@dadofs The good people of CC are always alert to possible application risk-taking, wherever it appears. Now back to the fun!
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Emory - I’ve spent a lot of time here. I’ve had to go here for competitions, surgeries, and to just visit others, so I didn’t do an official tour. I hate the constant construction and the architecture isn’t my cup of tea. The campus also always looks somewhat dead because there is minimal school spirit. (C+)
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Howard - A disabled person threatened me with a cane (???). The admissions presentation was just a standard prezi, and seemed like it could have been done for a class project (spelling errors and all). Howard Admissions in general is shady here (a lot of EA’s didn’t hear back until March-April…later than RD) so I wasn’t really caught off guard by it. The campus looked kinda dated. The vibe of the people on campus also reminded me a lot of high school, and I was not down for that. It was still a decent safety option for financial reasons. Tour guide was great and seemed very in love with his choice. He turned down Northwestern, WUSTL, etc. for Howard. (C-)
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Georgetown - The mix of modern and hogwarts architecture didn’t really appeal to me, but every building looked great from the inside. Tour guide was nice, energetic, and extremely funny. However, a lot of people on tour with me seemed extremely stuck up. One girl wouldn’t stop talking about her parents met and fell in love at Georgetown. She’d also answer every Georgetown trivia question before it even left the tour guide’s mouth. Of course her parents were smiling and being equally loud while they enjoyed their walk down memory lane. They talked a lot about notable alumni and about clubs/activities which was nice. I still applied because Georgetown makes you pay before you even view the application (???). I liked it a lot more after I met prospective students, unfortunately finances didn’t work out. (B-)
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UGA - I’ve also been here a lot for competitions and camps so I didn’t do a visit. The one small portion of campus I actually was supposed to be on over the summer was way too large for me. The walk anywhere constitutes a major workout. On a separate visit I ended up getting lost on the way to a building on a cold February morning at 9AM…also I got sick eating campus food (the food was pretty par for the course itself…it just didn’t agree with me). ©
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American - It had everything that I wanted in a campus experience. The informational video they showed was insanely long though and actually was scripted like a movie. Aside from the corny video everything was almost perfect. The people on campus were friendly and low-key. The tour guide was energetic and friendly. It seemed very cooperative. The only downside were that even some honors kids were living in triples dorms (my dad and another dad shared some groans over that one). (A-)
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Tulane - I did a quick visit while I was in New Orleans but they were on break at the time. So even though university didn’t make much of a impression on me, the city of New Orleans did. Between the guy that tried to mug my friend’s mom, the brawl I saw under a highway between a couple and a man that led to one threatening to hit another with a brick, the crackhead that asked me to pull down her shirt sleeves because someone was after her tickle-me-Elmo doll, the Running of the Santas, and the group of women that were twerking on the outside rims of a party bus at 3AM on Bourbon Street, I decided that I’m not ready for NOLA. (N/A)
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Vanderbilt - For financial reasons I had all but commited to Vandy by the time I stepped on the campus. I got to meet the people in admissions, and the interview panel was very helpful. Everyone seemed to go out of their way to de-emphasize Greek Life, which I saw to be interesting. The campus is stunning, and the food is great. Everyone around campus was helpful. Tour guide definitely didn’t fit the typical Vandy stereotype (which was kinda pleasant) and he was very nice and knowledgeable. They also gave me free* stuff, which isn’t really a bad way to make a good impression. The campus also had the best snapchat filters out of anywhere I visited, which I was using as arbitrary criteria to break ties during the admissions process. I hope the next 4 years match the visit (A).
- is anything really free when you're already paying them so much?
re: dadofs post #248, my son’s view of Yale was similar which was to their credit because he didn’t expect to like it there (not in the location he prefers), thought of Yale as stuffy and complained the architecture reminded him of Duke which he says he hopes not to have to attend unless no other school accepts him. Go figure when kids think Duke is their worst option. The day we were at Yale they had to move the info session because 300 people showed up. Their admissions team and tour guides rallied; provided excellent information on admissions and who should apply EA and who is better served by waiting for RD. Each of their 12 dorm buildings having a unique basement. As a parent, I was impressed by their emphasizing that 95% of the applicants are going to be highly qualified and they would be fortunate to get any of those 95% (5% being kids who were extremely unqualified and were just tossing in an app). They can’t accept more than 7 - 10% and those that don’t get in will be successful where ever they go. They won him over and it’s 1 of about 12 schools he would be happy to attend.
re: dadofs comments on their Brown experience that is unfortunate. Our visit went much better. There was construction on campus on 1 specific street which my son came across because it caused him to take a detour while he was on campus for a few weeks last summer (between dorm and classroom). We did the info session/ tour on his last day of class and it was very well done. The director of admissions ran the info session and led one of the tours. It was summer so I imagine less hectic for their admissions team. My son liked the open curriculum because he’s had some latitude in doing so at his high school. Even his school will say it’s not for everyone. I think this is one of those areas where as parents we need to offer guidance on, knowing are kids as we do, as to whether they will succeed in such an environment or not. Don’t want the kid to be there for 4 years and find out they haven’t created a path to a degree. For kids who are interested in creating their own path or getting a dual degree in 4 years, there is some appeal.
