S crossed Colorado College off list after accepted student days. Host and others were smoking pot, and said doing so was part of the CC experience. (And, same had happened on an overnight). He was worried he’d be too tempted (ugh). Also, he was considering pre-med, and kids told him most don’t finish prerequisites in 4 yrs due to auction system for block plan - huge downside. I still love this college, but not for this S. Richmond became his choice after visiting (over Colgate, which he’d previously loved - for the beauty and fun kids/overnight). He liked Richmond best because of all the schools where he sat in a class, it was the only school where kids introduced themselves to him, there was discussion in class, and the prof and he spoke at length after class.
@havenoidea that’s great info, thanks for sharing. The Colorado pot thing scares me. We are taking my son to see U of Colorado this July. Does anyone know how bad the pot scene is there? I know it’s everywhere…and my husband says so many states are now legalizing it so it will be everywhere…but is it worse in the Colorado schools? Major concern for the same reasons you have. Ugh.
@collegemomjam, at a U. Colorado Q&A in March they said that there is some sort of issue with federal funding and they cannot allow pot use on campus or they will jeopardize that funding. There was much skepticism in the audience however, and also bear in mind that housing is only guaranteed freshman year, so for three of the four years students will be off campus. This is off-topic for this thread, but I imagine kids have to make choices wherever they go. They’ll find pot, alcohol, and other drugs at most colleges, and all we can do is teach them to make good choices.
You have to be 21 to buy pot in Colorado. No different than alcohol. You do not see hundreds of people drinking beer on the streets of Colorado, you do not see students smoking pot in every doorway on campuses either. In fact, you don’t see people smoking anything in or near public buildings as it’s illegal. It’s not legal in the dorms nor is drinking, and I think you’ll find more people drinking beer in the dorms than smoking pot as it is easier to conceal the beer.
People were smoking pot at Colorado College long before it was legal, and they are still smoking there. Same at Reed in Oregon, same at California schools. Sometimes when I walk the dog around my neighborhood where the average age of the homeowners is probably 50, I smell pot. It’s not legal to smoke in public parks just like it is not legal to drink in public parks, but you are more likely to find people having a kegger there than a big pot sit in.
I have two 21 year olds living in Colorado. I don’t think either has ever been to a pot dispensary. Who buys marijuana products in our family? My 83 year old mother buys a cream for her arthritis and her dealer is my 84 year old father who gets it from some guy at the bar he has lunch at several times a week.
I’ll just note that pot use isn’t limited to those states where it’s legal, nor has it been limited to the era since state legalization began—it’s just easy to take a relaxed attitude toward weed at a Colorado school and attribute it to legalization, because for some reason Colorado has the reputation even though they weren’t the first to decriminalize personal use.
For my part, when I was a grad student at Penn in the 90s, I simply grew to expect to pass undergrads smelling of marijuana smoke. It wasn’t even remarkworthy after a while. More recently, my D17 was turned off by Reed students’ relaxed attitudes toward marijuana, which she encountered before it was legalized in Oregon.
@havenoidea Best of luck to your son! Mine just finished year one at UR and had a fantastic experience. He’s already anxious to get back.
City of Richmond was a real revelation for us. Though we’re DC/Baltimore we just never made it down there. My son and his friends are in the city almost every week for restaurants, concerts and museums. It’s a cool town and a gorgeous campus. Congrats!
Thanks for the Colorado info everyone…helpful and all points well taken.
I would also like to complement U of Richmond…we visited a few years back and it was one of my favorites. One of the friendliest campuses we have been to. I am also taking my son there in September and hope that he likes it. It’s a little small but it’s not isolated. Seems like a happy place and that student’s get lots of attention. Having Richmond there is great, and only 2 hours from DC and 2 hours from Virginia Beach. Really a nice spot.
@collegemomjam head about an hour west and you are in Charlottesville - a few minutes further and you hit Afton mountain, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Skyline drive, and Wintergreen. Richmond is in a great location for day trips to DC, the beach or the mountains.
We visited University of Oklahoma and University of Kansas for my DS19, essentially to evaluate one or both as “safeties” for his college list. Kansas he thought was too big, with not enough core-center of campus feel to the layout. I thought the campus was beautiful, but he didn’t like the mishmash of architecture (old, new, and ugly 1950s buildings). He loved Oklahoma, however, so much so that it is probably in his top 3 choices along with two of his reaches and above any of his matches. He felt, and I agree, that the campus at OU feels much smaller than it is—compact organization of academic buildings in two long ovals, unified architectural scheme of red brick and gothic detailing, and the football stadium is right on campus and built with same architectural style such that when right next to it you almost believe it is another academic building. He also preferred Norman to Lawrence.
I thought he would like both schools, and was a bit surprised how much he liked OU and that he did not like Kansas. KU does seem much bigger than OU, which is odd because the two schools are almost the exact same size in enrollment. One big factor, I surmise, is that my son is from a small high school and OU felt closer to an SMU in campus size and architecture (ie, a private college of 10k students that we had otherwise been focusing on in our college search), while KU is a true large state flagship (despite below-average enrollment for Midwest and south). Anyone looking at larger state schools should put KU on their list, but those seeking a more intimate feel should put OU on theirs.
