Down:
UMD- Great school with a great engineering program but S16 felt it was too large for him (helped us take a couple of other large schools off the list). He did still like the school and it ended up third on his final decision list. Without the tour it would have been #1.
BU- D14 loves Boston but found the campus too urban and spread out. Was originally her first choice but this helped her decide she likes a traditional college campus.
Rowan- Good engineering program but the disorganization of the Open House and tour left us underwhelmed.
Up:
UDel- Always a contender, but after the engineering tour S16 loved the program and the engineering students he met, as well as the overall vibe of the school.
Syracuse- Has always been a 'Cuse sports fan, but really liked the mix of architectures, overwhelming school spirit,
and small school feel.
Stevens- S16 didn’t even want to look at schools this small but loved the campus and Hoboken as well as the proximity to NYC.
TCNJ- the addition of Campus Town is definitely a plus.
My D14 is a cheerleader at Loyola Maryland as a pre-vet Biology major (large merit award) and my S16 will be attending Syracuse University. The process was much easier with my S as he was more sure of what he wanted. My D was all over the place but her final 3 schools (including my alma mater) were very similar. Because she has vet school in her sights, she chose the one where she would not need to take loans and is extremely happy there. The funny part about the Baltimore comment was that although Loyola is in a nice neighborhood I was concerned about the whole Baltimore city thing. Turns out my D loves Baltimore as there is so much to see and do. She is sad about leaving the city today for the summer!
I think attending a school in Baltimore, or the Bronx, or Detroit, or any “tough” city gives them a sense of the real world. It helps to ground them, to humble them, and to give them perspective. It’s four very quick years. You never know, they may stay and try to make a difference. Would that be so bad?
Agreed, @STEM2017. I feel that is one of the biggest things my D has taken from her experience so far. She has worked in soup kitchens; she has learned to interact with the homeless, they have stories to tell, and how they often buy a slice of pizza to help them out rather than give them money. When she missed a bus connection in NYC because her Greyhound bus broke down, I was not concerned at all. I knew she would figure it out and could get around. Her school is big on community service so the students definitely become part of the community and are active participants in trying to better it. I am proud of how much she has grown since she has been there. I guess that was why I bristled a bit at the comment.
Thanks @crazymamaB - I have two kids the same age so was curious. D16 also had Syracuse in her final 3 (little Syracuse joke there…) but then decided on a small LAC (Lafayette). But her third contender was CWRU in Cleveland - another city often on people’s hate list - but we all loved it, warts and all.
@mamaedefamilia, It is so funny that kids just don’t want the in-state flagship! Rutgers is ours and my kids have no desire to look yet have UMass on the "to visit’ list!
Our kids don’t want the in-state flagship (Illinois) because everyone is from Illinois. Plus, it’s huge. Indiana University is on lots of kids’ lists around here because of scholarship opportunities. And, of course, Michigan and Wisconsin are terrific schools as well and have a bigger percentage of students from out of state.
Also, I think kids just think there’s a little more panache attached to going to school outside their own state. Not sure it’s always worth paying out of state tuition for it though!
@crazymamaB, sounds like I will be visiting many from your list with my DD…we visited TCNJ two years ago and Campus Town was just a plan…is it finished? Would love to hear any other input on UMD as well. Congrats on your DS’s choice of Syracuse!
It’s amazing how many otherwise perfectly great schools get crossed off the list because of a bad campus tour experience. In our case UVA got kicked off because of the oh so preppy tour guide who kept waxing poetic during the whole tour about the Greek system plus hey, awesome secret societies!, and kept insinuating that if you don’t go Greek you’re pretty on your own to “find your niche”. Hmmm.
On the other hand, our tour of Bryn Mawr, a place which was not even on the radar and which we first visited just to check out since we were already in the neighborhood, turned out to be a terrific experience with an enthusiastic tour guide who was a great storyteller and on the basis of that experience, Bryn Mawr jumped into the #1 slot. So hey admissions departments, vet your tour guides carefully. Their influence can be more important than any of the colorful glossy catalogues sent to prospective applicants, both for good or bad.
I once had a couple of hours to kill at my kids’ school so I tagged along with part of two different tours. One was fine but unexceptional, the other so good I wanted to go back to school. Huge difference.
