<p>CuriousDas999,</p>
<p>Your daughter should try to do overnight visits. Both my son, who just finished graduate school (Brown BA, Columbia MFA) and my daughter who just started at Swarthmore, eliminated schools on the basis of school visits. </p>
<p>Schools that seemed to be “top” choices were discarded after spending time on some of the campuses. I would not rely solely on statements made by others, nor on the feel of campuses without students. For instance, A.E. has posted that there is high degree of pretension and showiness at Swarthmore. For years we have heard just the opposite from a number of alums and current upper classmen and we have not experienced either pretension or showiness during our visits. However, each person is entitled to their own opinions.</p>
<p>In the end my d did not apply to Middlebury and Williams, two of the schools on your list, because the schools were not as easily accesible to a big city as Swarthmore. Vassar and Brandeis were immdiately rejected upon visiting and talking to students. (Son declined Haverford’s acceptance and was sold on Brown after an overnight visit.) Ultimately, for my daughter, although not critical, being able to visit her brother in New York, was one added factor that helped tip the scales in favor of Swarthmore when it came time to choosing where to accept and fortunaely she had some very nice choices before her.</p>
<p>Good luck in your quest!</p>