<p>Worst visit ever (and, yes, I know what thread I’m in . . . patience! :)):</p>
<p>DS wanted to stop by College X on our way to the airport. The plan was to have an hour or so to wander around campus on our own, but we ended up running late, and barely had time to do a quick circuit around the campus in our car - forget about getting out and walking! It was a weekend during Christmas break, the day after a blizzard, and no one was around. And all we saw in our quick drive-around were the ugliest dormitories ever built - they reminded me of inner city housing projects.</p>
<p>DS’s only question: “Didn’t you say there’s a place the students can go and get pizza at 2:00 am?”</p>
<p>Me: “Yeah . . .” </p>
<p>DS: “Where is it?”</p>
<p>So, we stopped at one of the several pizza places on the edge of campus, DS ran in, and, probably because it was such a dreary day, got three slices for the price of two!</p>
<p>Verdict? The pizza was great and he applied ED!</p>
<p>D1 loved WPI the minute we drove ontp campus. She ended up going to 2 different open houses, had an overnight, and admitted students day. She is a very happy junior there today.</p>
<p>She also loved Union in Schnectady, NY. Loved the campus and the vibe of the students. Applied, was accepted, but chose to go to WPI.</p>
<p>D2 is just starting to look at schools. She wants a small school in New England, preferrably Maine (no idea why). She is not the strongest student, so the LACs of Maine are not an option. We went to an Open House at the University of New England in Biddeford, ME. She fell in love with it as soon as we pulled int campus. The school is not talked about much on CC, but it is a perfect fit for her- right on the water, small student body, has the majors she is interested in (marine studies and education.)</p>
<p>It was great from the begging. In the begging there were students in the waiting area of admissions who were so friendly. They answered a ton of questions we had and told us about their experience at skidmore. </p>
<p>The info session was great as there were students along with an admission counselor leading and the students were telling us about their experience. It was one of the only schools that I visited that had students at the info session. GWU also has a student at the info session. The student is a nice touch.</p>
<p>The tour was also great even though it was raining. Since it was raining they gave us a poncho to wear. That was a very nice touch!</p>
<p>D, H and I all enjoyed Shenandoah’s presentation. The school was a little bit small for us, but we were thoroughly impressed with the initial information session. </p>
<p>I have always been critical of boring, long info sessions (and I have been to many of them.) Shenandoah’s was different in that not only did they have administration as well as students speaking, they infused the session with videos of the school that also included faculty and students (and it was upbeat and fun).</p>
<p>They also engaged the audience, sort of like a pep rally, so I wasn’t constantly looking at my watch or the program pamphlet to see what our next activity was. </p>
<p>Small, less competitive, not well known school left a bigger impression than 50 other schools that I’ve visited.</p>
<p>We visited many colleges, mostly in the northeast, mostly LACs. Each time my DD knew in 5 minutes or less that it wasn’t the place for her. That all changed when we visited Tulane in New Orleans. She/we loved everything about the school. The size, the location and the people. She looked around and envisioned herself on the campus.</p>
<p>I do think Princeton is just lovely and I do make it a point to wander the campus when I’m in that area for business. I think it’s pretty much the Platonic form of a college campus, at least for my particular taste. </p>
<p>I was in South Bend, IN for a race and spent a gorgeous afternoon / evening walking around Notre Dame’s campus. It has a peaceful, serene feeling and I enjoyed it - and I’m looking forward to going back next year. The town, however, is only “eh.”</p>
<p>There wasn’t one school either D1 or D2 fell in love with. We visited more schools than I care to remember but no place felt like a perfect fit for either kid. There were pros and cons to very school. If people reading this thread are envious of those who find a clear #1 choice, just know it doesn’t work like that for every student or parent. Both kids ended up very happy where they landed and can’t imagine themselves anywhere else. But it wasn’t that clear based on the visits.</p>
<p>You are probs also better off if you don’t have one clear first choice because then you won’t be disappointed if you don’t get into that one school. Not getting into to your top choice happens to many but if you have multiple top choices you won’t be as disappointed!</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, what about Georgetown gets you so excited? I’ve been there a few times, and the campus is very crowded, with lots of steps leading everywhere, and not particularly pretty.</p>