Colleges your child crossed off the list after visiting, schools that moved up on the list. Why?

Parents Forum
4922

Thought I’d give some info here about some schools not typically discussed in case someone is searching for them later.

S18:
Stayed the same
Bryant University–because his dad is an alum, he had a good sense of what to expect. Close and closed campus. Everything contained within a few buildings. New athletic facilities. Friendly students. All in all, very comforting for him.

Went down
Bentley University–the hills. So. Many. Hills. Didn’t help that he was on crutches. Overall he got a super competitive vibe from every kid he met that day which wasn’t positive for S21. Turns out even though he still applied he decided the day of the visit the school wasn’t for him.

Moved up
Butler University–super pretty campus, close to Indy but not part of the city, great Business school but in Div 1 environment, very friendly people all over campus, easy travel (pre-covid) with direct flights every day into the Indy airport which is very manageable

S21
Stayed the same
Endicott College–gorgeous campus on the water (but he expected that), in a small city so access to everything you’d need very quickly
Keene State University–the campus was exactly what he thought it would be, pretty, a little larger, nice buildings, friendly kids, a little harder to get to than he thought it would be

Went down
University of New England–he thought this one would fit the bill, on the water, right size, friends who’d attended; we almost cut out of the tour early. Campus was much more spread out than initially thought, some buildings were pretty run down and a strange interaction with the other family on the tour that just put him off of the school
Westfield State University–it didn’t help the tour was on a hot day in August but he was not thrilled at all with the length of the campus (too much) or the style of the buildings, he said no personality

Moved up
Western New England University–didn’t know what to expect and found one of the prettiest campuses of all (I think it’s actually won awards), great guide who tailored the visit for S, the school quickly moved up to the top of his list. Only downside was location in Springfield
Salve Regina–such a unique campus with buildings in historic homes that runs through a very touristy part of town, but he fell in love anyway; impossible to see the cliff walk and not imagine having access to that all the time. Yet classrooms were very modern and athletic facilities were as well. Had a nice, friendly vibe (not typical New England, says the New Englander).
Roanoke College–hard for the school to move up in his mind after so many virtual visits but it did; beautiful campus right on the edge of town, super walkable. Can’t beat the mountain surroundings. Air travel in was easy and the airport is a simple 6 gates (yep, 6). The staff and students couldn’t have been friendlier and the activity on the campus was a welcome site during covid–speaks well to what it must be like during normal times.

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4923

Just a public thanks for including so many colleges that don’t get a lot of CC love!

(Also, Butler is on my D23’s longlist, but the odds of us ever being able to visit are tiny, so thanks very specifically for that one.)

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4924

We were able to do a few college visits in the north east in 2019 but had to cancel all of the visits were had planned in 2020 due to Covid. My daughter is interested in studying either math or physics.

One college that got added to the list was Brandeis. We had no expectations going for the visit and were pleasantly surprised by everything about the campus.

One college that got dropped (surprisingly) was Williams: even though they offer math and physics as majors, she felt that the school was insufficiently science focused. Also, this visit turned out to be valuable as my daughter realized that she wanted to attend a large science oriented university rather than a mall liberal arts college.

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4925

Just visited a couple schools in FL with my S22 so thought I would add them here:

Moved up:

University of Tampa- It was a gorgeous, hot Saturday out so there were lots of students walking around and hanging out by the pool and river. Son loved the vibe of the campus. Kids looked casual and athletic. Main building on campus is absolutely stunning. It used to be an old hotel and now it is administrative offices and an art museum. Campus was just over the bridge from the city. It had a defined campus with most of the dorms in one area. Campus seemed a bit small for the # of students but it did have a fair amount of green space. Cafeterias and several dorms looked new and they are building 2 new pools and a larger rec center. Somewhat concerned about the level of academics but they do have an honors college.

