Long story, but I want to offer details so that my question can be better addressed. We want to know if a bad-day visit was an anomaly or representative of how SIT is run, given that my daughter was in love with the school.
DD (Junior) & I visited mid-Nov for School of Business Visit Day. After an impressive day (extremely well-run, informative open house with worthwhile presentations; cheerful, down-to-earth students & presenters, approachable professors), DD announced we could stop searching–Stevens was IT. Her number one choice. ED 1.
Husband was not familiar with Stevens & DD is trying to decide between Business and Science or Engineering, so in Dec, he scheduled a Science Day visit just for the two of them (bonding time.)
After driving 3-1/2 hours, they were greeted with a “You are too early, come back later” because arrival at the office was 30 minutes early. The day went downhill from there. Long story short, DD was not able to sit in on pre-scheduled Organic Chem class because of a mix-up on admissions part, the overall tour was apathetic & disorganized and the separate Science tour visited an empty lab with no equipment (which is a disaster for PhD husband). Main admissions contact with whom they interacted throughout the day was borderline hostile. Many moons ago, we lived in NJ, so are familiar with east coast. We don’t expect hugs, but would like civility. DH’s opinion is SIT should be taken off the list. (Over the past 6 years, we have visited over 50 schools (3 kids))
Even DD now has concerns that her earlier judgement/intuition about her fit at SIT was off. Has anyone else had this type of odd visit? DD now does not trust her own judgement (she’s personally visited 20 schools over the past two years and SIT is the first that really resonated with her.) DD is a geek, which is one reason she liked SIT to begin with. I can’t believe it’s the same school that she and I spent 7 hours at in November. Not sure which way to point her, because I can’t contact the admissions office; she refuses to have a helicopter parent. But I don’t know if I should let her cross SIT off the list. Any experiences would be appreciated. I am willing to overlook an unhappy admissions staff member, & and encourage her to re-visit, but just don’t know.
Not familiar with Stevens but it looks like their science specialties lean more towards engineering. Maybe traditional science labs are just not up to par.
You may have just hit on the more popular major of business and found more enthusiasm there.
DD went to an admissions open house event last fall that was well run. She is an engineering applicant. Engineering lab visits were outstanding, especially the tour of Biomedical and Mechanical labs. Equipment appeared to be new and top-notch. They also accommodated a request to sit in on a class without problems.
We were touring during school vacation (from New England) with our oldest. Stevens was on the list but did not fit into the driving schedule on the day of their engineering tour. As alumni with three SIT degrees, I called admissions and asked if there was an engineering student available on the day we were in Hoboken for a short discussion/tour with our daughter. A brick wall went up. I was surprised at how inflexible they were given that the percent of engineering degrees granted. Reversing course, I had my husband reach out to SIT professors who do research in the industry he specializes. Professors were very happy to meet with our daughter. They gave her very good advice on adding courses for her senior year and helped her zone in on a major. She applied to a different school for ChemEng (larger university setting, more vibrant campus).
Fellow alumni have children currently studying at Stevens in engineering and business. Everyone is happy with the opportunities (even those with siblings at an IVY or MIT). Try engaging directly with departments. Ultimately after admission, she will not see the admissions office again. Unless Stevens is a reach, apply RD and give time for reflection.
Thanks for the honest input. I’m leaning toward a third visit, but am hesitant; looking for the right opportunity.
DD wanted to sign up for SIT’s week-long summer “Intro to Coding” program (application deadline coming up soon, 2/15) but now DH is not supportive of spending $$ there.
DH is open to any college for her; no real preferences, he just wants respect for the student (and a good education.). We’ve seen the differences in how enrolled students can be treated based on our older kids attending elsewhere.
Case Western is an option for her, although she’s lukewarm about the location (been there twice since we have relatives in Ohio.). She thinks Drexel and NYU Tandon are possibilities, based on visits. Maybe VA Tech (she’s been there twice, still meh about it.) None have her excited. She’s a nonconformist; has studied abroad, and is not looking for the typical college experience. I feel like I’ve run out of Northeast colleges for her to visit. She recently asked me to look into colleges in Canada, so that’s now on my radar screen, but I don’t know how realistic that is.
Can you give any hints about the hostile main admissions contact? I am curious…I would say that person’s behaviour was unusual in that most Stevens employees are pretty helpful. Does she have an admissions counselor? I would have your daughter start there: have a frank discussion about what happened and how it has changed her opinion of the school.
Stevens has been in a period of transition over the past 5 years so there have been some bumps along the way (I have sons at Stevens) but nothing that I would say is terrible.
Another thing to consider is the cost/availability of convenient housing but that can be a challenge anywhere you go.
Thanks. I’m encouraged enough to have daughter return. And cross my fingers that it goes better.
