With the preceding UW references I checked that pdf- the other UW-Udub, meaning WA not WI. Back to marijuana and not partying subject matter.
It has been a year since the college decision was made but the campus visit that didn’t turn out too well was Tulane. D was admitted with an extremely generous DHS scholarship. We were very excited for her and turned the visit to New Orleans in to our spring break trip. We had some concerns going though - her major (Comp Sci) is listed as a “coordinate major” and although there was some information on their website regarding this, we really hoped to get a chance to talk to someone about how that plays into internships, major pairing with CS, etc. She was proactive and arranged to sit in on a class and emailed the department chair using the “got questions?” link provided. Well, the campus is beautiful but the building where her CS class was - and many of her classes would be - was super old and one of the floors was actually crumbling. I know they had suffered damage from Katrina and are still rebuilding - but it was super depressing. Dark hallway, kids sitting around on the crumbling floor. The CS teacher was very friendly but had to run off after class. She had yet to hear back regarding her questions or any offer to meet with her. I figured they were just busy but we later saw the contact sitting at a table drinking coffee in the student center. Thought maybe they could at least respond (gave them at least 1-2 weeks I think) and we had told them we’d be on campus for the accepted students day. They had offered a chance to have lunch with a student - he was very nice but could not provide much info on anything that would help my daughter regarding major, interests , etc. She thought everyone was friendly enough but just couldn’t seem to connect well with anyone - like she had on other visits. She left campus very confused and I could tell, very disappointed. She wanted to love it, based on the scholarship and all that would provide her. A few days later, since we were still enjoying NO, I suggested we head back to campus to sit in the student center as long as she needed and just absorb the vibe and see what we could figure out. Finally, she saw a group of students sitting at a table that she recognized from the CS class. She approached them and they were super nice and helpful - invited her to sit down and talk. But, by that point the wind had been sucked out of her sails and it was clearly like forcing a square peg in a round hole. She had just felt so much better about at least 6 other campuses. It seemed like a great school for the right kid - and it is quite possible she would have had an amazing experience there - but we decided that to let that one go.
@azmomof3 thanks for that story. Where did she end up and are you happy with the school and the CS major there? Aren’t CS majors very difficult to get into these days?
We did a Southwest Merit Schools trip last summer when schools were quiet.
University of New Mexico: The staff was incredibly helpful and personable . They were accommodating in helping to make arrangements that required tweaking of their normal tour schedule for us. Very impressive, attentive to detail, emailed itinerary and parking pass. It didnt help though that we arrived during a dangerous heat warning that didn’t phase our personal tour guide one bit, as she stood in the no shade zones constantly. I almost wept, but that wouldn’t have produced any tears, as I was rapidly becoming dehydrated. No. I take the at back. I was becoming dust.
The immediate area around the Uni was under heavy construction. Always a good sign, right? I kept telling myself this and D18. Dorms were dorms. Nothing special, everywhere we went felt - okay. The city blocks around campus were as my daughter said, “Sketch.” A bit run down, bars on windows. Other than this it was a southwest, low-key town. Maybe we were expecting a bit much even in the summer. So, we moved on to ASU.
Arizona State University: Wow. Diversity. D18 loved seeing mixed groups of ethnicities. Our tour guide was lovely and quirky, the main presenter in the Welcome Center seemed like he had a bit of a sales pitch. I kept waiting for the timeshare pictures.They had several new and updated facilities Huge campus, with a few other sites that you had to bus over to.
And that heat warning was still chasing us! Tempe has a vibrant city life in the blocks around campus and not just college kids. A very cool vibe, the tour was hundreds of people shoved into an auditorium and then broken off into groups of 15 or so. A machine of sorts, but they have to be with over 70k students. The Honors College is where it’s at. We pulled into a parking spot with our names on it. A great presentation and helpful Q&A session. Again, attentive staff. Someone ran off to get a business card of someone for us to speak to. New dorms that looked like nice condos with the latest and greatest amenities. Someone said that maybe half of the Honor College students are Engineering Majors. That may or may not have been a selling point :-B
@collegemomjam - she ended up at SMU in Dallas, TX. Yes, some top-ranked CS programs can be very difficult to get into but it is not at SMU. Their engineering program is not terribly well-known but it does have most of the disciplines (mechanical, electrical, CS, civil, etc.), ABET accreditation, and great support from the Dallas area for internships, research, etc. The facilities are all quite new and the classes are small. So, it was a good fit for her and what she was looking for. She’s had 2 CS classes so far - one was very good and helped confirm that she wanted to stay in CS. She was less than impressed with the CS prof from her 2nd class. She also had an engineering robotics team/group project class (mandatory) that was very challenging but a good kick start for her. Additionally, she has been able to participate in the non-STEM activities that she enjoyed in high school, musical theater, as a non-major and that was really good for her. I am actually an SMU alum and her first visit was early in the college tour process and she felt it was too much “mom’s school”…fair enough. But, as time went on, she kept it on her list since there were things she liked about it. They did give her a nice scholarship (not as big as Tulane’s - but enough to keep it in consideration). So, after the Tulane visit didn’t work out (and decision time was running out), I put her on a plane to go visit SMU without me this time so that I didn’t influence it either way. Maybe it was because she had to go figure things out for herself and had to reach out more to talk to people, but she felt so comfortable there within the first few hours that she was ready to commit. University of Dayton and Loyola Marymount (LA) were also on the short list.
