@JAF09, I totally agree. It’s surreal. The expensive skyscraper tower construction in contrast to the homelessness is so disturbing.
The U District really has changed a lot since 2018, and the pandemic has shuttered a lot of businesses, making things worse. I hope with the students’ return to campus things will improve on the Ave.
We had a College Road and University Avenue near the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
wow - i looked at the bottom photo and thought - that looked like my soph/jr yr dorms?!! and lo and behold they were as i went to amherst. those ‘social’ dorms no longer exist
Yes, Amherst has been notably unlucky in its search for a usable 20th century architectural vernacular. Most visitors only remember seeing the freshman quad with its iconic, inward-facing, red brick buildings. But, even Blair Kamin, an alumnus and architectural historian admits that the early influence of McKim, Mead and White resulted not only in complexes like the Social Dorms but also Mead Art Museum, the Frost Library (for which no existing firm claims paternity) and, of course, the 1958 “Georgian gas station”, Chapin Hall:
“It gives the campus a unity and a sense of harmony at best, while at worst there’s some monotony,” he says. “They [McKim, Mead] held on too long – well past the firm’s prime, so there’s some mediocre stuff.” An Architectural History of Amherst College - Architects and ArtisansArchitects and Artisans
All in all, Amherst has a wish list of some half a billion dollars worth of demolition queued up for the foreseeable future, including Merrill Science Center, Frost, Mead, the unfortunate Keefe student center, and probably Chapin.
DW and S22 recently visited DC to look at schools (along with S22’s friend/maybe new girlfriend, the daughter of one of DW’s childhood friends). I didn’t go, and didn’t get a lot of details as S22 had only been lukewarm about the schools to begin with, but they all came off the list.
American, as the girlfriend’s mom (a professor at another school) had warned, was disorganized and felt poorly run. They also found the location weirdly remote for still being within the city limits, with few urban amenities nearby.
George Washington made a better impression but didn’t wow them. Similar setup to NYU, in buildings amid the city grid rather than a traditional campus, but Foggy Bottom is no Village/Washington Square. Much quieter since there isn’t really a reason to go through the neighborhood unless you’re going somewhere there.
Georgetown, DW’s alma mater, fared best, but S22 is declining to apply because it’s not on the Common App and would be too much work. That gives you a sense that he wasn’t wowed there, either.
The trip helped to solidify that NYU remains his first choice. He’s probably going to apply to Northwestern, my alma mater (on the Common App, and good for communications, his intended major), but aside from that he really wants to be in NYC. His only other planned application right now is Fordham, where he also has legacy status (DW’s MBA). Between that, his URM status and his stats, it should be a match/safety, but I’d like to see him put a school or two more on his list if he doesn’t get into NYU early — maybe Pace.
We too saw those three schools is quick succession (no guided tours, just walking around earlier this summer). For my D22, GW came out on top… she loved the urban campus. I agree it’s no West Village, but I think it’s a little more contained/defined than NYU–which appealed to D22. D is also applying to Fordham and Columbia in NYC. I’ve tried to encourage her to look at NYC as a long-term destination rather than a place she needs to experience as a college student. I spent 10 years in NYC shortly after graduating college and it can be tough place not to have any money : )
Just a brief commercial interruption to add that when my S21 toured the three DC schools (GT, GW and AU), GW was the much highly favored of the three.
At the time of tour he was sitting on a 32 ACT though so maybe GT would have been more favorable to him if he had a 35 at the time (which he did get on the following ACT sitting.) But I honestly don’t think so. Bc after touring GW he was adamant that is where he wanted to be for the next 4 years.
Of the three, he chose to only apply to GW, and is in fact there now as a first year. He loves it.
(And note, that if the turn off to GW is lack of dining hall then be mindful that a new one is targeted to open in Fall 2022.)
My D22 loved GW too, but did not like the Vern. Where is your son?
We also toured the 3 in DC and he will only apply to GW. American is definitely off the table, there is nothing within walking distance to do. GW doesn’t tick all his boxes but he liked the urban vibe and for a city school, there were lots of students around, walking and talking, and they seemed happy. 123Mom123, do you mind if I PM you if I have some specific questions?
Totally fine to PM me. Happy to help!
He is on the Vern. He wanted (like all students) to be in Foggy Bottom but Bc they are renovating Thurston dorm (Foggy Bottom), Mt. Vernon is where majority of freshman are this year. Also, S21 is in honors and the freshman honors dorm is on Mt. Vernon.
But…:he is very happy at Mt. Vernon. And he is in Foggy Bottom multiple times a day. Shuttle is easy and frequent.
