<p>yeah it's on this thread already</p>
<p>Has anyone visited Chapman or Northeastern?</p>
<p>We've visited Chapman...what do you want to know?</p>
<p>okay:</p>
<p>U Chicago: (summer visit but, like i said earlier, i've been to chicago many many times and have seen this school twice) U Chicago is literally in the city but still has pretty quads and buildings surrounded by grass. a lot of the architecture is gothic and very pretty. The campus didn't feel very big. The tour guides seemed kinda quirky but I think that's waht the school prides itself on. It's very close to Lake Michigan but not right on it like Northwestern. The surrounding area, Hyde Park, has had a reputation for being sketchy but it really wasn't bad. It's really starting to gentrify over there and become more affluent. There were a lot of good restaurants there too. Chicago is an awesome city and has plenty of cool things to do there.</p>
<p>Pomona: (summer visit) BEAUTIFUL. Such a nice campus and, by far, the prettiest of all the Claremonts. The facilities are some of the best that I've seen at any school. The tour guides were cool and friendly. The little town of Claremont is cute and had a plethora of good restaurants (well maybe not that many, but i was impressed). Claremont almost seems like a suburb of LA and there's a train that goes into LA frequently from there. But it didn't seem like trips to LA were that frequent/ easy... probably because there would be a lot to do on campus. It does seem like Pomona separates itself from the rest of the Claremonts/ might be a little condescending to the others. I don't think you could consider that a very good thing. Definitely seems like a liberal school.</p>
<p>Swarthmore: (summer visit) Very pretty as well and close by to Philadelphia. I think Philadelphia is a reallly cool city so, for me, that's a good thing. The town of Swarthmore was very small though and not that much in the "downtown." Everything was really pretty there because it is an arboretum. The school really emphasized and put a lot of stress on its founding Quaker values and a lot of those values shape the school's policies. example: not all dorms have air conditioning capabilities sooo NO dorms (even the ones that have AC) use AC. </p>
<p>U Penn: (summer visit) Literally, it is right in the city. But inside the campus and down Locust Walk, it still has that typical college feel (path with trees, green fields, etc). The facilities were nice. VERY tight security.. take from that what you will. But I do not think there would be much crime on campus because of that. The admissions lady said they have those statistics on the website for everyone to see. The surrounding area wasn't incredibly nice or posh but it didn't seem that bad. There were a lot of cool restaurants on one side of the campus. Supposedly, a few blocks down is a bad neighborhood but I don't think many of the shady characters come on campus. I doubt Donald Trump would send his daughter to a school where crime really was an issue. Even though I visited during the summer, you could tell Penn was a place that had a lot going on at all times. There are 400+ clubs and from waht teh tour guide said, it seems like the kids know how to have fun and kick back at times. The school seemed like a really fun place to be. </p>
<p>William and Mary: school visit but we went on a morning and didn't see that many students. I didn't do the tour either and the admissions building wasn't near many classrooms either.. soo I don't know what all i can say about this school. It is very pretty and seemed like a good size. Historic Williamsburg was cool and had a lot of different restaurants and the people in the town were very friendly. Jon Stewart went to this school sooo it has to be pretty sweet. </p>
<p>I hope this helps! If you have any specific questions about one place, I'll do my best to answer!</p>
<p>everything!</p>
<p>Northeastern University - like I've always said is the epitome of an urban campus, the facilities are all top notch, classes with smart boards and state of the art chair, LOL Their athletic facilities were very impressive for an urban campus, especially the fitness centers. Their was an incrdible amount of thing at hand for social life and a beautiful student center (felt more like a convention center or the inside of the World Bank) They're are a number of parks and courtyards spotted throughout the campus, giving an accent of greenery that comes as unexpected to most visitors. The campus has two T Stations on campus that will take you anywhere withing Boston aswell as to Providence and Worcester if you want to. The dorms, escpecially, West Village, are wonderful and well maintained. The freshmen dormrooms may seem small, but their adequate, and you'll have the cafeteria on the first floor of the tower. </p>
<p>It's different than an NYU, BU, or UofSF, in that it actaully feels like a college campus. It's in Back Bay of Boston, meaning no skyscrapers towering over, but the school is still in the city ctiy. School seemed financially healthy, with construction already started on new dorm towers, just after they finished West Village. Beautiful campus, I advise you to visit if you can.</p>
<p>kcirsch
was that addressed to me?</p>
<p>Which school(s) did you like the best aesthetically? Which had the best vibe/feeling?</p>
<p>was that one to me too?</p>
<p>Schools with best vibes are generally the elite LACs like Amherst, at most research universities, I don't think you can farely put a stamp over the vibe because what one person may see, the other never sees. I can say MIT and Stanford are cool-friendly people, really hang 10 and layed back, but that's b/c I hang out with the ultimate teams ;)</p>
<p>i've seen:
University of Miami
Rollins
College of Charleston
Guilford
Elon
University of Richmond
University of Deleware
George Washighton
American
Pitzer
Occidental
Skidmore
Ithaca
Syracuse
let me know which schools you want to know about</p>
<p>^^^^^^^^^^^^^
University Of Richmond</p>