The reality may be that it’s illegal to buy put for most college students, who are under 21, but that doesn’t mean that CO schools aren’t a huge draw for kids exactly because of the pot culture.
In 10-20 years when pot is legal in many places, CO will no longer be known as a draw for kids looking to live in a place where pot is widely accepted, but for the past few years, CO has drawn those students like a giant magnet. And we in Florida are grateful. Prior to this, we attracted many of the people who were more interested in the party than school and now CO is taking at least a share of them. Ten years ago, if you talked to 100 of our high schoolers about where they wanted to go to college, at most 1 or 2 of them would mention Colorado and those were usually people who’d moved from there or who were active skiiers. Ever since pot was legalized, a good 10% - 20% talk about how they are drawn to the “natural beauty” (oh, is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?) of Colorado and want to apply to colleges there. It is no coincidence that apps to many of the CO schools increased at the same time pot was legalized.
Once they actually get there, kids may find it’s not what they expected because again, they won’t be able to legally buy pot. But that doesn’t mean it’s not attracting a certain student due to their perception of the lifestyle…
I’m actually in favor of legalization and again, when more states have legalized and it’s not such a notable attraction much of this will even out. But for now, all I can say is of the dozen or more friends’ kids I know who have moved to Colorado in the last several years - again, all this sudden interest only happened after pot was legalized - none of them are the types I’d want my kids around in college and all but one have become burnouts within a few years out there. If I were a CO resident whose kids were getting ready to go to college I would be disappointed with how the pot culture has changed this element of college, since there are several great schools there and it’s a wonderful place to live.
@BooBooBear Hi, can you share your impressions of SMU? Thanks
My son visited SMU as one of his earliest visits—we did a Texas swing of SMU, TCU, and UT Austin. He liked all 3, but felt Austin was both too big and a little too cramped at the same time—it lacked much in the way of big open spaces while the buildings were still very large. TCU he liked but was not crazy about the yellow brick architecture, and the immediate area of town did not excite him (though I think this was more a function of what we could see than what was truly there or not there). He was indifferent about the people he met at Austin, but thought everyone at TCU was very nice.
He came away very impressed with SMU. The campus is well-maintained, all red brick and white detailing Georgian architectural style. The campus feels well designed and intimate, with the football and basketball stadiums right next to academic buildings and not set off a distance from campus. The Bush Presidential Library is also right next door, practically “on” campus. The people we met were nice and professional—it also felt less “Texas” than TCU both in its look and its vibe. SMU is in about the prettiest and most expensive area of Dallas, which cuts both ways because there isn’t any “cool” area right next to campus for students like you might find with many campuses, though there is plenty of good restaurants and shopping in the neighborhoods generally around SMU.
I disagree with you milee30. Applications are up at UC and other Colorado schools because there are more people in the state and the schools are bigger. Applications are up almost everywhere. The stats for acceptance are higher so if applicants are just coming for the pot, they at least need to have high stats. I don’t think the ‘new’ pot culture has changed anything from when I went to CU in the 70’s and we were on the Playboy best party school lists. I think CU has more of a fitness and health culture than a pot culture.
There is plenty of pot available. There always has been. There are places in Colorado that are suffering because of the pot industry, mostly in Pueblo and that area where far too many babies are born drug addicted. Nothing to do with college students.
I don’t know how much of an effect it has overall, but the couple comments I’ve heard about Colorado schools have all come with the “Pot is legal there, right?” comment. We’re in PA. No one from my school in my memory had ever considered a CO school before. OTOH, I don’t think any of those considering them actually went there. I’m not even sure they ended up applying, but my memory isn’t perfect. It’s definitely on the mind for a few (nowhere near the majority).
Crossed off: Tufts. D didn’t feel comfortable almost from the moment we stepped on campus. The tour didn’t help at all. The guides were knowledgable and friendly but she just wasn’t feeling it.
Moved up: Georgia State. This wasn’t even on her radar. We were in Atlanta for a cheer competition and the campus was close to our hotel so I said let’s visit while we’re here. She LOVED it. The guides were engaging and funny. They mentioned many of the study abroad opportunities (very important for D). They taught us one of the school chants. Before the tour even started and right before the info session, the group played a gam called The Generation Gap where they quizzed a prospective student and a parent. I was the parent lol.
We also took Tufts off after visiting. Definitely a feel thing. It’s a great school and very prestigious…but the info session was boring and we just didn’t get an upbeat vibe from the tour.
We are taking my son to see U of Colorado in a month. I think he will love it, but I am cautious about the pot thing. Not sure I’ll be able to get a feel for it from our tour!
We decided NOT to tour U of Denver, even though I like what I have read about the school. I just don’t think the quarter system will work for my son for various reasons. I’m sad about that because in many ways it’s a better fit for him. But knowing his personality, both of my daughters who are in college now have convinced me it’s a deal breaker for him.
