@marrast My D looked very seriously at Washington and Lee and University of Richmond, and chose W&L because she loved it and she got the Johnson, which was a better merit package than the Presidential Scholarship she got from Richmond. She is also a tour guide at W&L and went on the Applachian trail pre-Orientation trip. Feel free to message me about W&L—my husband and I are alums!
Not completely crossed off, but way down the list was CWRU. A drizzly day, disorganized open house, and unfavorable comparison to recent schools she toured did not help its status on her list. No signs to direct prospective students, poorly marked buildings, bad directions from the info desk, and older facilities were all marks against them. She loved the class she sat in on and getting there is easier than some others on her list, so it hangs on, by a thread, for now.
Skidmore - moved off the list. Although we parents liked it, SmallFry felt it was too “artsy”. (SmallFry did like the crepe restaurant in town though).
Lafayette - moved way up. Originally it was put on the list as almost an afterthought without touring - we all thought it was decent school but didn’t know much about it. We then wandered onto campus during our winter break and thought the campus was beautiful. We squeezed in an official tour at the last minute and it suddenly became one of SmallFry’s top choices. The more I learn about Lafayette, the more I like it.
@prodesse and @bamamom2021 VT has become more competitive overall. Students who were offered spots this year had a strong academic profile, with an average GPA of 4.10 and an average SAT score of 1320. VT is also looking for 40 percent of its student body to be made up of underrepresented, first-generation, or lower-income students by 2022 which will be great for some students and not so great for others.
@lastone03, @prodesse and @bamamom2021 – Anyone know this year’s OOS acceptance rate for engineering? I know they now have ED, EA and RD…
@AlmostThere2018 I don’t think they release that information until the summer.
Wesleyan - D19’s top choice prior to visiting. Beautiful campus, but Middletown felt depressed and rundown. We visited on a rainy weekend which also probably didn’t help. We were so anxious to leave CT that we skipped visiting New Haven figuring it would be more of the same.
Williams - The drive into Williamstown was beautiful with its rolling hills and bucolic vistas, but the town itself was just too small and isolated. We expected Williamstown to be like our Colorado mountain towns that we love: bustling with friendly people and a great food/arts scene. A single coffee shop and no available late-night pizza delivery were negatives. We got a weird vibe from the people too – not hostile but not friendly either.
@mountainsoul Middletown is depressed and rundown, in all honesty. But we love New Haven! We live near Hartford now, but I spent a lot of time in NH in my high school and college years. Hadn’t been in a while, but dh and I took a “hooky day” recently and spent it in New Haven. It’s really a great little city.
@taverngirl I’m kind of sad we skipped New Haven now. We’ll have another chance to visit with S23.
My D20 crossed off University of Pittsburgh after visiting. Unfortunately it was just too urban for her. I really think it ticks a lot of other boxes for her though. I love that it’s rolling and offers merit and good research opportunities in her potential field…
Crossed off: Cornell. Too sprawling–no sense of “there” or central quad for students to gather. Dorms seemed very far away in different directions. Neither the general presentation nor the tour guide (who we liked a lot) talked at all about what made Cornell fun, or making friends, or even its reputation for great food. A lot on the ability to double-major and do research. DS wanted a great academic school, but seemed like no balance at all. BTW, I’m sure that’s not the case, but that’s how it was presented.
Moved up: Syracuse. This was a complete afterthought after our disappointing day at Cornell. We were in the area and decided to visit. Loved the campus, the beautiful buildings, strong school spirit and enthusiasm of the students and the way they talked about their interactions with each other and their professors. DS didn’t apply there, but it was on the list as a safety school until the very end.
Well, one person’s “depressed and rundown” is another person’s “quaint and rustic”. When I walk around Middletown I am amazed by the number of clapboard houses with widow’s lookouts, all reminiscent of its China trade past. For sure, most of them have been cobbled up into apartment flats, but, I’d rather have them than another Rite-Aid.
Duquesne moved up on D19s list after visiting. She only applied last minute because a nurse talked to me about how her D likes it there for nursing. I think it might be 3rd on her list now. One more school visit tomorrow then she decides.