<p>Miami please! The more info the better! And Syracuse!</p>
<p>guilford and skidmore</p>
<p>We visited Chapman in the spring while school was still in session. It is in a nice quiet suburban area of Orange County, just south of L.A. The school has done some extensive building and expansion in the recent past. This year they are continuing with the building of a new Film School and a new aquatic/athletic center, both slated to be completed by spring 2006. The school is noted for its arts programs. It has a school of film that some think rivals USC (and with the new facility may just do that). Programs in music, drama, dance are also plentiful. The school seemed to have good enough humanities programs but we didn't have the sense that the sciences were a strength. Overall, I would assess the academics as modest. There are some grad programs, most notably the law school and my understanding is that it is well regarded. The facilities were good, a mix of older and newer. The student center, very new is quite nice. The students were the friendliest we've met at all the schools we have visited with two kids (that's a long list). Dorms varied from new and very lovely to older. BUT the rooms were spacious by New England standards. In the newer dorms some of the rooms actually have walkin closets. The cafe/dining hall was very nice with both indoor and outdoor seating. The day we were there the school was having an outdoor health fair and the campus was bustling. Reports from others indicate that Chapman is generous with merit aid to students it wishes to attract. It's not too far from the train station where one could take the train to LA or San Diego. DD liked it a lot, but thinks it might be just a little TOO arts oriented. She would be able to do her music there as a non-major, but the sciences (which interested her) didn't seem very strong. Let's put it this way....the science building was NOT included on the tour. As a parent, I liked the easy accessibility both on and off campus for the students...and DD did also. I personally think this school's presence will be increasing in the coming years as it continues to grow physically and attracts a variety of students. I would say, if you are in that neck of the woods, go for a visit.</p>
<p>university of richmond- It had beautiful architecture with a lake in the middle of it. I didn't like that it was only 3 or 4 years ago that they changed it so that men and women were not living on opposite sides of the lake. housing is scattered now on both sides of the lake, however it is all single sex dorms. they have really yummy food there...like really good! it has a huge honor system which is really nice. something about the atmosphere did not seem very appealing to me though. the surrounding area of richmond didn't seem very nice which was also a turnoff.</p>
<p>university of miami- i loved it!!! it has a resort feel to it, yet academics seem to be taken pretty seriously there. the campus is absolutely stunning with a lake in the middle. next to the lake there is this pub called the ratskeller which has these swinging chairs outside which was pretty cool. there is a huge pool with lot of lounge chairs around it. it seemed to give off a really great vibe. people are just sitting outside studying or socializing. coral gables semed like a wonderful community- shopping within walking distance and there is also a train which takes you a short distance to south beach and other places.</p>
<p>syracuse- I loved it, however I am a bit turned off by its reputation as a huge jap school. They have some really nice architecture...like old churchy looking buildings. They just built a new school of business this year which is a really nice looking glass building and all of the seats in that building are really comfy! The school of communications seemed incredible! The people that we talked to on campus all seemed to be really nice. I went in april though...I'm kinda afraid of what winters are like in upstate new york</p>
<p>skidmore- It isn't too physically attractive but it was still a nice place. The buildings are all like the same and its on a pretty flat piece of land. They seemed to really care about the students. The food was decent, not too great.</p>
<p>guilford- It was probobly the most interesting school i have seen. it is based on quaker principles. you sit in a circle for most of your classes and you call your teacher by their first name. A lot of kids there seemed pretty artsy. The food was a definite turnoff but the dorms were decent. Its close to a few stores across the street in a shopping center but other than that a car seems pretty essential to get off campus. the tour is so personal! outside of the admissions office they have parking spots with each student on the tours name taped onto a specific parking spot. then when you enter there is this welcome sign with everyone's name on the tour. i was so impressed by how personal everythign was!</p>
<p>okay, i guess this is my general overview...but if you have any more questions in specific be sure to ask!</p>
<p>Everyone is saying the same thing about Miami, and i'm loving it more each day, especially when I found out that I can get financial aid! Who wouldn't want to go to college at a place that's basically a resort with pools, shopping, and public transportation!? I want to go there!</p>
<p>Williams: Nice, but not oustanding campus. I liked the emphasis on school spirit there, and it had more of a laid-back feel than its Ivy competitors (Dartmouth, Princeton). The programs in art history and sciences seemed particularly strong. However, Williamstown is very far from everywhere, which could get boring for me but maybe not for someone else. You really have to like the wintertime and not mind the remoteness if you want to go here.</p>
<p>What can you share about the following schools shoegal? Thanks</p>
<p>Duke
Swarthmore
Univ. of Penn
Haverford
Brown ( Did you check out RISD @ all nearby?)
Wesleyan
Brandeis</p>