Rollins- this was the prettiest campus I have ever seen. It is situated on a beautiful lake and there are trees everywhere. Spanish style architecture was gorgeous. Info session was pretty good and tour was great. Got to go inside several buildings. New apartments on campus were amazing. Student body seemed like a mix of athletes and academics. Academics seemed strong and the students were raving about the professors. Town is directly off of campus (also gorgeous) and there is a light rail that takes you to Orlando in 15 minutes.

Stayed the same:

Stetson- campus was beautiful with a variety of architecture styles but yet it still felt cohesive. Info session was great and very welcoming. Tour was a bit tough as the student was great but he was a local that commuted and had just transferred there from another school. It was hard to get a residential perspective from a commuter student. Building exteriors were nice but inside the buildings seemed dated compared to other schools we have seen. Academics seemed solid. Town was very cute with lots of restaurants and shops. No way to get into Orlando without a car.

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4926

Visited California last weekend and did self-guided tours at all the colleges:

Moved up:
LMU - BEAUTIFUL campus that was gated off, sits on top of a hill overlooking LA bluff, very close to LAX, campus was modern and well maintained, students were friendly and saw some walking around campus despite it being a holiday weekend
Santa Clara - another beautiful campus with tons of kids walking around campus and laying on the lawns, great location close to San Jose airport, well-manicured campus with that Spanish mission style but didn’t feel old or outdated like Stanford
UCLA - breathtaking campus, had the most students on campus out of any of the schools, kids having picnics and playing spikeball, soccer, etc., beautiful sunny warm day and it felt amazing to be at UCLA

Stayed the same:
Stanford - I mean it’s Stanford… of course the campus was beautiful and there was a good mix of old mission-style buildings with new modern ones, but not blown away like the 3 above
Cal Poly - we did visit early (8ish) on a Saturday morning and it was foggy so that may have influenced my view, thought it was pretty but not breathtaking like UCLA, SLO was very cute but a lot of the campus buildings were run down and not well maintained

Moved off the list:
USC - gates all around campus and had to go through a security booth, felt almost like a prison (maybe a covid thing?), while campus was very well maintained and clean it seemed too perfect, no kids laying in the grass or sitting on benches, Village was nice but there was overall too much brick and not any open spaces like UCLA
UCSB - very run down and there was trash laying on the ground, proximity to beach was great and students were friendly but did not seem like a good fit

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4927

@afahrer USC has shut down completely since March of 2020 – no students living on campus, no in-person classes. LA County just started loosening restrictions a couple of weeks ago, but no change to the above. The USC gates are there during non-COVID times, but access is much easier. During non-COVID, it is a very lively campus with a ton of kids walking, biking, skateboarding, hanging out etc. I would not reject USC based on a Covid-era visit. There are also a good number of open spaces available.

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4928

Yes, I could definitely tell the impact of covid on campus but there were still tons of people (students and visitors) walking around campus to my surprise… it was more the lack of green open spaces for kids to hang out and the too pristine campus that turned me away

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4929

I’m a USC alum. Not sure what’s going on with USC and Covid, but the USC campus is usually packed with people, which gives it a lot of energy when it’s fully open. Having to do a security check while going onto campus is not the norm. The campus is somewhat cramped, though, so it’s not like other campuses with wide expanses of lawn to lay out on or throw frisbees around.

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4930

I know this isn’t the point of the thread, but colleges are dealing with covid quite differently. Have two kids at privates. One has been very restrictive with virtually nothing live going on all spring, even though they have essentially 0 cases while they other is taking reasonable precautions but still providing plenty of safe programming. Recently the theater department put on a show outside the PAC in front of a socially distanced/ masked live audience. Also has virtually no cases.

They added fire pits all over the quad and put up a temp stage for open mic nights and other performances. Plenty of kids can enjoy their environment while being safe.

A shame other schools take the seemingly easy approach and just shut down everything. Have a friend who’s daughter is a D1 soccer player at a NJ state school. They decided to not have a season while the rest of their conference plays. Not saying doing what’s necessary to keep kids safe is easy, but every other school in their conference is doing that. Really a shame especially when that’s the primary reason she attends the school. Hard to believe the whole team hasn’t transferred.

