Did you check out Lewis and Clark in Portland (an LAC that would be less of a reach than Reed)?
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Whitman is on the list – good merit, seems like a wonderful place – but honestly, I increasingly worry about fire season for the West Coast schools.
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I’m no environmental scientist, but Whitman is surrounded by farmland and wineries. I don’t think they’re in danger of forest fires.
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We toured PNW schools in July. We flew into Portland and home from Seattle and toured 7 schools:
Lewis & Clark: Stayed on the list, but campus felt a bit more like a camp than a campus to my D22. Our tour guide was great - enthusiastic coxswain on the women’s rowing team and physics major. Proximity to Portland was a plus. Academics similar to the other small LACS - heaviest emphasis on study abroad - didn’t have any effect on my D22, but a big plus for a student wanting a great variety of study abroad options.
University of Portland: Added to top of the list. It also has great proximity to Portland and the campus felt more expansive to D22- more room to breathe. Interesting view of the Port. Tour guide got mixed reviews (I asked a question and got a great answer from her so I liked her but husband and daughter did not). In terms of academics, U of Portland has a separate school of education, which is appealing to D22. Rolling admissions is a plus, too, though not related to the visit.
Willamette: Moved up. I mean, a creek runs through the campus! And Sam, our tour guide, was a singer with some serious charisma. And a raccoon came out to play! It was a truly great tour. We did not spend a long time in Salem but it seems like a livable, small city. Lots of opportunities for internships at the capitol.
Oregon State: Stayed the same. Big school, same as other big schools, but D22 flirts with idea of going to a big school. She knows her father and I (who both went to big schools) are not big fans (pun intended). My way of saying I don’t think she liked Oregon State much but it will stay on because I would like it to come off. Corvallis seemed like a interesting town.
Whitman. Went down. This was a surprise as Whitman was a final contender for her older sister and we thought D22 would love it. Walla Walla is a great little town. We found delicious pizza. She liked the tour fine. In particular, she was curious at the idea of how the dorms had specific personalities - “quiet,” “sporty,” “the one with the sororities in it.” Things went south at the information session, which stressed how competitive it is to get in, focused a lot on IB and AP courses, and overall on the intellectualism of campus. Great for some, but not for my D22.
Gonzaga. Way, way, way up. This was D22 favorite - good sized campus with plenty of breathing room. Offers majors on all of her areas of interest - education, communications and sports management. She fell hard for the story of the hardship that is trying to get students tickets to ESPN-televised basketball games. Tour guide was from the Central Coast of California (where we have spent tons of time) and she was surviving the winters and doing a lot of community service - D22 is interested in both of those things. 
Spokane was sparkling on July 16 - we all loved walking the Riverfront.
Seattle U. Stayed same. D22 didn’t really react positively or negatively. There was a lot of construction going on. We did a self guided tour. Long walk up hill to get there. The city of Seattle is the draw of this school (for D22). I look forward to attending a hosted tour if she gets in.
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Sorry y’all, just reread my post about Whitman and forest fires which comes off sounding sarcastic, but I literally meant that I’m not a scientist, but to me I’d think Whitman’s surroundings would be safe from forest fires.
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I found your original post in this thread to be informative. Thank you.
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We went on an east coast touring blitz earlier this summer. We’re on the West Coast, DD22 is interested in political science, english, history, communications, social sciences (basically… she is undecided). Very few official tours and A LOT of walking around on our own.
WENT UP
George Washington: (self-guided) We didn’t even have this school on our list but ended up eating dinner in Foggy Bottom and our waitress was an enthusiastic ambassador for the school. We walked around after dinner and immediately felt energized after a very long day walking all around Georgetown. We’d been told that it didn’t feel like a campus, but both of us disagreed. It definitely has a sense of place and we loved the self-guided tour. Ended with cookies at Captain Cookie and the Milkman.
Columbia: (self-guided) My DD was very interested in Barnard, but it was Columbia that caught her eye once we were on campus. We loved the architecture, the majestic buildings that brim with history, and the energy all around. We also ate with a friend and alum of Columbia who spoke very convincingly about Columbia’s core curriculum and that definitely got DD excited.
University of Pennsylvania: (self-guided) We added UPenn to the list because we needed a stop between DC and NYC. But this turned into one of my daughter’s top choices, possibly an ED. She loved the leafy urban campus, we ate a very delicious brunch nearby and it offers a major she’s keen on (Politics, Philosophy, Economics) AND an Annenberg School of Communications. Their Kelly Writer’s house is also super charming.
Boston University: (self-guided) Another urban campus my daughter enjoyed more than expected. After seeing the CITGO gas station sign in all of BU’s social media and marketing materials, we didn’t expect much. But DD loved the "BU Beach, the Brownstone row, the T running right alongside campus.
Fordham (official tour): We liked Fordham a lot. We were hoping to like Fordham so maybe it’s a “stayed the same” but still, it was a relief to have it confirmed. We liked the big, grassy campus tucked into the Italian section of the Bronx (my daughter LOVES Italian food and we had a great lunch), our tour guide recognized the obscure art on my daughter’s t-shirt, the buildings were beautiful, and everyone was super kind to us, helping us when we were lost trying to make our way back to the parking lot.