@Meddy - we live about 20 minutes from ASU and S19 is 100% committed to attend there. He has no interest in looking all over the country at schools like his sister did. I think I’m OK with that. ASU engineering is massive but their grads are successful (DH is one and hires many). Most of the top students from my kids’ high school end up at Barrett and they are all quite happy.
@azmomof3 Yes, with generous merit $, a backdrop of palm trees and a Frank Lloyd Wright designed building, ASU moved up on that trip for sure
My daughter just graduated from ASU. Great school!
Just returned from our vacation in New England where we did 3 official tours with my rising junior (probable math major with interests in CS, physics, and music) and rising freshman (along for the ride, thinking about mechanical engineering but we know it’s a way off). For reference, I have an oldest child at a LAC in Oregon who only looked at West Coast schools so I’ve done a lot of those tours back when she was looking. Middle kid has toured UCB and both younger kids have seen their sister’s school and been on other campuses but are fairly new to the tour process.
Brown - I loved it, I know it’s really hard to get in so consider it a major reach for anyone, but I think the open curriculum would suit both of my younger kids. I personally like having the urban campus, not sure if they care as much. Both of the kids really liked it but said they didn’t have much to compare it to (and both ended up preferring Tufts in the end).
Tufts - it was 95 degrees out and humid. I found the info session kind of boring, personally, but we picked the math/engineering major tour guide and my kids totally related to him. My middle kid seemed to be melting due to the heat while my youngest was still enthusiastically laughing at the jokes and getting excited about all the little things, so I thought at the time that middle kid wasn’t into the school at all, but turns out it was the favorite of what we’ve seen so far. I think the quirky/nerdy vibe we got from our tour guide felt really like the right ‘feel’.
Bowdoin - I wanted an excuse to drive to Maine and also to visit a small LAC for comparison to the other places we’ve toured so far. Bowdoin seemed to be a good fit from what I’d heard… small LAC that is strong in the STEM areas (wouldn’t work for youngest but he can at least get a feel for a very small school). Well, the flip side of really relating to one tour guide is really not relating to another, and thinking that a few people represent the vibe of the whole school one way or the other. Long story short, everyone we had on this tour in both the info session and the tour put a lot of emphasis on pretty much everything except STEM (even our math major tour guide). We came away with the feeling that you could get a math/CS/ physics degree here but you wouldn’t be in a critical mass doing that. I realize it’s quite possible that we just got the wrong impression but I doubt my kid will be applying here. The upside is that she did like the overall size and feel of the campus, so we can keep exploring other LACs.
We also saw some of the Harvard and MIT campuses but I told the kids those schools are too hard to get into for undergrad and if they like them, they can see about going there for grad school ;-).
@washugrad More people graduate from Bowdoin with STEM majors than humanities or social studios. Computer Science is the fastest growing major (though Government is the still the most popular at the moment). If there’s one thing this massive topic has demonstrated it’s the arbitrariness (yet importance) of who you get in your tours or info sessions. In any event, with so many good choices (and so many of them able to offer comparable experiences), there’s nothing wrong with having something as simple as a bad guide eliminate a school from the list.
A neat tool to see how many majors graduated the previous year at any school (or two years ago, looks like 2017 grads right now) - Bowdoin, for fun, is here: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=bowdoin&s=all&id=161004#programs
If you told me about Univ of Toronto ahead of time I would have probably said no. Architecturally it is all over the map. Some halls are modeled on Oxbridge, some university buildings are civic edifices of Victorian England some departments are concrete bunkers for the 1960’s and the library (reported as the 3rd largest university library in North American behind Haaavard and Yale) is like something from outer space. But have to say I and D3 loved it. Tour guide was a whip smart quirky kid from Houston who made the tour informative and fun. The city of Toronto itself was awesome reminded me of Chicago, while they had this intersection in downtown that reminded me of a smaller version of Piccadilly Circus in London. D3 will definitely apply academic’s seem very rigorous.
UW Madison - If you think Tufts is hilly, try walking up to Bascom Hill. I consider UW Madison to be my match school and after visiting, it didn’t really move up or down on my list. It is a nice school, but I just feel it is too big. However, Madison seems like a nice place to live for 4 years.
Northwestern - Did not move on my list either. I am not heavily considering Northwestern, but the info session really tried to sell the school to you. The campus is nice, but there isn’t anything that stood out to me.
We just drove to PA to drop off our kids at their camps for three weeks - we extended the drive a couple days to see four colleges.
