<p>We also got a ticket while visiting Brown. And also encountered a rude, disinterested receptionist who could barely be bothered to give us directions of where to go for the info session. Sounds like we have a theme going here.</p>
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<p>We got a parking ticket at Brown too. But, worse yet, we had a Brown parking pass and were parked exactly where we were supposed to be parked, but someone broke into our rental car and stole the pass - unbelievable, but true! It took several emails to resolve it.</p>
<p>Despite this, Brown stayed on her list, albeit unenthusiastically.</p>
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<p>I am loving the responsesā¦and I am not going to make any decisions based solely on what I am reading on this thread. I have done a lot of research and also talking to a lot of moms at school also, so its all good, thank you all!</p>
<p>Lets keep going! It is turning out to be a great thread!</p>
<p>After visits, S1 (a city, artsy, intellectual type) took following off his list:</p>
<p>NYU (had been a top choice): no campus. Of course he knew that before visiting and thought it was cool, but when actually there, he couldnāt tell if the person walking by on the sidewalk was a student (at whom he might want to smile) or a tough NYer (at whom he shouldnāt).</p>
<p>Columbia: he liked their core curriculum a lot, but was warned on the tour that most of the students hate it, so he felt put off. Again, the words of one tour guideā¦</p>
<p>Harvard: everyone looked pretty bleak and stressed. He talked to several studentsāand no one had happy things to tell him about their experience. </p>
<p>Bard: students on campus mocked his tour group.</p>
<p>Brown: high on his list before the visit, he was not into the campus feel or terrible tour guide.</p>
<p>UCLA: too familiar (I teach there), too spread out, crowded dorm rooms, (but great food)</p>
<p>Schools he loved after visits:</p>
<p>Yale: Beautiful buildings, great tour guide, a sense of history.</p>
<p>Vassar: Beautiful campus. Nice art student feel.</p>
<p>WashU (visited after accepted): Pretty campus, cool programs, friendly studentsābut he spent overnight visit with a kid who was flunking out (!!) and quite a slacker, and why they let this poor kid host a new admit Iāll never know.</p>
<p>USC: had the very select, very specific major S1 wanted so was his first choice before the visit. He (and we) thought the campus was spotless and lovely, the Trojan marching band practicing on the green was cool, and the kids on campus were smiling and looked really happy, but the day we went to visit, the special department tour was disorganized and no one could answer questions or even show us the buildings for his major. Didnāt matter. He could filter out the less-attractive aspects of the tour day and commented that he could probably be very happy at all the colleges heād scratched from his list for superficial reasons. Today heās a truly happy soph at USC. *btw, only after he was accepted did he pay attention to their honors program (which he loves). There are so many items mentioned in college presentations that our overwhelmed 17yr olds can barely take in, not to mention evaluate how important they may be.</p>
<p>We have S2 going though tours soon. He is a much harder shopper than S1. Wish me luck.</p>
<p>Some memories last forever. </p>
<p>Northwestern: I distinctly recall really not like my visit and overnight nearly 30 yrs ago when looking at colleges for many of the same reasons others have identified. It was a very cold feeling school. When visiting Chicago this summer, my family couldnāt understand why we were looking at UChicago for my son but not Northwestern. So these impressions can have long lasting consequences.</p>
<p>I didnāt like Brown or Tufts or Brandeis either. Not enough green grassy areas at Brown so did not look like a campus should.</p>
<p>WashU: What a distinct difference. I knew it was for me when I visited and remember calling my parents to tell them. They hated St. Louis and told me my life would take the wrong direction if I attended. Students went out of their way to show me a great time when I visited and it made me want to go there. I went there and loved it. I was able to get into both medical school and law school so it truly prepared me for whatever path I chose. Yes the mail is annoying. It was back then too, and I worked in admissions there as a student and used to send out all of those mailingsā¦but the school has much to offer. My son has not had the chance to visit yet but will be applying (his choice).</p>
<p>Grinnell: Visited in the summer. Seems similar to Whitman in many ways but without seeing many students, hard to really tell. Son still plans to apply.</p>
<p>Whitman: We just returned from a visit. I think my son liked it. It is far away from many things and Walla Walla is an expensive little place. I drove there but donāt plan to do that again unless I have to. But he is keeping on his list for now since it is the only school in his homestate that seems to appeal to him. Food hours much too restrictive for me. Son likes to try the burgers at each school because apparently that is an important factor for him. No burger to try at lunch yesterday but lots of veggie options. And if you miss lunch, which ends at 1, you missed lunch. And we almost did because of a conference call I was on. </p>
<p>University of Oregon and Oregon State: Both beautiful campuses but my son did not like either school, U of O because he did not like Eugene, at least the small part he saw of it, and Oregon State, because of all the beautiful people he saw working out in the athletic facility which was top notch.</p>
<p>Willamette: Seems to be the favorite visit so far. But main reasons include large dorm rooms and outstanding food, which I have to agree with. Unbelievable choices and awesome strawberry shortcake and creme brulee and pear salad for lunch. We did hear from more than one student that dinners were not so good.</p>
<p>With our son, we did very little visiting before acceptance. </p>
<p>Before applying, we visited three schools but none were ruled out.</p>
<p>Vistied Harvard at my suggestion, but he knew it because heād been to summer school there and we live nearby. Unclear to him that Harvard would be a good fit.
