Colleges your child crossed off the list after visiting, schools that moved up on the list. Why?

Parents Forum
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I think living off campus is a great transition to adulthood. Being able to fend for yourself (cook, clean, pay bills) is a huge part of it. At my son’s school, almost all of the first years live in a dorm and then everyone goes off campus after first year. (The University literally tells you that when you tour.) Fortunately both my boys have for years been responsible for cooking the family one meal per week (and yes, chicken fingers and fries count) and making pasta for their weekly sports team dinners. Next summer, we’ll make sure he has a few more simple meals under his belt before we send him back for second year. And I’m sure we will put some money on a meal card for busy times.

I know there will be a few text exchanges and FaceTime calls to help him deal with things, but to me it is all part of transitioning to adulthood. But given that all of his college friends from the dorm will be going through the same transition at the same time makes it a bit easier.

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In Boston there is a lot of pressure on the colleges to house more students “on campus”. This is coming from the city government. Northeastern requires virtually all freshmen and sophomores to live on campus and they are constantly building dorms. BU has built luxury high rise apartment style dorms. But those who live off campus can usually walk to school.

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We knew D’s first choice was pretty solid when she told us that she was fine living in the freshmen dorms with their communal bathrooms. They don’t technically require that freshmen live on campus, but the freshmen dorms are required if you want to be part of the first year experience program.

At our in-state options, she could either get suite-style rooms (some with private bedrooms) or a private bedroom in one of many off-campus apartments (some built within the last two years) directly across the street.

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MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Let’s get back to topic please. On campus/off campus living discussion should be a thread unto its own.

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U-Mass Honors moved down on my daughters list when we were told the Honors Housing wasn’t guaranteed, but have since heard through the grape vine that everyone who wanted to live in the Honors Housing did get the option. If it were guaranteed it would have made it a more attractive choice.

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A new thread for housing: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/2040206-housing-prefer-kids-live-on-or-off-campus-have-a-choice-no-choice-p1.html

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Washington St. Louis was my daughter’s first choice until the visit at which point she decided to not even apply. She felt like the school was like a magazine and everyone (while diverse ethnically) seemed very similar and everything felt over the top. She went and visited the Research office and felt like it was going to be difficult to get support for what she wanted to do. We were surprised because everyone always raves about Wash U.

On the other hand, we went to both UT Dallas and Ohio State U with low expectations and they ended up moving to her top three as both completely impressed her with their commitment to academics, their honors programs, and the facilities and research opportunities offered for her major. She really loved the feel of both schools (though quite different from each other) and was surprised because some people told her she should not even visit either school. The other school that impressed her and moved up after a visit was U of Pittsburgh.

I was reluctant to do so many college visits but I am thankful we did as it became clearer through the process the kind of school that was a fit and the kind that was not and we found some hidden gems. In the end she applied to 7 schools and we have visited 6 of them already, the last one she will wait to see what her package looks like if she wants to visit.

We also found that for my daughter meeting with a professor or advisor for her intended major was often the biggest tell of how she would feel about the school. We also always tried to spend at least an hour in the student union and/or main quad to get a good feel for the average student body. That and the school newspaper were often more informative for my daughter than the college tours themselves.

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MOVED UP-

Ohio State- we went in with extremely low expectations. Frankly, the only reason we visited was that it was on the way from two other colleges. I immediately loved the feel of the campus, the people seemed friendly and inviting. We walked around the business school and it really made a big campus feel small. Our tour guide was incredible and you could really tell how much she loves the school. I really got the feeling that everyone who went there loved it and were so passionate about the Buckeyes. Also, I loved how there is a big central quad, it made it feel smaller even though the student population is so large.

MOVED DOWN-

Wisconsin-Madison. Going into the trip Wisconsin was at the top of my list. I love the business school, the spirit, the sports and the location (I’m a Packers fan). However, it was a huge letdown. The campus felt very disconnected, for example, I would have to cross two major roads to get to the business school. I didn’t envision it as a city school but that was definitely the vibe I got.

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April, 2017:

Hamilton: WAY WAY UP: Afterwards, my son said it was his favorite college we had toured so far.

It was in an attractive rural area. I was excited to pass the bison farm on the way in, after having read about the bison on College Confidential.

Clinton was a really cute village, and the town was more clustered together than Williamstown. We stayed at a bed and breakfast called the Hedges, where we stayed in a suite.

The tour guide was enthusiastic, nice, and seemed very genuine.

Hamilton College is an interesting mix of gorgeous old brown stone buildings (called “the light side”) and modernistic buildings (the old Kirkland female college, called “the dark side,” famous for attracting more artsy students than the other side of campus). That seems symbolic of its balance socially-- athletes, artsy kids, etc.-- and its balance among curriculum areas. Hamilton has an open curriculum with few requirements. The tour guide noted that means that all students in class are genuinely engaged in the subject.