Clark University (we actually saw this one just before we left) - friendly and personable staff at front desk, cool hermit crabs in the hallway. Info session was great - a brilliant and completely unpretentious physics student was there to give his take on student life…he was wonderful. Completely unassuming and quirky in all the best ways. Tour was fine. It has programs both my kids are interested in - the only downside (for my oldest) is that the location isn’t close enough to serious nature. The University itself left a great impression. We’ll be back for another visit.
University of Pittsburgh - fun info session, very friendly and informative tour guide. Great school with programs both my kids find interesting. Unique buildings (we loved the Cathedral and the Towers!). Only issue is that it’s right in the city. It’s a nice part of the city and there is definitely a campus feel, but my oldest knows now that a big city school is not for her. My younger daughter really liked the campus though, so we’ll be back in a couple years so she can visit again.
Carnegie Mellon - info session and tour felt quite formal, but the academics in all areas are strong and the campus itself is gorgeous in a very modern and tech-y way. Doesn’t feel like you are in a city even though you kind of are. Oldest liked it but there isn’t a program there that quite fits her current and specific academic interest. If her academic interest stays the same over the next two years (which I anticipate), then I am not sure she’ll apply.
Dickinson - both my kids loved it. Friendly and approachable admissions staff and extremely informative and friendly tour guide. Campus is attractive and Carlisle is a great college town. Intimate feel without being claustrophobic. Inclusive and global in reach with a supportive and positive vibe. It has what my oldest wants in terms of academics and extracurriculars, and she likes that the campus is not isolated. Will definitely be back for another visit.
We also visited Smith recently - forgot to include it above.
Visited a few weeks ago - both loved it. Strong in areas both my girls like, interesting mix of architecture on campus, an engineering program that intrigues my oldest, an impressive record of sending women to grad and med school. Not sure yet if either of my girls prefer a co-ed or all-female undergrad environment. Time will tell.
Barnard went up on my D’s list. She has been insistent that she won’t consider an all-women’s school, but once she saw it she decided it could be an option. And being in NYC didn’t hurt.
@JanieWalker What kind of serious nature is your oldest looking for? The lakes and Mt Monadnock in southern NH are only about 50 miles from Clark, more Vermont and NH nature beyond that.
@fendrock We are pretty familiar with the area and the general northeast in terms of what we consider serious nature. 
I am talking nature right there or an easy bus/train ride away. Getting from Worcester to the nature of NH (even Monadnock) is a bit of a hassle. If there is an outing club that is active and has regular trips to the wilderness, then that would help. Something to explore more in depth on the next visit.
@JanieWalker - I found online that Clark has an outing club. So if your child does not mind living in a city but visiting the country on weekends, that could work! We passed Worcester en route to New Hampshire’s White Mountains, and it is not too far from them for an easy weekend trip.
But Dickinson is near the Appalachian Trail, and not in an urban area like Worcester, so the experience would be different, and maybe more to your child’s liking. And the mountains near Smith are pretty- I have not been to Smith, but the view from Amherst’s hill is lovely.
And then there’s a place like Williams, where you can walk to the mountain trails from campus. If you are looking at Dickinson and Clark, perhaps an ultra-rural school like St. Lawrence could provide a point of comparison? And Ithaca College and Cornell U are in an area surrounded by incredible natural beauty and hiking opportunities.
Thanks, @TheGreyKing . It is yet to be determined whether or not the living-in-the-city-and-visiting-on-weekends scenario would work for my daughter. Something for her to mull over, definitely.
We have visited Williams and she liked it, but that one might be a bit TOO rural. There’s a sweet spot I think she might especially like, given her reactions to all we have seen thus far. A place with easy access and great appreciation for nature/wilderness areas, and yet within walking distance (or a short bus ride) to a nice-sized college town. Though if she found a specific college with a program within her intended field (intended for now, as I am aware things can shift) that she found irresistible, then she might be willing to forego the close-to-nature requirement.
Cornell is on the list to visit – that one is not close to an area in which we already frequently travel, so that visit will take some planning and will likely happen late this coming spring or next summer. Same with St. Lawrence. Will look more into Ithaca, thanks. There are some colleges out west (Whitman, Lewis & Clark, and University of Puget Sound) we will visit when we go to the area for a planned vacation next summer – they are close enough to where we are traveling where we can rent a car and go check them out. I also think she might like Colorado College (if she liked their unique scheduling), but we have no planned trips to that area, so that visit will take some planning too and likely won’t be able to happen for a while.
@JanieWalker - ^ Skidmore! Great, bustling college town of Saratoga Springs, and easy access to the Adirondacks. Wonderful college, too, and probably would be liked by your child who also liked Clark, Dickinson, and Smith. Similarly socially welcoming like C and D and liberal like C and Sm. Modern architecture but lovely trees and lawns. One of the surprise hits of our tours- a “moved way up” from my list many posts above!