Cornell- Taken off list. D felt it was too snobby and did not click with the vibe.
University of Pennsylvania- taken off list. I am a double alum- Penn undergrad and Wharton grad so she has been dragged to a lot of alumni weekends. Took her on a tour hoping it would change her mind that she does not like the smell of Philadelphia, but it did not.
Virginia Tech- taken off list. Too provincial and she really disliked the dorms. Since we are from VA- she took all VA schools off the list because she felt like it would be High School 2.0- too many kids from VA.
UCSC- taken off list. Even though they gave her great $, the campus was too big and spread out for her. She immediately said no but her younger brother has it at the top of his list for when he applies.
UC Davis- down- we spent the whole weekend and attended Aggie Day. Completely thought this would be the school for her but she did not like the bikes or the huge campus, and felt it was too “yellow.” She also had a horrible allergic reaction to the eucalyptus trees. I loved the town and the vibe and was sad to see her turn the school down.
UC Irvine- same. Nice center of campus but really had a commuter school vibe.
UCSD- up. Really loved the campus and the fact that it was not too hot.
UMASS Amherst- up. She loved the campus feel and how friendly the staff and students are. Granted, we were there for a destination day, but she really loved how everyone was welcoming but did not oversell or push the school too much.
University of Washington- way up. She only applied because it is great at her major and I told her how much I wanted to see Seattle. She loved this campus, the vibe, the students and yes- the weather. I made sure she really spent a lot of time on the Ave to experience the grunge, but she immediately felt at home. This is the school she ultimately chose and absolutely loves it. She loves the academic environment, the access to the city, the social life, the food, and yes- even the weather. I fear that I have lost her to Seattle forever- I don’t think I can get her to move back to the East Coast.
I love this thread on impressions of campuses after the visit because University of Washington would not have even been considered if she had not visited it. And from reading posts, I wish we had been able to visit more schools. Vibe and fit is so individual and important.