When we toured colleges with D1 in 2009 and 2010, you could count on “sustainability” being discussed no matter what type of school we were touring. I have not heard “sustainability” ONCE in ten colleges (although most refer to environmental programs of some sory - yeah). In 2016, every single college has brought up “a capella groups.” Every. Single. One. Has anyone else noticed “themes” that go through a wide variety of colleges?
Sustainability, Study Abroad, “Best” food. And ALL of them point to the president’s house and tell us how “accessible” he/she is. I don’t really believe that one!
Also quiet/loud floors in libraries… didn’t have that back in my day.
We heard quiet/loud floors in libraries too! And we DID have them in my day- I was often the only one on the seventh floor, but I got my work done twice as fast and then could play when I went back to the dorms!
We made a game out of how many minutes before the words “study abroad” got mentioned.
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Weird clubs on campus (e.g. cheese club).
I also think every school has a particular intellectual breakthrough from their history that they like to talk about all the time. At Case Western Reserve, they love to bring up the Michelson-Morley experiment and even have a restaurant named after it.
When we were doing tours a year and a half to two years ago Quidditch was very big. Every school mentioned having a team.
This reminds me of the College Tour Bingo thread that was played last year. My friend and his son actually created cards when they went on tours this summer just for fun and were amazed that their cards were usually filled or close to it at most colleges.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1837440-college-tour-bingo.html
At one school, and I actually forget which, “sustainability” was definitely the buzzword. The tour guide said “LEED-certified” a gazillion times throughout the tour, assuming everyone was familiar with the term (I only had a vague idea myself, to be honest), until finally, near the end of the tour, one parent bluntly asked, “What is that thing you keep saying, ‘Lee certified’? What is that?” Tour guide looked a little flustered, LOL.
A cappella was big, too.
I suppose colleges feel that the two “Pitch Perfect” movies must have some purchase w/the tourists!
Come to our school and you can sing alongside a babe like Anna Kendrick and can be your GF or BFF. hahaha
Not only do they bring up a capella, but in info sessions where they show a video or slides, there is a capella music playing!
Another big one- campus safety
@scholardad I told my sister about that thread and when she was on a tour this Fall, she texted me “bingo”! My son and I did it at UofAz last year as well. I think the blue light system, Quidditch and accessibility of professors were the most common for us.
Quality of dining options was big, and different clubs (a capella falls into this category), as well as ability for students to work on professors’ research teams.
Co-ops, internships, career center, entrepreneurship
A few years ago having a major climbing wall in the rec center was always touted on tours.
Study abroad, undergrad research opportunities, accessibility of professors.
Undergrad research! Hugely mentioned! That’s another one I don’t really believe… well, maybe for a few students.
Blue lights, dinning options and quality, study abroad, we have Xmillion books in our libraries but if we don’t have the one you need we can get it, 100s of clubs but if we don’t have it we will give you funding to start it…
Have to laugh. D is a freshman. Her college is big on sustainability, green, Eco-friendly, etc… Water bottle refilling stations, any one? The other day, it snowed. Hubby had said “don’t wear those nice boots if they have salted the path, it will ruin them.” I told her to wear the boots, it’s flipping freezing, and don’t worry about the salt. She said they don’t use salt, it’s environmentally unfriendly. That cracked me up, even if they are right.
Yup, sustainability, organic/healthy/vegan food choices, and student research were bigger topics on tours for my current applicant than for her older siblings. The number of a capella groups on campus and the facility of starting one’s own clubs were hot for the older two. The theme of having dinner or lunch with professors, or babysitting their kids, persisted through the years, but new for child #3 were brags about the accessibility of the college President.
Design your own major.