Oh I think it can and should be listed and when she gets back I hope @cleoforshort will do a very long thread about all of the reasons her visit reinforced what she didn’t like about Elon. Some of us come here to read shade. We need a place to have our fun so we can be exceptionally nice on all the other CC threads.
Tufts. Nice school, nothing wrong with it, but to me it just had a Generic University feel. Our tour guide spent the bulk of the time talking about painting the cannon and where they keep Jumbo’s ashes. Could not care less.
I’ve heard they can be quite generous with aid, so that’s a plus.
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I was thinking that American would tick all the boxes for D: Urban campus in a big city, strong academics, strong arts. Inexplicably - the campus left us cold. Ah well…
Visited Bowdoin and Colby. DS says Colby looks like a prep school, which it does. There is nothing really to do in Waterville however can’t report that we didn’t like it. The local Dunkin is stingy on the sugar, that’s pretty much the worst of it. I’m sorry to disappoint.
Bowdoin is kind of like Skidmore and Princeton had a baby. The local scene is awesome, campus is gorgeous and the kids are incredibly kind towards those they come across, which is weird for New England, so I immediately became suspicious. It is hippy dippy in a Patagonia outdoorsy way but surprisingly not annoying. Foiled again.
Heading down south on Saturday. Still planning on hating Elon and maybe Clemson but not Davidson or Wake. Let’s see how that works out for me.
@cleoforshort
“Baby of Skidmore and Princeton”, that’s roflol description. Can’t wait to hear what Elon is like.
When people complain about construction projects when they visit a college during the summer, please remember that colleges schedule their most disruptive construction projects during the summer.
@cleoforshort Make this two people that died laughing at “baby of Skidmore and Princeton”. Yeah, I actually may have snorted, too.
Brandeis was definitely the biggest disappointment. Surprisingly, we also did not like campuses of Boston University and George Washington. I’d even say they have no campus - just several tall buildings in the middle of a city. Still great colleges though.
Construction projects will benefit your child when they are complete, no?
@cleoforshort I hope you will be reporting back soon … I can’t wait to pour myself a big glass of Haterade and read your impressions of the schools you’re visiting!
For us. Wesleyan and UVA. Middletown ct seemed a bit depressed or depressing. And the walk from freshman dorms down the hill to dining hall seemed like a winter nightmare. And the art and music buildings with strange geometric shapes and mostly underground where just strange. Especially compared to the original quad area which was very nice. Just seemed like a place searching for an identity or trying to hard not to have one. And wanted to love it. Bill Belechick went there and we are huge Pats fans.
UVA was unexpectedly tossed off the list. The rationale is very subjective like at wes. But mostly the student vibe. I’ll leave it at that.
^More on UVA student vibe?
My kid crossed UVA off of the list because we visited during Thanksgiving when there was a big football game against some rival, and our hotel was full of drunken alumni trying to revisit their college days. Kiddo doesn’t want a big sports school. So something that others might see as an asset he sees as a liability.
@GnocchiB Still on the trip. Woke (up like this) in Columbia SC instead of Clemson SC. Drove through a crazy rain storm from Atlanta to Clemson - which everyone says is in the middle of nowhere, and I can confirm, it’s in the middle of nowhere. Drove around a bit and my impression was - Army post without the warmth or architectural interest. The football stadium was in the middle of campus. DS texted one of his SC buddies that he was at Clemson and got a reply “best place on earth, did you see the cliff everyone jumps off?” Annnnd that sealed the deal. I pictured DS shouting “hold my beer and watch this!” Canceled our hotel reservation and drove on.
Emory however was a happy surprise. The campus is beautiful - crazy beautiful. The science buildings are new and amazing. The info session was eh. They put us in small groups, adults separated from kids, to discuss how to tackle the application process. I am not a participator, so I let the eager beaver in our group go for it. There’s always one. At the end of the info session one young man angrily turned to his father and said “this school isn’t hard enough, I’ll get all A’s” so he refused to go on the tour, LOL. More room for us, baby.
None college impressions:
Atlanta isn’t a great city, there is nothing special or particularly southern about it
Uber is fantastic
MLB games are a wonderful way to spend an afternoon with your kids, Go Braves!
University of South Carolna today, Davidson tomorrow, Wake on Thursday. In the middle of everything DS decided to accept his official candidate offer at USNA. Headed to Starbucks to write some letters. I wonder if ‘Navy Seals” was playing on the plane on the way down.
Lol @cleoforshort your on-the-ground reporting did not disappoint! For those of us not familiar, does accepting the official candidate offer at USNA mean he’s committed to it? Or are you going to see/report on the remaining 3 schools?
@GnocchiB DS applied to the summer seminar which he was not invited to attend. The application for SS is considered to be the pre-application to the USNA, which everyone needs to complete for the first level of vetting. So DS made it past the first stage and has been given “official candidate” status. Big picture - it means nothing. So he will continue looking.
“And the walk from freshman dorms down the hill to dining hall seemed like a winter nightmare.”
@privatebanker, that’s exactly what I thought! Like you, I wanted to love Wesleyan - but I’m not loving the modern buildings. I know its just aesthetics, but that’s just me. It doesn’t matter though, my kid loves it. Top of the list so far. Go figure.
@yucca10 I think you misunderstood that “Ohio” comment. It has nothing to do with the state of Ohio, or people from Ohio, but the fact that Ohio (OSU) is a major football rival of Michigan. Both universities constantly take diggs at each other. The reality is that many students from Ohio attend Michigan and the rivalry is very friendly (even in the stadium). I would hope the kid from Ohio understood that (visit OSU and say you are from Michigan and you get the same response).
@ninakatarina UVA and Virginia Tech always play against each other on Thanksgiving weekend. So, that is what you were in the middle of. And definitely, a big sports school is not for everyone.