@dadofs Can you provide a little detail on why there were concerns on the housing/ roommate situation? Anything particular? We are going to visit UPenn in June and the lists of schools you visited overlap with schools we have visited so I would appreciate any insight you could provide.
The MIT reject with the reactor is to make the point that all of those accepted were students who did not make reactors in their back yard. So if you are more like those others, you are just fine. (see: http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways). If MIT went to the common app to raise in the ranking then it would not be MIT. They don’t favor perception/appearance over what is genuine.
I don’t understand why people think construction on campus is a negative thing. It means they are updating and maintaining their buildings and making things more comfortable and accessible for future classes. Sure it’s annoying to hear equipment or walk around a site but how much more of a first world complaint could this be?
^^ I agree, but let’s face it—construction on campus is a benefit for future students (and faculty). For current students, it’s nothing but a royal pain.
@redpoodles Keep in mind what you consider as a first world complaint (construction noise or to have to walk around a site) might be a bigger issue for some kids than just having to walk a few extra blocks to avoid the construction. For kids with food allergies, physical limitations or certain medical conditions, these are not first world complaints; these are legitimate considerations for families.
@paveyourpath the housing and roommate arrangements of upenn are not bad in comparison to most other, but students select roommate [which is probably good for most, especially for the socially outgoing ones, but it could be work for more introvert students. We saw with her older brother who is very outgoing and active in sports, still having to work on the house/roommate situation early, but it was not at upenn.] The Quadrangle was nice at first but apparently this is the least favored one by students, they have high rise apartments and other more sought-after housing (so, competing for housing was the second concern ;-)), and also we didn’t get the impression that the housing is guaranteed for four years (I may be wrong on this). She still loved the campus, the jogging track along the river, right across the campus, I guess one could even run all the way to the Art Museum and work out on its steps like Rocky did. 
Just an FYI that American is opening three new dorms this fall -tho they’re running a bit behind- to avoid tripling going forward…
@paveyourpath Campus accessibility is an important thing, yes, but that has nothing to do with temporary construction and these two things should not be confused. My D broke her foot on a big, hilly, kind-of-inaccessible campus, and the campus security drove her around from class to class. Similar services exist for most campuses. A friend with CP was allowed a parking pass so he could drive himself and park right next to whatever door he wanted.These things vary from school to school but all have some kind of accommodation, and having to walk around a construction site one summer is a temporary thing. Temporary construction in fact usually results in a much MORE accessible campus (except in the case of BC, the end result of which is pretty darn inaccessible to a lot of people!).
UP:
+Barnard: D absolutely loved the urban setting, proximity to Columbia and emphasis on women’s leadership
+Michigan (Ann Arbor): D fell in love with campus and Ann Arbor in general. Met some faculty members in the Residential College and spent an hour chatting with them.
+Cal: D. loved the vibe of the place and the proximity to San Francisco. The tour guide was also hilarious (he said the library now had more books available since it was closed more often because of budget cuts).
+University of Chicago: D. was prepared for it to be dire, but the campus was alive and she loved the new dorms. The juxtaposition of Gothic buildings also was a big draw as were the fantastic admissions officers.
DOWN:
-Pomona: D was really disappointed that it wasn’t that accessible to LA. The tour guide also kept telling her how AMAZING it was. She said she didn’t know if she could stand being at such a self-consciously awesome place.
-Swarthmore: I liked it. D was totally turned off by the fact that it had one dining hall.
-Middlebury: For some reason my D. insisted that it felt like going to college on a farm.
-Hampshire: D. insists it was modelled after a low-security prison.
-UCLA: D. was fascinated by the number of parking lots.
My D also loved UChicago. Our admissions officer gave a very funny but highly informative presentation without slides or notes, and our tour guide was very lively. A huge contrast to CMU.
LOL. My son had a very similar reaction after his second visit. He loved it the first time we visited so it stayed on the list, but definitely lost it’s spot in the top 2.
My D thought Trinity and Fairfield were both way too preppie for her tastes…guess she wasn’t meant to go to college in CT.
@dadofs The Schuylkill River Trail runs all the way to Valley Forge if you are biking. There’s also a skate park right before the Art Museum if you are into that.
@happy1 Wesleyan is decidedly less preppy so still hope for non-preps in CT. 
@doschicos…Very true, my nephew is a graduate of Wes…she wasn’t really in range for that option though.
@redpoodles Fair point that accessibility is not the same as temporary construction same as a chronic medical condition isn’t the same thing as a temporary condition of a broken foot. I by no means am implying that construction on campus is a bad thing. My point is only that for some students, the dust, noise or inconvenience of construction may be a bigger consideration than for others. Having to walk around a construction site for one summer is assuming that the construction lasted just for the summer? It only effected my son for the summer but based on the scope of the project, that was in no way a one summer project. A friend’s child has a medical condition that driving door to door wouldn’t work; his medical condition prevents him from getting a driver’s license. Construction, just like all the rest of the information, is just another factor that will have no weight in some decisions and greater weight for others.
UCLA is in Los Angeles, what did you expect?