Colleges you (surprisingly?) loved after visiting :)

<p>We dropped by the College of William and Mary when our family was driving through Virginia early last summer. Really beautiful campus and a very thoughtful and organized tour. Very pleasant surrounding town.</p>

<p>Bryn Mawr here too. D had never considered a women’s college but decided to attend a program there while already in the area. We were both impressed by the campus, the women we met, the vibe of the college, the proximity to Philadelphia, and access to Haverford, Swarthmore and to an extent UPenn. D loved the school and it jumped to the top of her list.</p>

<p>nellieh–it was Indiana U for my daughter, too. Dragged her there as it was a financial and academic safety due to the guaranteed merit. She thought she wanted smaller school, bigger city and NO way did she want Indiana, which she thought of a flat/cornfields/rustbelt cities.</p>

<p>She loved the campus–how beautiful and bustling it is. Loved the town, funky, lots of ethnic eateries, little bookshops, etc. Loved the info session. Loved that Bloomington is in a hilly, green area, great for biking and hiking, but a big enough town that it has everything you’d want while in college.</p>

<p>But up until April, I thought it was not on her radar–she got into some other schools that had been bigger reaches in bigger cities. </p>

<p>She went to IU and it’s been a great fit.</p>

<p>D and I were both impressed with Hobart and William Smith – a beautiful campus with very nice facilities and an energetic student body. We didn’t have great expectations beforehand, but depending on how everything plays out, H&WS may end up high on her list.</p>

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<p>I graduated from Alfred in 1987. The school was the way you describe. It was warm and friendly. I usually describe Alfred as more of a liberal arts college than university. When I went there the ceramic engineering was pretty selective but the rest of the university was less so. I don’t know how things are now.</p>

<p>Just want to add how much my older son LOVED his first visit to Brown. He almost refused to visit, but I strongly suggested that he consider it on a trip to New England colleges. He (and we) loved everything about it - the campus, the architecture, the surrounding community, the students, the city. Even the info session was entertaining, interesting, and intelligent. He loved the place, and is now fortunate enough to be going to school there, with great financial aid.</p>

<p>Northwestern was the one school we visited that everyone in our family loved (despite the unfortunate parking ticket).</p>

<p>re: Busdriver
We also stopped at Bucknell because we were returning to Michigan through Pennsylvania. S3 loved it. I really liked it also. He has applied RD and we shall see this spring. Beautiful campus. Nice kids. Gracious staff. Lovely little downtown. Beautiful homes.</p>

<p>American University went from “safety” to parents’ and student’s first choice. She eventually chose it over several alternatives.</p>

<p>The University of Rochester. Middle son liked it on paper, but was really put off by the potential weather and almost didn’t even apply. He did apply last minute (for merit aid) and we visited in Feb after he was accepted. He fell in love (similar minded students, loved the class he sat in on, etc) and it jumped from bottom to top of his list beating all more southernly schools as well as those in state. He just returned there after break and still tells us he’s really glad he applied as he loves it there.</p>

<p>DD and I went on many college tours over the last couple of years. Starting out east and working our way to the midwest and back down to Texas. D was beginning to think that she wouldn’t “KNOW” what school she should go to - until UMinn-TC. I honestly hadn’t had much of an opinion about the U but was willing to make the trip as part of our midwest tour seeing UIUC, UW-Madison, Northwestern. All I can say is that she was blown away, and I can’t explain it, but I had a real peace being on campus that it’s where she should be. She told me at the end of the day, “This is it - I’m going to be a Gopher.” Thankfully she got in and I didn’t have to go on any more visits/tours. Now we’re just praying for sufficient scholarships to make it affordable.</p>

<p>I’m not sure how I made it to the Parents Forum but I’ll offer my college search insight.</p>

<p>Temple- okay campus, felt kind of weird
 sketchy area, traditional college experience
American U- Beautiful Campus, traditional college campus, large plot of campus land
PSU- this was pre-sandusky scandal: happy students, great social scene, definite college town
URochester- too cold, lonely sense, picturesque college campus however, very pre-professional college, information session was very friendly, the city of Rochester seemed boring
GWU- (I’m going here next year) very professional surroundings, well integrated into city, friendly students, they aren’t lying to you when they say that D.C is really GWU’s backyard, urban environment but you know when you’re on/off campus
Syracuse- city surrounding was nothing special, very centralized campus, amazing amazing School of Journalism (almost made me apply ED), grassy campus
Cornell- beautiful weather (in summer), picturesque buildings, huge campus, felt like an Ivy-League school if that makes sense
Fordham- hands down the most amazing campus: very green, lots of grass, relaxing environment, the bronx is a little bit shady in some areas, quick access to NYC, would go here had I not gotten in ED to GWU
UPenn- similar to fordham kind of campus, in urban (philly) area but very secluded campus, welcoming students, very cool statues around campus, nice area</p>

<p>Rensselaer Polytechnic. S had not really considered it, but then got the Rensselaer Medal scholarship. So we figured: may as well have a look. </p>

<p>It’s in his top five now. Nice campus, everyone we met was warm and interesting. S was super impressed.</p>

<p>Northeastern and American. In fact, those became his final two and today he attends Northeastern.</p>

<p>We stopped by Richmond and Wellesley just because they were on the way to others we were interested in, and both turned out to be WAY more impressive than we thought they’d be. Furman is another that was better than expected.</p>

<p>Agree with posters who mentioned Northeastern! Surprising oasis of a campus within the city of Boston. Has spent the money on facilities and recruiting and marketing!</p>

<p>Loved University of Pittsburgh. If you are looking for urban, we thought this fit the bill nicely. The students were friendly and everyone in admissions and all the offices we had made appointments to meet with were extremely welcoming, prepared with material to address questions. We could not have been more surprised at how great a school they are! A visit really sells the school - again, if you like urban settings in general.</p>

<p>Love this thread!</p>

<p>@Sikorsky: American is on my DC’s list. We had a laugh over a comment on the thread opposite of this one. It was along the lines of someone didn’t like how so much time on the tour was spent talking about opportunities that kept students off campus like study abroad. My kiddo was like
“Sounds like the school for me!” Different strokes for different folks!</p>

<p>The University of Missouri. Our visit to the beautiful campus on a cold, windy February day in 2008 made me appreciate what the place has to offer. Our S spent four contented years there as an out-of-state student. M-I-Z!</p>

<p>Another vote for the University of Richmond. We stopped by with S2 on way home from touring schools in NC - he loved it. He was accepted (even got a “likely letter” which thrilled him) but eventually went with another “love”. I think he will always think fondly of Richmond!</p>

<p>The real shocker for us was UC Merced. Yes, Merced is. . .Merced. And the school isn’t even in Merced proper, it is well on the outskirts of town near absolutely nothing. Despite its location and reputation, we found the campus to be beautiful, the housing to be amazing, and the people to be friendly, diverse, unaffected, and universally excited about the opportunities provided by the school. No hipsters, no angst or irony. . .totally refreshing.</p>