My oldest is a rising sophomore, but we live in the northeast within easy driving distance of dozens of great colleges, and she was asking about types of colleges, so we started visiting this year. We have now seen 20 over the course of the last 8 months - my daughters thought it was fun and interesting and wanted to keep seeing more, and they like envisioning what their futures might hold. Both my kids are advanced academically and they have already taken standardized tests (SAT and some SAT2s) for CTY purposes and curiosity purposes, and they are deeply involved with some great and unique ECs with regional recognition, so hopefully this trajectory will continue and they’ll have the stats to buy a lotto ticket for some reaches if that’s what they eventually want to do (I emphasize admissions stats for the colleges they visit so their eyes are open). The most important thing is fit, and they are both having fun discovering what feels right and what doesn’t feel right without the pressure of having to apply in the very near future. We homeschool and travel a lot, and some of my kids’ classes are online, so it is probably easier for us to manage a lot of visits than kids who have a traditional school schedule. We will revisit all colleges to which each of my kids took a serious liking.
Anyway - I’ll post our impressions so far, in multiple posts (so this one doesn’t get crazy long).
Tufts -
Great info session with an admissions fellow who obviously loves his job. Seems like he genuinely cares about the students behind all the applications and he checks up on those kids whose applications he personally read who were admitted (he sees them on campus and enjoys learning about their progress). He made the admissions process seem compassionate and less mysterious, and I walked away thinking he was a great guy. My kids walked away thinking that this college application process was going to be fun (they like writing essays) and that adcoms were nice people with a difficult job to do. I couldn’t have asked for a better first info session visit, so thanks, Tufts!
The tour was fine - the young lady who gave it was nice, well-spoken, etc. We had the added bonus of a hawk landing ten feet away from our group with a still-alive-and-squeaking squirrel in one of its talons during one part of the tour. This hawk of course upstaged the tour guide, who seemed as curious and fascinated as the rest of us. The hawk stood on the ground staring at us, then quickly bent over and killed the squirrel once and for all with its beak, then stared at us some more as the group forgot about the tour and took photos, lol. The hawk then decided to take off and fly right through our group, clutching the dead squirrel. It flew through us and then up to a tree branch and stared at us from there. The tour guide continued with her tour after several of us thanked her for arranging that extra bit of nature, lol.
Result - great school, great experience - however, neither of my girls want to apply. The reason is that the campus itself didn’t feel right to them. 19 tours later I now know why - my oldest really gravitates toward green spaces and traditional campuses and the other either wants that too OR she wants even more of a city feel (she likes the extreme opposites but nothing in the middle). Of course, my youngest (rising 8th grader) has plenty of time to change her mind so I’ll see how her preferences shift/take shape over the years. She’s more along for the ride right now, but she’s having fun seeing everything and seems genuinely interested in it all.
Northeastern - info session was fine, tour was fine. I LOVE the whole coop thing since it seems optimal for landing a job after graduation. D21 doesn’t want to apply though - not enough of a campus feel for her. My youngest thought she might like to revisit when she is older, but then we got home and my oldest started getting FLOODED with mailings and emails from Northeastern - to the point where it completely turned off my youngest and now she associates Nottheastern as the school that keeps bothering her sister.
Boston University - great info session, both my girls were impressed at the depth of information (and the waiting area!). The tour was not so great - we got a student who made fun of the school, the other students, and couldn’t answer a single question. It was evident we had gotten a dud, and twice we passed other tour guides who seemed to be well informed and much better than ours (I hung back to eavesdrop). Result: great school. My oldest realized at this point that city campuses are not for her so she won’t apply here and she probably won’t visit any other schools located in a major city. My youngest LOVED the feel of being right in the city and wants to visit again in a couple of years. She understands we just got a bad tour guide and looks forward to another tour with someone else. She also now wants to see NYU, Columbia, and Barnard when she is older (we visit NYC a few times a year).
University of New Hampshire - warm and down-to-earth info session, great presentation. Tour guide was very enthusiastic with lots of school spirit. This was the first time my kids were on a campus that was the traditional green, spread out campus with trees - my oldest immediately realized that she really loves that atmosphere. My youngest likes it too - they both want to visit again. Lots of happy students skateboarding, biking, using scooters to get to class, friendly people, good vibe.
Harvard - my kids spend two days a week in the Harvard area since their dad lives around there. The area is kind of their second home, so they both feel comfortable at Harvard Square and know the area well. They found the info session enjoyable and they especially liked the perspectives of the two students who shared presentation duties along with the admissions lady. Only my oldest did the tour since my youngest had to be somewhere and I had to take her. My oldest seemed to like the tour. Both will likely be back for another visit.
Dartmouth - we are also around this area a lot due to my kids’ extracurriculars. The info session was informative and friendly and the tour was fun. My oldest likes the emphasis on traditions, and both my kids are very outdoorsy. The campus is wide and green (though full of snow in winter, but my two are used to that), Hanover is a great college town, and the AT runs right through it which both my kids think is cool. Both want a second visit.
Brandeis - info session was fine - my girls liked the emphasis on inclusivity. Tour guide was sweet and informative. People kept coming by during the tour saying “Come to Brandeis!”. Students seemed happy and friendly. Campus was perfectly manicured and suburban, with easy walking distance into Waltham. Both my girls want to visit again.