We were worried about fraternities, but it sounded from students like they are not an overwhelming presence, especially since they are nonresidential.

The feel of the school was very “real”-- warm, friendly, direct.

There were two dining halls. We ate in one that had stained glass windows and an arched ceiling with wood buttresses. We saw a dorm room that was a two room quad-- bedroom, common room.

My son had his first interview, by a senior girl.

Hamilton went right to the top of the list, and was one of the five contenders for an ED application, although he ultimately selected another college.

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April, 2017:

Williams College: STAYED THE SAME- was a favorite before the visit, and is where my son will be attending:

Williams checked off so many boxes for my son. It is a small liberal arts college with a great student-faculty ratio, the amazing two-student tutorial program, and a tradition of close relationships among students and faculty, where faculty members have students join them for everything from research to dinner at the faculty member’s home. It has strengths in academic areas he enjoys. It has club tennis. It has a very inclusive, very warm community, with a wonderful “freshman entry” system, in which about 20 first-year students live together with two unpaid Junior Advisers who serve as informal mentors. There are great orientation programs for freshmen. There is a wide variety of upperclass dorms (including the pretty row houses and an old hotel, as well as more traditional dorms) and almost everyone has a single after freshman year. Williams has quirky traditions, like an All Night Trivia Contest, and Mountain Day, when classes are unexpectedly cancelled so that everyone can go on a hike up a nearby mountain. It is in a beautiful rural location with the mountains in walking distance. Finally, although this is not the most important factor, it is so well-regarded. It is ranked first on US News and so many other lists, and has a great record with placing students into PhD programs, the nation’s top law schools, and jobs on Wall Street.

At first I thought my son would not like Williams as our visit was on the same day as the picture-perfect Middlebury campus (the Williams campus is lovely, but Middlebury is perfect), but he loved it after the tour.

The tour guide was a freshman boy who was on the club tennis team! He said it plays other colleges about once a month and kids practice about three times a week. My son was really happy about this.

In addition to the charming older buildings, there were a lot of new brick and glass buildings, and a really nice new library with fantastic views through glass windows.

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Since I was guilty of going off topic feeling ashamed but then again I have middle age brain

U of Vermont: Way down and then way, way up. Drove up from Boston, S literally slept the entire ride. Went to general session and it was awful. The presenter kept trying to make food analogies and it was painful. Son begged to go home. I hadn’t slept so I said no. Tour guides line up and we literally get the one we don’t want. As we are leaving a second tour guide joins the group. The kid is a dynamo and our “bad tour guide” just blossomed with him there. Tour was great; they gave the kids a real sense of day to day life on campus. Son loved everything. Went into Burlington for lunch and that sealed the deal. What a great town.

McGill: Way up. Visited in November, bringing American Thanksgiving to our oldest son who is a first year. Youngest has a good feel of campus from his older brother. Did the tour which was good; the highlight was the diversity of the group (10 people from 7 different countries and our tour guide was from Lebanon). McGill is immensely diverse and you could feel it. Son spent Friday night in dorm with older brother. Announced at breakfast that it is his number one and he wants the family noodge (me) to push him along to make sure he gets the grades to get in.

Down: Apparently every other school. I cannot get him to look at any other schools since visiting UVM and McGill and I am pulling my hair out.

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@swimmingDad Such different schools and different vibes, right? I haven’t seen McGill, but is there any campus at all or is just pretty much part of the city?

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Ok @TheGreyKing Your reviews are the best. You should travel around and visit schools and write a book.

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Thanks, @homerdog !

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@citymama9 The McGill campus, in my opinion, is a bit of the best of both worlds. The campus is on the edge of downtown and backs up to Mont Royal. There is a large grassy area in the middle of campus where kids hang out overlooking downtown…so it very much has a strong campus feel. It’s one of my favorite city campuses.

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Hamilton went off the list after he visited – too small, rural, didn’t react well to the dark side/light side divide, originally was top of the list! USC went on the list after he spent a summer there in a music program, now his #1 (which is crazy because we are more of a UCLA family!).

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McGill is similar to U of Toronto in that it is right in the middle of the city but has it’s own grounds. Not a “gated community” feel at all…city dwellers can and do walk through. Backing up to Mount Royal does limit non student traffic, though.

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We saw Rollins over Thanksgiving. A while ago I did my post on the Texas colleges we’ve visited as well as Hendrix, Rhodes and Centre.

Rollins moved down (and pretty much off) the list. My daughter has no interest in greek life. On the Rollins campus, sorority and frat houses have prime real estate, which was a turn off.