Smith College (official tour): a departure from her preferred urban campus, but a surprise favorite. We loved Northampton, and she loved that Smith was right in the middle of it. Easily walkable, a good music scene, and plenty of little shops and restaurants. But the Smith campus really caught her eye. The house system is unique and she loved that, the new library is stunning, and she does like the idea of a women’s college. She likes that Government and English are popular majors (along with the STEM topics) and the pond on campus reminds her of summer camp (in a good way).
STAYED THE SAME
TUFTS: (self guided tour) Tufts was beautiful and close enough to a pretty vibrant neighborhood in Davis Square. She liked the big, grassy center area and the views of Boston. She likes the Civic Studies major and their campus newspaper is great, too. I don’t know that she loved it like she loves some of the others, but it has a lot going for it.
Yale (self-guided): We wanted to like Yale, we liked Yale. This is largely due to the residential college system that my daughter loves, the architecture, the history, that it offers the PPE major, the Yale Daily News, opportunities for theater, etc. The area immediately surrounding campus is cute/serviceable and the area just beyond isn’t super great but didn’t deter DD. I do think Columbia and UPenn have jumped ahead of it as her top Ivy reach schools.
MOVED DOWN
American (self-guided): We didn’t have any expectations about American, but DD could tell it wasn’t for her even while driving up to the campus. The area was too suburban for her, particularly after leaving the much more energetic GW.
Georgetown (self-guided): My DD really loved Georgetown on paper. And the campus was nice but there were a few things that popped up that really bothered her. One was that there aren’t many dining options on campus and the other was an Intstagram site that documents the living conditions on campus (mold, bugs in food, etc). DD found it hard to believe that such an expensive school would have subpar services.
Brown University (self-guided): We also really wanted to love Brown. I thought the campus was lovely. But DD’s energy level really tanked while we were walking around. She didn’t care for Providence, and wasn’t very taken by the surrounding area near campus (seemed suburban/too much like home). She said it just was not her vibe.
Barnard: (self-guided) Another favorite that tanked during the tour. It was too small and having Columbia right across the street made my daughter say… “you know, I think I’d just want to be across the street all the time and would feel sad that I wasn’t there.”
Northeastern (official tour): My daughter called this one “a school without a soul.” Basically, it was too pre-professional to her. Our tour guide had done several internships and he was clearly excited about them, but for DD, it seemed to be too far off the spectrum of the college experience she is looking for. She definitely saw the appeal but it wasn’t for her.
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Among my favorite posts of all time ! Thank you !
Describing Northeastern in Boston as “a school without a soul” is priceless, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the school trademarked the phrase just to bury it.
P.S. I like Northeastern, but I love your daughter’s candor.
If your daughter decides to write & publish a college guide, please count me in as a customer. I like honesty.
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She definitely has a way with witty observations! 
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I’m from Boston and I’ve always felt that way. Had HS friends go there and other then hockey games, they just didn’t seem like they were in college relative to my friends at BU, BC, Harvard, Tufts and UMASS.
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@Wjs1107 I’m curious to hear a little more about your D’s reaction to BU and Northeastern. Those two are also on my D22’s list, and I personally share the same thoughts about Northeastern as your daughter expressed. Seems like a great school in many ways but so focused on the career path that it seems to lose that deeper experience along the way (FYI my daughter still really likes it so it’s really my issue and not hers). Anyway, I’m curious as to campus vibe you got from BU, reasons it went up your D’s list beyond some of the features you mentioned (brownstones, beach, etc)? I feel like my D got a pretty good sense of what Northeastern is all about but struggles to get a sense for BU.
Here are some notes my daughter has on BU… maybe it will help? For additional context… while my daughter appreciates the internship/co-op factor, she loves academics and wants to be a part of a school community (like writing for their newspaper, being a part of clubs on campus), and study… a lot. She’s thinking about joining the Peace Corps after undergrad and then applying to law school. So… the co-op model at Northeastern seemed to make it more difficult to really be a part of the school community–that people always have one foot out the door on their way to internships or study abroad programs. At BU, which we visited on a seriously sweltering afternoon, it was easy for us to walk along Commonwealth Avenue, dip into side streets to see the various academic buildings and residence halls, and imagine it bustling with students and energy.
Things I like about BU…
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Strong communications and journalism program. One of the most popular majors on campus.