Liability protection is taking over the college world.

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4931

(Re-posting in this thread at the suggestion of a comment.)
Over spring break my twins and I did virtual experiences at 10 colleges and thought others might like to know what we learned about this method of “touring” colleges.

First, even the best info sessions/tours were not an ideal substitute for in person visits. But it was a good way to get them thinking about different types of colleges without traveling and spending money. We were also able to eliminate some potential future visits entirely. They are sophomores so we have time to visit in person still, but with two of them we can’t possibly cover both of their lists entirely.

Several schools only have pre-recorded content so we skipped those for now. We preferred live content as they feature live Q&A. When available we tried to schedule both information sessions and tours when those were separate events. Many schools have more events like ‘chat with a student’ or live and recorded overviews of specific programs but we didn’t attend any of those yet.

Univ. Wisconsin: (live info session 1 hour, “tour” was just a map with points you could read about.) A potential great choice for both my kids but their virtual experiences were simply awful. Even the sound quality was terrible. I would suggest skipping it entirely for fear of turning your kids off this amazing school. I will insist on a second look in person.

Univ. Michigan: (live info session total 1 hour joint with U Michigan, recorded tour ~25 min). A good intro to college facts and figures and admissions details, but no students were featured. Definitely piqued my students’ interest though and we will visit in person eventually.

Univ. Virginia: (live info session which included a recorded tour of sorts-- all in 1 hour). Good basic info, but the vibe and quality of the academics didn’t really come through. Worth doing, but unlikely to make your student fall in love. Possibly crossed off the list.

Univ. Georgia: (live info session and student-led tour-- all in 1 hour) Very well done and covered all the pertinent info. Student participation was great. One of my son’s faves now. Moved way up on the list.

Georgia Tech: (1 hour live info session, 1 hour live student-led tour) Great virtual experience. Really walked away with what makes Tech different. Kept my son’s attention for 2 hours straight which is a feat. Unseated Duke as my son’s #1 pick. Moved way up on the list.

Macalester: (1 hour live info session) Not the best virtual experience but we can’t put our finger on why exactly. Seemed extremely unremarkable and repetitive. Crossed off my D’s list. She decided she’s not a LAC person.

Boston College: (1 hour live info session, we didn’t book the separate live tour). Well done with lots of student participation. Not the right school for my D but a good virtual experience. Crossed off the list.

Emory: (1 hour total live info session, joint with U Michigan.) Very informative and good sense of vibe even though no students were featured. Liked it much more than expected and moved way up on D’s list now.

Brown: (1 hour live info session, 1 hour live tour.) The info session was very good with lots of students. The tour was a little disappointing-- the single student tour guide was not engaging at all. We still plan to visit in person, but somehow we had higher expectations.

Univ. Chicago (1 hour live info session, 1 hour live tour.) Very nicely done. Lots of student involvement and covered programs, facilities, student life, admissions… My D’s #1 pick. Go figure, 6% acceptance rate.

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4932

Yes, we visited USC just before covid and the energy on campus was great. It moved way up the list after. The campus was beautiful and so well-maintained also. The check in is definitely covid related.

4933

S21 applied to only CA universities and USC was in the bottom half of his list. My DW and I are UCLA alums and USC was at the bottom of the list (LOL).

However, after visiting the campus before and during COVID, USC moved up to the top for us. The campus is immaculate with architecture that reminds me of traditional East Coast universities. It’s almost an idyllic, movie-like setting for college. Definitely a different feel from the UCs, which are also very nice and unique in their own ways. As some have mentioned the surrounding neighborhood does seem a little sketchy, but I never once felt unsafe while on campus.

USC has a lot going for S21 (scholarships, new honors dormitory, great academic programs, collaborative environment, networking alumni) so visiting the campus was the icing on the cake for him.