I have to say we’ve not always loved the tour guides or some of the things they emphasized on the general campus tours - felt like that for Georgia Tech, UT Austin & Johns Hopkins. But when he got to see engineering up close or sit in on classes that really helped get a better sense of what was important there academically. USC was a very long day bc there are several special sessions possible but learned a lot; Berkeley - visited 3 times - but he’s not feeling it. Rice was a very good experience - likely the best so far but 7-8 more to go and need to focus on safety options & matches.
Up: Rice.
The first college we visited. It was an unplanned visit when we found ourselves stuck on a layover in Houston a few years ago. So we really didn’t have any expectations or preconceived notions about the school. We were charmed before we even got there though. On the shuttle from the airport terminal to the rental car lot, the bus driver asked us what we were doing in Houston and when my son said we were going to visit Rice, the driver (an older gent) got a big smile on his face and said “Oh! You’re gonna be an Owl!?” and then proceeded to tell us about what a great school it was. And he right, it was a very nice school. The tour and info sessions were well done too but the airport shuttle driver remained the best “tour guide” we had at any college. Rice set a high bar for all future campus visits and only fell off the list at the very end. (I would like to have seen it stay on the list but it wasn’t my list.)
@Vot123 I agree re tour guides. Some are so bad you can’t believe the college thought they would be a good choice to be the face of their school. I liked colleges that would have many guides who were all studying different things. Then you choose which guide you want based on that. We found those guides to be the best ones.
Another down the list college, Johns Hopkins, but not for any bad reason. In fact, probably a great reason for the student who wants that environment, which was very studious and intense. Our two guides were great. Insanely smart, personable, knowledgeable. JHU did a great job hiring them as guides. But everywhere we went, students were furiously tapping away on computers and working. It wasn’t that it was depressing, or no one was having fun. There was no bad vibe. In fact, the vibe was good, it felt like you were learning just by being on campus. I think it is an amazing, gorgeous school with everything in the world to offer. We came away thinking JHU would be perfect for our class Val, a good friend of D’s.
^^This. Reed, for example, although gorgeous, really bummed me out as a possible choice for my kid. But I immediately thought of another kid I knew who I thought would really love it. And it looks as if that kid may actually be going.
Up:
Stevens Tech. Huh? What college? Hoboken? Yep. We really had no idea what a nice place it was. Living in NYC, we just figured it was a college with no distinct campus intermingled with Hoboken. We were very wrong. The campus is very quaint, separated from Hoboken (Hoboken is a fantastic little city with lots to do), and has amazing views of Manhattan and the Hudson River. Our tour guide was a very enthusiastic senior who was extremely knowledgeable. He made a big difference. The dining hall was buzzing with lots different kinds of kids - not just tech types. And we noticed that there were many women, notwithstanding the high male to female ratio. Aside from the price tag, this school will be a top contender this fall.
Are there any colleges that let you self tour using an app or one of those things they let you use at museums?
I have not encountered one decent tour guide on the handful of tours we’ve been on, and several of them certainly didn’t help project the school’s best message.
I’d rather show up and get some pre-packaged professional message that highlights the best of the college, instead of some kid telling me some stuff about the laundry machines in the dorms.
Most of the kids seem miserable walking around in the groups with their parents and other students being herded around campus.
It might be nice to show up, meet some admissions people, and then take your own tour with info on your phone ( or something else) and let you explore for a little bit.
^ Yes, some schools do have this! At Loyola MD, for example, there are signs instructing you on how to download an app which then guides you on an audio tour, very much like the audio tours through museums. It was great especially because we visited on a day when there were no formal tours.
One of our best “tours” was Mount Allison (in New Brunswick, Canada). They sent us a VR viewer and with their cell phone app you could virtually walk all around campus and buildings. You turned your head and it was as if you were on campus turning your head. It was terrifically well done. When we actually visited in person we already felt very familiar with the place.
We had been a bit wishy-washy about the prospect of visiting Canada in February, but this changed my D’s mind, and she liked the college very much.
D was turned off before we even got to UCSB. The night before the tour we ate at a lovely restaurant near campus. The waiter struck up a conversation with D, telling her he was soon to graduate. By the time the meal was over, she was fairly convinced UCSB was not the place for her. Waiter was very honest about the school’s culture and she took his advice to heart. The info session the next day pretty much sealed the deal.
