate D has decided she is a Sooner (NMF)! If your S/D is considering OU and is interested- there is an OU/NMF groupme.
Congratulations @oneundecided !
Sorry @LKnomad . I’m finding or hard to keep up these days .
Congrats @oneundecided . Looks like there’s going to be quite a few happy Clemson waitlisters thanks to this thread. 
@sseamom: I’ll tell my daughter about the app.
I have always wanted to visit Temple, so I guess next time around is a good time to put it on my visit list. My husband and I split the visit duties this time around and he did schools in Pennsylvania, though not Temple. With our first child out I did the parent-guided visits almost exclusively, all but one, and was glad to share the duties this time.
@lifegarding: Regarding the misread of thinking my daughter’s HS peers had sought to dissuade her from attending a school that she was excited about, I think something like that has happened regarding the women’s colleges to which I encouraged her to submit. When she became excited about them and decided she could she see herself at either, there was indeed a low-grade but successful movement to move her to uncertainty about attending. Some evenings when I think about it, I would like to use that wet noodle palm715 spoke of upthread…
@4kids2graduate does your son have a preference on where he wants to live after school? Is one school better geographically than the other for that goal? Has he given you any hints at all which he prefers? If he were to choose the one non-NMF school, would he be willing to accept the burden of the extra expense or is the plan for you to pay? Pretty much no answers, only questions. Sorry about that! 
@Skates76, is your D back from her visit to Tulane? So she didn’t like it (enough)?
@Waiting2exhale I can’t believe your D’s friends would try to persuade her from women’s colleges. My friends are all super supportive of my choice and I am of theirs or the choices they still have to make. It’s unfortunate it happened and more unfortunate it worked.
@palm715, our son visited Temple, really liked it, and will be there this fall. My wife took him on that visit, and he said she liked it even more than he did. He definitely prefers the urban setting; he’s decided to not even bother with getting a driver’s license before he graduates college. He can get by without driving both here and in Philadelphia, so we’re both fine with it. I could see S18 in a less urban environment, so he may be more motivated to drive.
@GoodGrief16 My S16 never even applied to Washington State (2 hours away from where we live - too close!). I like your description of the “less likely bubble”!
@Skates76 One of the choices that is still on the table for S16 is UCF (Orlando FL). Huge school, but their NMF office and their Honors College really make it feel like a smaller, intimate experience with a whole bunch of extra experiences, wonderful perks, etc. Also, lots of build teams, competition teams in the engineering and computer fields…definitely a draw for my S. The Orlando area has some high tech firms for internships etc. Many other choices nearby such as NASA, etc.
As an aside, my extended family is in the Florida area…so much opportunity for S to see two different grandparents (in their 80s) two uncles, and several cousins. Believe it or not, the weather is a drawback for S…he prefers four distinct seasons and some snow…although not a deal breaker at this point.
The second NMF school he is still considering is UAH (Huntsville FL)…smaller state school with approx. 1/3 of students being engineering students…not a tech school, but definitely one that has a large component of tech students. No national reputation, and not the state flagship, but a modest sized state university (approx. 6000 students) with a big tech focus. They also have a HUGE technology park adjacent to campus…one of the biggest in the nation. Internship options, etc. are reportedly plentiful in the local area.
@oneundecided S wanted to apply to OU early on, but as the application season progressed he let them fall off the list since it was not a full ride. They still email, leave messages on our phone, and send mailings in an effort to get S16 to apply last minute. My S appreciates their effort to entice him…but he is not going to do any last minute apps since he is having enough diffficulty choosing from his current college choices!
@4kids2graduate, they both sound like great choices for him!
@mommdc S16 has a third choice as well which is probably his top choice or close (although he refuses to acknowledge that)…a very small engineering college with a very unique focus…but it only offers need based aid… we do qualify for some, but not as much as we would comfortably need (as is the case with most middle class families).
So, it boils down to almost no cost (and definitely no debt), or a completely one-of-a-kind unique experience (with more cost and most certainly debt) that could change the course of your career (with more project based learning, unique internships, better career services, etc.).
Darn…I really wish this was as easy as having input into which 2nd grade teacher he will be placed with…
@BeeDAre sorry to hear about your D’s current challenges and sending positive thoughts your way.
@palm715 I live in the Philadelphia area. I know a number of kids at Temple who are happy there. And I have a good friend who is a professor there. But you should know that Temple is in one the worst areas of Philly. I would never send one of my kids there. Please research this aspect of Temple before deciding especially since you can’t visit. It is about as different from Hawaii as you can get. Temple is a state school. It is mostly local and regional students at the undergraduate level. We visited Northeastern and the student body is definitely more diverse probably because it is not a state school. It is also urban, but in a much better area than Temple. I personally think Northeastern has much more to offer than Temple which is mainly known regionally. Again, please do your research about The crime rate near Temple. Because of it, Temple has the 3rd largest police force in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.