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4934

Same feeling at Berkeley. Trash overflowing out of the campus cans. Homeless sleeping on campus. No security in sight. We went to the campus bookstore and bought the $30 t-shirt but they wouldn’t let us use their restroom. They sent us down the street to a public restroom that made Port-a-Potty look like a better option. Thinking about my 17 year old daughter in that town at night, with no guaranteed campus housing - BIG NO.

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4935

LOL we had a very similar experience experience several years ago …

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4936

S21 is interested in film/cinematography.

Florida State - Loved the campus and vibe. Penn State with palm trees. Everyone was friendly, helpful and seemed happy. Did not get into the Film school. They probably take 10-20 kids per year. He was offered Digital Media Production, Honors Program and OOS tuition waiver. The DMP program is limited access so no guarantee. Tough decision.

SCAD - Really liked the program and facilities in Atlanta. His brother is at GT. Not sure he wants to jump in feet first. BFA film mentality is sleep when you’re dead. Wants to enjoy his 4 years.

Penn State - Likes the campus. Tired of PA weather. Had a really nice visit. We’ve been before. He met-up with some friends. Our HS probably sends 50 kids there every year. It’s really grown on me the past few years. It’s huge and in the middle of nowhere but doesn’t feel like it. Not a large city by any stretch but large enough. I see why they call it Happy Valley. FYI…The Creamery is take-out only but still great.

Pitt - Loves the campus. We live in the suburbs so he goes there often enough. Loves Phipps Conservatory and Shadyside area. Would go there if they were stronger in film.

Also considering DePaul, Emerson, and Syracuse although Emerson and Syracuse are probably unaffordable. We’ve been to all three before. He loves Chicago and Boston which I get…I’d like to go to school in Boston.

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4937

Berkeley’s a mess. People always complain about the area around USC, but I think the area around UC Berkeley is worse.

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4938

Moved Up:

University of Arizona
Cal Poly
UC Santa Cruz

Flat (Kind of What he expected):

Loyola Chicago
UC Davis

Moved Down:

UC Berkeley
Arizona State

Fair to note all the schools that he liked best after physically visiting are still in the mix as we prepare to SIR. There were a few virtual tours that were so bad in his mind that they fell off his list all together (Santa Clara University and Oregon State). Also this is a subjective assessment. I personally loved UC Berkeley but he just doesn’t love the more urban settings…this is also why ASU was a disappointment and why Loyola Chicago was just so so.

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4939

No U Miami? (I went to film school there, but was ages ago… back then there was NYU, UCLA and Miami for film school at the top tier)

4940

My S22 is preliminarily interested in architecture. We’re in New York this week so he can get the vibe of a few schools (and so we can see our D19, a sophomore at Parsons). S22 lived in Westchester County for his first eight years, then we moved to London for four years and Geneva for two. We’ve been in a Boston suburb for the past two years. But through all of that, S22 considers NYC his hometown, and it’s his primary though not exclusive interest as a college destination.

We walked around the NYU area with a friend who’s a law professor there, along with her S21, who’ll be attending in the fall. We couldn’t enter any buildings because of Covid protocols (our friend said her S21 can’t even visit her at her office), but she described them and we got a feel for the place. S22 has no qualms about the entirely urban campus; he doesn’t particularly care about a super-traditional experience and doesn’t want anything too remote. It’s staying on his list, but it’s a bit of a reach for him (URM, 3.7 UW, 1400 SAT but taking again).

I have to work on the weekdays while we’re here, so DW is handling the rest of the visits. They went to the Cooper Union vicinity yesterday and took a virtual tour. It’s now off S22’s list. Too small, and he found the students annoying in a way that would be unavoidable given the size.

They’re going to walk around Pratt tomorrow (D19 lives near there and will join), and the school has a virtual info session on Friday.

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4941

@Vineyarder marginally off topic but definitely have your son apply. NYU may be a bit of a reach with those stats but it seems to like kids with interesting backgrounds to add diversity to a class and living in 3 countries will help, I think, especially as he has the combination of that background and being a domestic student for admission purposes.

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