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Denison moved up the list for our S when we visited a few weeks ago. We had been visiting Trinity University in San Antonio a few days before, and the weather was gorgeous. And then we got to Ohio, where it was cold and raining and there was still snow on the ground. I thought Denison was probably a goner on the basis of weather alone. But at the end of our visit, he surprised us by saying that he really liked it, and now it is probably no. 1 on his list. He liked the beautiful campus and the town of Granville (where he was surprised to find delicious jambalaya at the Broadway Pub for lunch), and he really liked the people he met, both students and administrators. My husband and I also liked the school. I don’t have much experience in the Midwest - I grew up on the East Coast, spent a few years in LA and have lived in Asia for many years now - but I came away thinking that Granville/Columbus would be a great place for our kid to spend his four years. The Easton Mall was also reassuring for our city kid - it’s close, it’s immense and it has everything.
On our first college tour trip with S20, we trekked to CA from Ohio to see UC Santa Barbara, UCLA, USC, UC San Diego. 4 schools in 3 days. And perhaps not the smartest choice to begin college list developement where it is 72 and sunny almost always. We live in Cleveland so our weather bar is pretty low.
Down: UC Santa Barbara - stunning location. I may go there myself. Flat and a bit cut off from ‘downtown’ Santa Barbara but Engineering program was not what he wanted so it is off list.
UC San Diego. Huge campus and surprisingly unattractive considering it is in La Jolla. Tons of construction didn’t help. Deal breakers were awful map which made it impossible to find the mandatory parking for the tour, and then the requirement to take a shuttle from said parking lot to the presentation location but not having enough buses for the 100+ prospects waiting in line. Most of us were therefore very late or missed the presentation completely. My impatient D20 was furious and immediately left after the presentation. Never even got to the tour, so who knows if Engineering program is what he wants.
Up: UCLA. lovely campus, huge yet the buildings felt connected to each other. It is pretty hilly (lots of stairs and such) so not really bikable. The engineering guide we had was fantastic and S20 would have signed in the dotted line if asked. We were the only members of this tour and we grilled this young woman for 90 minutes and she could not have been better. Totally engaged my S20 and was just as concerned with my son making a good decision overall as she was with selling UCLA. The facilities were top notch and UCLA is currently top of his list (but we have a long way to go!). We did not expect to be that thrilled with UCLA, but for his rather unusual requirements for an engineering program if was spot on.
Jury still out: USC. Very flat and ‘contained’ campus which he liked for its bikability. Overall beautiful place. The general presentation was pretty superficial. Wasn’t sure if we were there for a pitch for a college or a cruise. Heavy focus on creating quirky majors and trips abroad. My analytical kid wasn’t pleased with the lack of info on the academic parts. We were unable to do the engineering tour but am told their facilities are also top notch. So, because of its reputation it will likely stay on the list and if accepted a second visit will be needed. Will be seeing a rep at a college fair soon so perhaps can learn more then.
Next to visit: U of Rochester, UVA, Washington and Lee, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Cornell, Michigan and Ohio State. We are urging him to look at Lehigh and Lafayette, but we may need to ‘accidentally’ visit them. College visit time is precious as he plays 3 sports and only has a 6 week summer break from games so we are thrilled he has zeroed in on schools which all appear to be at least 150 miles from each otther. The CA trip was really to see USC but we tacked on the others and glad we did. The good news is that he did like some things! We feared he would hate them all (he is a bit particular).
@cypresspat if your son is interested in engineering, and you are coming to Virginia, you should take a look at VT.
I agree! And we will likely sneak that one in while visiting Washington and Lee. S20 is just figuring out that you can’t pick a college via Naviance. We are using the first visits to get it in his head what matters and doesn’t matter in a school. The student body. Yes, matters. Being ranked #9 vs #19 in his major? No, does not matter. Club teams in his sports? Yes, matters. # of national championships in those sports, no. He’ll get there eventually. I appreciate the advice. I think VT’s program looks perfect for him.
@cypresspat You might also want to see Purdue. It’s very impressive.
Yup…Purdue should be on his list, but no sale so far. For some mysterious reason he has blocked some schools and won’t even consider them. Purdue is very highly ranked in his expected major…but unless we drag him there, right now he has no interest. We keep trying!
@cypresspat My daughter was like that too. There were some obvious schools that she should have had on her list and she refused to go see them. VT, GT and UW were the ones that I really wanted her to consider. She said VT and GT were too far south and UW too north. She drives me a bit bonkers but honestly with so many schools, having some way to narrow it down was probably OK, even if it didn’t make a lot of sense.