Loved Brown after staying the weekend with a nice girl from his HS. Liked the inquisitive style of the students, the alternative-y feel. Went to a philosophy class that was none too impressive or inspiring.
OK on Tufts (lots of contact there). </p>
<p>After acceptance, narrowed down acceptance visits to schools he had not previously visited:<br>
Rejected Brandeis ānone of the prospies talkedā but I think this was more for practice of how to learn what he need to learn at acceptance students visit than really high on the list.<br>
Dropped him off at Wesleyan at 4 PM and he called at 10 AM and said, āDad, can we leave now? This is a good school but these are not my people.ā We stayed but the attitude didnāt change.
Visited and loved Dartmouth and Amherst. (Liked relative isolation, greenness, warmth of students)</p>
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<p>Awwww-- even tough New Yorkers like to be smiled at!! Itās mostly just an illusion, especially down in the NYU neighborhood. Most of us are very nice people! :)</p>
<p>āThen tour guide kept saying āfācking sweetā about 3 times during his walk around campus.ā</p>
<p>āShe saidā¦āwell it is 43% maleā¦so that would make itā¦ā She couldnāt do the math!!! For a full minute there was silenceā¦stunned silenceā¦ with everyone in the auditorium thinkingā¦and she is going to decide the fate of my childās future???ā</p>
<p>We loved both of those schools, but those stories are a director of admissions nightmare, I would think!</p>
<p>We got a ticket at Brown too! I guess the city of Providence makes a lot on college visits!</p>
<p>Why donāt the admissions people take a closer look at these receptionists, tour guides, etc. and get them up to speed? Seems like attitude is a quick fix and would pay off bigtime. Why donāt they get it? Its their JOBā¦Iāve heard about Brown being a turnoff for at least three years. Donāt these people care about first impressions? I just donāt get it. At my boarding school there was a special club for kids who wanted to show prospective students around, and we were rigorously screened. I didnāt make the cut because I forgot to show someone the Science Center during my test run! That was my mistake, but attitude is soā¦fixable.</p>
<p>VA Tech - too rural
Mary Washington - too tiny & too NOVA
William & Mary - too touristy
U of Wisconsin - too crazy on a Thursday night
Wake Forest - too quiet
U of Richmond - too preppy
Duke - too many pretentious people at the info session</p>
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<p>Elon-Presentation too canned.
Lynchburg- Cigarette butts everywhere.
Lake Forest - A lot of students eating by themselves at lunch and looking miserable.</p>
<p>Pixelā¦just curiousā¦weāve heard a LOT about your research into schools and some of the things you are looking for in a school. What about your kiddo? Is he doing any of his own research? Is he getting any assistance from the GCs at his school regarding potential college choices? What does HE want in a school?</p>
<p>Or are the questions you are posting really his?</p>
<p>novicemom, weāre visiting Lake Forest later this month. Lots of strange comments on these boards about Lake Forest. It will be interesting to see what my son thinks (and what I think).</p>
<p>I know this was pages back, but I just wanted to comment:</p>
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<p>My daughter and I just drove through Middletown yesterday to take a look at Wesleyan and I saw nothing that I would describe as a ābad areaāā¦</p>
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<p>4gsmom: Where did this happen?</p>
<p>^^ Maybe it depends on which way you approach through Middletown. When I visited a year ago, all I saw were deserted strip malls. Not exactly dangerous per se, but not exactly inspiring either. (I do hear thereās a wonderful downtown.)</p>
<p>dkeā¦ despite the receptionist problem, Brown isnāt having a hard time getting applications, are they?</p>
<p>Williamsdad: It is so funny how different perceptions can be. I loved my dorms at Hopkins. I had such a great time during my first year in the AMRs. It is so social in there, and although admittedly not beautiful, it was so much fun. I was lucky to be in the air-conditioned dorm which helped with my allergies. I had great dorm space in Wollman the following year. Absolutely great! Also, the security in the dorms is unbeatable.</p>
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<p>
These kinds of things are so relative. Weāve visited a couple of schools that were supposedly in ābad areasā that looked fine to us, like U Rochester. But weāre coming from a scruffy working-class urban neighborhood; if youāre coming from a manicured suburb probably most older small-city/large-town environments will look ābadā by comparison.</p>