This forum has been so helpful the past year. I have learned so much from you all! I especially loved reading this thread, getting different perspectives on schools when my daughter was was narrowing down her list. Now it’s my time to give back and share. 
University of Pittsburgh: This was our first college tour. For me it moved way up (I didn’t think I’d like an urban campus for DD) but for her, it moved down. The day was very well organized and informative. We sat down one on one with someone from the honors program who answered all of our questions. Our tour guide was also very good. I was impressed but DD did not like the urban feel and discounted it right away. It felt too big to her and she wanted a campus with more green space.
University of Rochester: Moved way down for both of us. This was an early front runner and on paper it seemed like a perfect fit. The visit wasn’t awful, but because it was so far up on the list that made the fall that much further. The tour was overcrowded and our guide was just so-so, and we could barely hear him. We had read how beautiful the campus was but honestly we were not impressed. It was pretty, but didn’t wow any of us. Not a deal breaker or even close to it, but worth mentioning. The biggest issue was the fact that the campus was really dead. Not many kids walking around— It seemed lifeless. The kids we did see were walking alone. It just seemed very low energy. DD almost didn’t apply but decided she should have a couple larger schools im the mix in case she decided the small LAC route wasn’t for her in the end. Rochester had a ton of supplemental essays and extra essays for scholarships though and it ate up a lot of her time. In hindsight she shouldn’t have bothered applying but stuck it out in hopes that an excellent merit award could possibly sway her in that direction. Turns out, Rochester was the least generous with merit and financial aid from our experience— something to note since it often gets such high marks on CC in that category. $7,000 compared to $30+ from Case Western a peer school.
Allegheny: Moved down. This was also an early front runner but neither none of us were feeling it. It seemed run down, and just lackluster. I don’t know what it was exactly, but I kept my thoughts to myself and asked her “so what do you think?” about 1/2 way through. She said what I was thinking…”I’m not sure why, but I’m just not feeling it.” She had a good friend who loved it there and had a great experience as a Freshman, so honestly, this was just our first impression. In the end though DD took it off the list after the visit.
Wooster: Moved up. Wonderful tour, excellent guide. The campus is lovely. DD placed it second to Kenyon which was saying a lot. For Wooster it was the reviews on student review websites that put doubts in her head later on in the process— doubts that I think in the end she couldn’t quite shake. She ended up getting the top merit amount from them, but with no additional financial aid, it wasn’t enough to lure her into considering a safety if she didn’t absolutely HAVE to consider it in the end.
Denison: Pretty campus, quaint college town, loved the coach she was in contact with. We all wanted to love Denison but our tour guide soured it a bit. When asked about the student body she said “We are all extroverts— I can’t see anyone introverted fitting in here.” Oh boy, I thought to myself, you lost her on introverted. 
She also talked about how the administration had to keep replacing drinking fountains because every weekend they would be pulled out of the wall. Honestly we just laughed about it— why would she tell us that?! LOL I had read enough about Denison to know not to let this one tour guide ruin it for DD though (and I knew her 17 year old brain wouldn’t give it a chance unless I pushed it) so I encouraged her to take it with a grain of salt and keep it as a high safety. She went back later for an overnight and had a much better experience. Had they given her full-tuition it would have been a serious contender in the end.
Kenyon: This one moved up but honestly it was her #1 from the get go, so it didn’t really have far to go. Kenyon lived up to everything it was on “paper” for my daughter. It was the first college she really connected with and she left really feeling like she could see herself there 100% This was more about fit than anything else… I can see how some might be turned off by the isolation, small town, etc. But for the right kid, it’s magical. The students seemed very friendly— everywhere we went our tour guide saw students that waved, said hello. You just got a sense that there was a very strong community presence there. That and the literary culture, the gorgeous old buildings, and the charm of middle path made it near perfect in her eyes. Denison is more “pretty” in a manicured sort of way. Charming in its own way, but different. I personally came away thinking they were both great schools. In the end, she ended up choosing Kenyon!
Notre Dame: Moved down, but it’s ND so it was hard not to make excuses… “maybe you just didn’t connect with the tour guide” etc. But looking back it was clear the fit was just off. The hokey beginning presentation felt forced and was cringeworthy at times. She liked the Catholic element— the grotto, the fact that there were chapels in the dorms etc. It stayed on the list because well, it was ND and what was wrong with us for not loving it like everyone else? And because it was the only Catholic school she applied to. She had attended Catholic schools her whole life and wasn’t sure if she wanted to let that go or not. Incidentally in the end her final decision came down to UKY (financially the best option— NMF almost full ride) Kenyon and Notre Dame. Notre Dame is after all, Notre Dame, and she kept wondering if her first impression based on that visit was premature. So even though the visit didn’t move it up for her, she only gave up on ND at the very end—in April. Fit and $ ended up being the two deciding factors.
University of Kentucky: Moved up. Attended merit weekend when UKY seemed like it may be the only financially safe option, as financial aid /merit offers started rolling in. Suddenly it became possible that the back up plan might end up being THE plan. They did an excellent job. Very organized and the Lewis Honors college presentation was excellent. The honors dorms were brand new and amazing! Honors priority registration meant she would sign up for classes that weekend. It was a bit rushed, which seemed to stress her out a bit (and this is a type B kid who rolls with it usually) so I wondered how personal the advising would be moving on. I will say that she called later to change things on her schedule and advisors were accessible and helpful on the phone. In the end, she had her heart set on a small LAC (Kenyon specifically) but if $ has not come though she would have taken advantage of the UKY NMF Patterson deal and made the best of it. For a different kid (one who wants a big university with sports, school spirit etc) UKY and the Lewis Honors college is fantastic in my opinion.
Miami University (Oxford) Moved up. DD liked the campus, DH and I liked the prospect of probable full tuition for her ACT. Larger than she wanted, but she was open to it. Kids didn’t seem as preppy as they were described in student reviews. Not that preppy is bad, just wasn’t the vibe she was looking for. It stayed on the list until the end when UKY won out as the financial safety— due much to her favorable impression after merit weekend.