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Many media opportunities (the paper seems great… The Daily Free Press, plus TV and radio stations) btw, why does every college newspaper do this Taylor Swift story?? An impossible task: ranking Taylor Swift’s albums – The Daily Free Press
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There’s a new collaboration between Computational Sciences and Journalism called the Justice Media Co-Lab, which seeks to use data and journalism together to create more transparency in pursuit of justice: Justice Media co-Lab | Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences That sounds supercool even if i don’t totally get it
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They offer a Philosophy and Political Science joint major Philosophy & Political Science Joint Major | Political Science
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Their core curriculum is called the Hub. Seems fairly robust/on par with others that have a core
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There’s an Honors College that offers its own dorm and curriculum (you follow the Hub but it’s sort of different). People say the dorm is nicer than other dorms – suite style with AC – and honors college students form a small community and have other benefits
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Isn’t overwhelmingly into Greek life
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Good school spirit/pride
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Recently visited schools in Oregon and Southern California. Some of the schools that went down in appeal after the tour:
Lewis & Clark: DS did not like the wooded and super hilly environment as it was not like his vision of a “classic” school with large open grassy quads. DS also was turned off by how isolated the campus was— everyone went on and on about the shuttles to downtown Portland but it backfired as it made him believe it would be isolated. We also had a very bad tour guide (Schools, PLEASE train your tour guides!!!). We came in expecting to love this school and we were all quite turned off.
University of San Diego: While a nice campus, it seemed to cross the line between a STYLE of architecture and a THEME— the Spanish/Moorish motif was actually a bit overdone, we felt. Very unique- unlike any school we had ever seen. But, it actually went a bit too far and we were a bit tired of the motif after our visit. They also had a 90 minute tour-- longer than others we had seen and a bit of overkill— several families abandoned the tour after an hour.
Chapman: We weren’t expecting too much but the campus felt a bit like an office park, and we were REALLY turned off by the fact that sophomore housing is actually an apartment complex fifteen minutes drive from campus. They seemed to sell it as a positive in that it had a pool and barbecue- kind of like a “Melrose Place” setup (I’m dating myself- LOL!). But, we did not like that the housing was distant from the campus- it might set up a commuter school feel as a sophomore or later.
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Following for D22 but S19 is at Northeastern. Many coops are in the Boston area so students can continue to live in the dorms or with friends off campus. You can also continue to participate in club sports while on coop. Some students do coop in other parts of the country but it doesn’t seem to result in dropped friendships. Plus, if you want to safely remain on campus and attend classes in person during a pandemic, Northeastern has done a fantastic job.
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SUNY @ Buffalo- Our local university, have been there many times over the years. No surprises on tour, probably bottom of list, but a safety school for daughter.
RIT- First tour, only school at the time giving tours due to COVID. My daughter loved it here. Seemed like “her people”. Campus is nothing to write home about, but facilities seem great, and student body seems very happy and excited to be there. Unfortunately she has changed focus, so not sure how much this school offers in her major now.
University of Rochester- We all loved it here. Campus was beautiful, and we had a great tour. UR shot up to the top of her list.
Cornell- Early on this was her first choice. We had a tour by a friend that graduated from there. Beautiful campus, and friend was very enthusiastic about the school. School has since dropped down list considerably, but not because of tour.
Binghamton- Self toured, seemed very nice. Will try to get official tour this fall.
Pitt- Nice information session and student led tour. Daughter liked the school. We both were unsure about urban campus feel, me more so than her. I would say this school moved up due to information gained on tour, and great tour guide.
Case Western- This school tour was by far the worst we had. Information session gave little to no information. Tour was led by a student that was never on campus for classes, only remote. Any questions asked were usually answered with “you can find it on the website”. Tour felt very memorized and disjointed. We were really excited to tour this school beforehand. In discussion on the way home my daughter stated if she had to make a decision based upon the tour, she would not even apply. I hope to get her back at a future date for another tour try hoping to get a better experience.
College of Wooster- This one was a pleasant surprise for us. They were warm and welcoming, and by far the best tour yet. Campus was very nice, you could tell everything was well taken care of. LOTS of personal attention before, during, and after the tour. Definitely moved up her list.
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It bothers me to hear that at a school, there is a special school that offers some people more. Some students are more equal than others. That would mark the school down for me.
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Why ?
There are many clubs, organizations, and activities which differentiate students. For example, in the realm of athletics there are varsity teams, junior varsity teams, club teams, & intramural teams–all of which are about creating opportunities for interested students. Why shouldn’t academics also offer various opportunities to a university’s students.
However, I do agree with your concern regarding separation of students on an academic basis at LACs due to the small size of the vast majority of liberal arts colleges.
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Many schools have honors colleges that offer housing and additional curriculum to those that want it. It’s not that unusual.
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S22 and husband visited 3schools this weekend. Neither articulates much about what they liked or didn’t like but here’s what I got:
Bucknell- down. Info session and tour were good. Campus was beautiful but maybe a little “boring”. Might have been the lack of students on campus. S thinks it might be too small. Town was cute but not a ton there.
Penn State-same. They did not have a tour but just walked around, loosely using a self guided tour and map. Son had never seen a really big school so as expected he thought it was a bit too big. Thought business building and intramural rec center were amazing. Town was great.
Marist- slightly up. Tour and info session were both well done. Son thought campus was really nice but again with no students it was tough to get a feel. They were impressed with the size of the campus, the views, and all the interiors of the buildings were nice. S is just unsure of the location. There are stores/restaurants nearby but they didn’t see them.
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My takeaway from your post is that it is important to visit when school is in session and students are on campus.
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