She is not the type to discuss the disappointing 2nd visit with her Stevens rep.
I asked my husband this morning for a comparison to other colleges, and he said almost any college admissions visit was better (less strange) than that. (Well except Duke or Vanderbilt where they make it clear you should feel honored to even be visiting! But that’s not relevant, as daughter is not looking at that tier of schools.)
He said for example at William & Mary or Lafayette both of which were just normal visits, they were so welcoming & provided guidance throughout the day. Even VA Tech, a fairly large university, they treated you with respect. (His words.) He reminded me that morning was a 4 hour drive to Stevens, and to be told to leave when they showed up (at 9:30 for a 10:00 start time of the day) surprised him; he needed coffee & a bathroom & maybe a hello. He said the Stevens admission contact (front desk) was flippant though-out the day, acted as though my husband & daughter were a bother & annoyance; and they were given no guidance on how the day’s events would work. They were unsure of the protocol for her sitting in on the class she’d signed up for (the organic chem), which was the main reason for the visit, and because of misunderstanding (poor communication?) it didn’t happen. After the unenthusiastic general student-led tour, and the missed class, they scrambled for someone to lead the ‘science tour’. Which resulted in locked doors & empty labs (empty of equipment, I mean.) He did say the highlight of the day was the older Italian lady who worked at the coffee shop on campus (my husband is Italian), and he said she should be the face of the school.
Re: housing, I appreciate the comment. We’re currently paying for off-campus housing in DC for one son, so that’s something we’re used to dealing with. In addition to wanting daughter to be happy with her choice, I really wanted my husband to respect Stevens so that if she go there, when he pays tuition or housing bills, he’ll do it with confidence that it’s a school that will look out for her…
Re; Schools my husband likes? He’s open to any; I think he’s happy with Case Western, Virginia Tech, Fordham, Juniata (she didn’t like). However, he keeps his opinions to himself when around our daughter, as we both want her to make the choice.
@bwg123 I really think she needs to mention this to her Stevens admissions counselor, or anyone in admissions. She is not doing it to complain, she is doing it because she was disappointed in one of her top school choices and she wants to feel confident about her choice.
I agree that, at her age, she does not need a helicopter parent, but she needs to show you that she can advocate for herself, and if she doesn’t want to, she needs encouragement to do so.
Stevens is small, and most of the people you deal with will be helpful and kind, but there have been several instances over a period of several years where my sons had to be assertive, and practice makes perfect when it comes to that. Tell her to start now. It may make all of you feel a lot better about Stevens.
ps there is one administrative person whom my sons know to avoid. They know what to say if it is suggested they deal with that person. The first time they felt uncomfortable, but not any more.
@bwg123 I had a similar experience as both you and your husband. My son and wife both went to visit the school on a particularly busy day and had a very positive experience, so much so that my son was adamant at that point that he was going to Stevens in the Fall (although he’s been saying that for months now).
Fast forward to about a month ago when we went for his interview. The lady at the admissions front desk was aloof and borderline rude. The interviewer was great, but the front desk made it feel like we were bothering her while we were there.
I don’t think a single encounter like that should have a big influence on whether to attend the school, although first impressions always seem to color a whole college visit. Still, Stevens should do a better job of making sure their employees do a better job of meeting potential clients and making them comfortable.
@bwg123 , We visited SIT last June and my son absolutely fell in love with the school. My husband and I thought that the Admissions meeting before our tour was very long and boring. This meeting lasted about 45 minutes to an hour. We also experienced a very rude and surly receptionist, and I could kick myself for not putting in a complaint about her ! If in fact my son is accepted to this school, I will make a point to contact someone in higher level of management and tell them of our experience since they need to know how their front office is treating perspective clients ! This schools tuition is very expensive and you shouldn’t have to put up with that kind of treatment ever !
Interesting, We also found there receptionist at the admissions desk to be very abrupt. She definitely seems to be in the wrong job. Other than that, we had a great visit and really enjoyed the school and tour. Several professors even opened their doors and invited the tour in for a few minutes.
I know everyone is upset with this admissions counselor but it’s pretty minor. You should be looking at how Stevens will be handling future housing and classroom space as they continue to increase enrollment without a corresponding increase in housing/classroom space.
@rualum I agree, this is a concern. It seems like they will finally start on the new Gateway buildings soon (they claim 2019 completion). Have you seen any communication from the school on a project timeline for the replacement of Jacobus/Hayden with new residence halls? It seems like there will be a housing shortage while that project is going on.
Thanks @rualum
The town hall article from The Stute was the only mention anywhere I could find of the plans to replace Jacobus and Hayden. As a parent of a senior that has applied to Stevens, it would be nice to know about any projects that might even further complicate student housing.