There was nothing wrong with the visit, but there wasn’t anything really right with the visit either. Nothing my daughter walked away saying “I loved this particular aspect”.

One thing that cracked me up was her response to the Orlando area humidity. Her hair, in her opinion, was too fluffy the entire time we were there. What makes no sense is that we are Texans, and are very familiar with humidity.

Trinity University in San Antonio is still top of her list. She’s been accepted and got their highest merit award and will compete at Trinity Scholars day. Southwestern University is still a strong contender. Hendrix is her favorite out of state college. Rhodes is still on the list.

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June 2017:
Bates, Bowdoin, Connecticut College, Brown: Sadly, I missed these tours as I was working that week. My husband took my son. So these reports are based on what I heard from my family, not my own visits.

Connecticut College (UP): The campus is apparently very beautiful, with pretty brown buildings, expansive lawns, a big arboretum, and views of the Long Island Sound from parts. My husband was especially impressed. Conn Coll has all the pros of a small liberal arts college, plus a really good career preparation program including a series of workshops and a paid internship. The male-female ratio tilts female. Add the fact that there is no supplemental essay, no application fee, and better admission odds than at most of its NESCAC competitors—as my son said, “I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t apply to Connecticut College."

Hence, on the thread on this forum that asks for people’s opinions of “the most underrated college,” I gave my vote to Connecticut College. It should be spoken of in the same breath as Williams and Hamilton, but for some reason, it isn’t always.

Bates College (UP): My son really loved Bates. It has a pretty campus and an especially warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment. It just felt good.

My son and husband spent time walking around the river in Lewiston as well. My son commented that he really liked the town. He also liked the idea of Maine, with all its outdoor activities and natural beauty.

Academically, Bates has all the advantages of any top liberal arts college, as well as a unique 4:4:1 calendar, which I think is nicer than a 4:1:4 calendar because you can extend your travel abroad or your internship begun during the Short Term.

Bates is the farthest away of any college he was considering, so it lost some points for that… but he could really picture himself there and would have been delighted to attend if he had been admitted. He enjoyed his interview and tour.

Bates is test-optional, so perhaps applying with test scores in the top quartile might help, and “demonstrated interest” counts a lot there, so the visit and interview definitely help. And it has a formidable reputation among graduate schools, businesses, college ranking magazines, and those “in the know.”

Bowdoin (STAYED THE SAME)- He expected to love it. He did. He had a great interview and enjoyed his tour. He said that the campus has many beautiful trees. It also has a very active club tennis team. And although he didn’t have time to explore it, based on his readings and what he heard, he felt that Brunswick would be the perfect “college town.” Ocean and mountains were both near enough to enjoy. Its history department sounded great. Professor-student relationships sounded especially close. The dorms were amazing. Bowdoin’s distance from home kept it out of consideration for ED1, but at one point he commented that it was “nicer than just about anywhere.”

Brown (DOWN): My son was least impressed by Brown’s campus and environs but said the tour guide was good. I heard negative reviews of the big blue bear dominating part of campus as a temporary exhibit, but I have since heard on College Confidential that some students love “Blueno.” Once again, my son put the non-LAC below the LACs he visited. Brown stayed on the list for its “Ivy” status, the ability to take all classes pass-fail, and especially, the completely open curriculum.

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August 2017:

Skidmore (UP): This was the most unexpected “hit” of our college tours. My son loved it and had a great interview with an admissions officer. We had a really bubbly tour guide who was extremely enthusiastic about her classes and experiences.

The surrounding town was charming, with a block of mansions right next to the campus, and a wonderful, active town in Saratoga Springs. The campus was very pretty with lawns and trees and the “North Woods” (a forest on campus). The buildings are modern, so not your classic college look, but they were attractive buildings with a nicer and more unified look than at Brandeis.

The dorm experience often starts with a triple, but then a single for each of the other years, and the dorm rooms are nice-looking with window seats. Seniors can live in on-campus apartments. The male-female ratio skews female.

Skidmore is great for studying the arts but strong across the board.

No discussion about Skidmore could be complete without mentioning the annual Beatlemore Skidmania, during which students perform their interpretations of Beatles songs. During the drive home, my son was planning which song to use for his performance!

Skidmore considers demonstrated interest. It is odd because Skidmore’s admissions are getting more and more competitive (the admissions percentage was 25% last year!), but the test scores still aren’t as high as at some of the other colleges my son was considering.

When we visited Princeton later during the same trip, he remarked, “I guess I would go to Princeton if I were admitted, because then I could always say I went to Princeton. But I really liked Skidmore better.” That says it all! Even though my son ended up at another college, I always will have a soft spot for Skidmore. And my son was joking about maybe driving with his future friends from Williams to Skidmore (not too far away) to see Beatlemore Skidmania!