@carpoolingma We’re back, after an insane amount of driving. Happy to share our impressions of you want to PM.
The 2020 thread lives! We toured some Pacific Northwest Schools and dd fell in love with one and will likely apply early. But all the campuses we saw were absolutely gorgeous. Univ of Oregon, Eugene, surprised me with how welcoming and supportive it seemed for a “big” school. I would be interested in any suggestions for LACs in the northeast or mid-Atlantic states with a progressive friendly vibe and strong visual arts, ceramics specifically, close/in to a city or at least in a decent sized town. PM me if you have any ideas! We have Skidmore on the list but could use a few more just right schools. Chimneykid2.0 takes her SAT for the first time on Saturday. Oy. Hoping it goes okay and glad that her top two schools are test optional. Also hoping everyone had a good summer!
@chemmchimney Did you visit Reed while you were nearby? DS20 went earlier this year and interviewed. He has it on the list to possibly apply EA. The hesitancy is the issue with the admissions department. It’s in turmoil. Might not be worth the time.
@onthewestfence Can you say more? What is up with Reed’s admissions department and how might it affect the quality of Reed’s undergrad education, experience and community once kids are admitted?
@CaliMex There’s high turnover. DS20 is getting repetitive emails and requests that should have been updated initially. The Dean of Admissions is allegedly the problem. Getting through the process is the dilemma. Once in, the educational issues run more traditionally. This article is from a campus periodical:
https://reedquest.org/articles/2019/4/26/an-untenable-workplace
@onthewestfence That article describes an absolutely awful and inefficient work environment!
But I doubt it affects the undergrad experience Reed is so well known for…
We skipped Reed because although several people recommended it for dd, the way that they were positioning themselves didn’t appeal to my daughter. There are lots of great options in the PNW though for kids who want West Coast and don’t find their dream school in CA.
An update on CHimneykid’s early grad plans - she is now officially set to graduate Jan 15 and has been accepted by a college semester gap program in Asia for what would have been her spring semester senior year. Her boarding school has very kindly offered her the chance to return for prom and graduation etc at the end of the year too. We dropped her off Monday for RA training. How is everyone else’s reentry going?
Back from the GREAT SOUTHERN (AND NORTHERN) COLLEGE ROAD trip, where Hampton Inns and I-95 became my new best friends. . . Joking aside, it was definitely worth the time–of which we did not have a lot of, thus the insane schedule that we kept! DD saw life under the Mason Dixon for the first time and really liked Duke and Emory. Of course I am partial to Emory due to its wonderful Atlanta location (did I mention we stopped at the Phipps Plaza Nordstrom?), but DD preferred Duke. We (I) drove 1300 miles in six days, from Atlanta up to Rhode Island and then back to CT to drop off DD at school. A real Thelma and Louise experience, LOL. If anyone has any questions about visiting Emory (“So friendly!”), Duke (“EXTRA” +“Amazing food”), UVA (“Move-in mayhem!”), or Brown (“Students ruling their planet”), I am happy to answer them. We also did “walk on” visits for Georgetown, Penn, Princeton, and Yale. And yes, there is a complete absence of probable/safety schools on this tour, but that is another conversation for another time.
In other news, we are now officially empty nesters! Our DS moved into Chapman University last week. Yes, DH orchestrated that effort (insert devilish smile emoji here) while I was on aforementioned road trip. I’m happy to report that so far all is good and that he likes the food, his roommate, and the school in general. That being said, this is where I pitch Chapman-- for any of you touring CA schools, don’t forget it! It is a well-run, medium sized private university with a substantial endowment for its size and some really amazing programs. Our son is in the Dodge College of Media and Film (animation major), which is perhaps one of their most well-known schools. It’s also in one of the cutest (read: few) cities in Orange County that has a nice downtown area–all within walking distance of the campus. AND, it’s not impossible to get into to! I would definitely add it to your travels if you happen to be touring SoCal schools. If you do end-up visiting it, PM me so we can meet for coffee “On the Circle” 
.
*Sorry for the long-winded post! Good GAWD.
@itcannotbetrue, before military insanity consumed ChoatieKid, the Dodge program at Chapman was on his list of film schools. Chapman is underrated.
We, too, are officially emancipated parents now that ChoatieLT has graduated and moved into his own apartment and Army career. We’ll be exploring life in the south soon, too, when we attend a wedding in NC at the end of September and then head down to Georgia to check out the new apartment and stare at our fully launched, fully adult son. I guess you never get to a place where you’re not saying, “how did we get here?”
@ChoatieMom --Well said! I just cannot believe Choatiekid is now ChoatieLT and moving onto his career! Where does time go?!?
@itcannotbetrue What an adventure!!!
You didn’t list coffee among your road trip best friends!
It’s no secret that Chapman has an amazing film department! Looking forward to hearing how it all unfolds.
It sounds like there were some really great college visits to round out the summer! When does everyone start back to school? DD went back for pre-season sports the 19th as well as Orientation Committee and House Council duties. Their official first day of class was the 27th. For those that have started…are they liking senior year so far? The year for DD is already back in full swing. They did a senior sunrise on Friday and then had opening chapel that afternoon where they all received a rose for each year they’ve been a student. Today is their senior dinner with the Head of School. The next two weeks are packed with senior traditions as well. She is loving it and I can’t believe how fast the time has gone!
Oh yes, Starbuck’s was indeed a Bestie!
@chemmchimney --That is so cool for your daughter! It sounds like she’s lined up the perfect gap semester. Maybe I missed the post, but why is your daughter graduating early?
@RuralAmerica --DD went back last Tuesday for a prefect training retreat. New students move-in tomorrow, followed by returning underclassmen and school starts on Wednesday. She has her Faculty Dinner tonight. . . just talked with her and she is READY for this school year to get rolling.
Also. . . we are looking for probable schools west of Texas. Private, medium sized, research-based to be specific. No LACs. Any ideas would be appreciated!
@itcannotbetrue, check out the Claremont Schools, specifically Harvey Mudd. They are a consortium of 5 schools that combined would probably be considered medium-sized. Harvey Mudd is the stem school of the group. It does have a core curriculum requirement, and it is pretty cool because the students can take courses at the other colleges. While Mudd is all undergrad, there are a lot of research opportunities. I am not sure whether your concern over LACs would knock it out of the running – it is a pretty unique place, and very well regarded in the tech world. It is also extremely competitive to get into. Check it out.