ETA: S is probably happy to being on the Vern even though he preferred FB, Bc …after being online for the last 20 months, being on campus now, in a private bedroom but shared suite with 3 awesome roommates, and having class in person every day, etc, then living on the Vern for 2 semesters is totally okay. The pandemic gave him perspective. He is thrilled that GW required vaccinations Bc he does not want to resume online learning if at all possible.
My S22 thinks of NYC as his hometown, even though he’s only lived in the suburbs, and not since he was 8. Plus, DW and I are moving there after he graduates from high school, and our D19 will be finishing up at Parsons and lives in Brooklyn. Her intended career on the business side of the art world will probably keep her in New York initially, though her ultimate goal is to get back to London. So, S22 would feel very much at home in NYC, which is a big part of his motivation for wanting to go there for school.
Wish we had been on your tour! When we visited last month (right before school started), our guide was a downer….also it was hot, rainy, and the tour was abbreviated. The folks in the tent were pleasant greeters, however. Lots of construction around campus and immediate areas the day we toured.
I think we were at UVA around the same time. There was definitely quite a bit of construction going on. The hot weather wasn’t an issue for us. (We are from Georgia so it doesn’t really faze us.) Good news is that most of the school year is during cooler weather. 
I was a little taken aback by how many people they were crowding into the tour groups. All of the other schools we toured limited groups to four or five families. Our UVA tour was at least 20. But overall, we had a great tour and my son is keeping it on his list.
Sounds like your tour guide was a real dud. No matter how objective we try to be, the quality of the tour and tour guide shapes our opinions. Never a second chance to make a first impression. My son is the first to admit that his top choices right now are also the schools that had the best tours and information sessions. They also all have lakes on campus. Hmm …
Thanks for sharing @Greatpyrmom - now that you mention it, there were >20 folks on our tour. We had signed up in advance and they said they limited the number of people. UVA had the largest number of people in a tour group than any other college we toured this summer. I think mid-August is a tough time to get students to give tours - but was kind of surprised at the number. Our smallest gathering was at W&L with only 4 students and 4 adults.
UW does have a beautiful campus and is situated in a stunning location. The Rainier Vista, Lake Washington, view of the Olympics from Red Square. Add in the famous Japanese Cherry Blossoms and a campus that saw much of its construction during the 30s when NeoGothic was really humming as the style de jour (Yale too), and you have the makings of a really nice campus.
UW is super tippy top in Comp. Sci and several other STEM areas; and it benefits from having a pretty elite medical school. Washington is also really strong in Psych, Nursing and BIotech, along with several other areas. I hear great things about the Jackson School of International Studies. If there is a drawback, it’s that it’s pretty big and many courses at the freshman/soph levels are in over-crowded auditoriums. The class sizes tend to get much smaller as you get into your major (for the most part). But if I were picking among state flagships, UW would be up there on my list. They have a lot of great graduate programs too.
Great school, and even greater location. It has become quite tough from an admissions standpoint as well.
Re the Ave, yes. It goes through cycles, but it’s never the best aspect of the U District. It is a little edgy with more than a few characters. Also, Seattle has struggled with homelessness for years, and even the before the pandemic, the “opioid crisis” had really made the problem severe. You could notice the increase and the spread of homelessness camps over periods of months. Then the pandemic hit, and BAM! It’s at epic proportions now. The U District, just a few miles from the downtown core, tends to track. It has always been a problem for as long as I can remember.
A very recent report states that the area under discussion has improved a bit recently.
Seattle is beautiful as is the UW campus. Some have a bit of difficulty with the weather,while others love it.
Although UW-Seattle is a great school, I am concerned that it may not be a great match for OP.
My understanding is that OP’s son has very strong interest in Occidental & in Oberlin. Based on this understanding, I would be reluctant to recommend UW-Seattle for OP’s son.
For political climate, UW is arguably in the zip code of Oberlin, though there is likely more political diversity at UW given its size and active Greek system. But, yes, if a kid wants to be at a small LAC, any state flagship is probably not a great match.
It’s worth noting that, depending on your major, the 3rd and 4th years at UW will feel a lot smaller than the first two. But in the end, it is hard to recreate the LAC atmosphere at a large flagship.
Southwestern U in Georgetown, TX stays on the list most likely as a safety. DD liked the campus with the large quads and big live oaks. The college president gave the introductory remarks and was interesting and engaging while making a strong case for LACs.
While we will probably avoid any additional sessions on how to apply for college, Southwestern used case studies of applicants which added info on what they are looking for. My daughter is much more likely to schedule interviews after she realized how much they could help an applicant.
The lunch address was done by a professor. Professors seem so much better at addressing applicants than admissions staff. Back when my son attended admitted students days from his list of admits, the professors were a big factor in making his decision. This particular Southwestern professor was engaging and interesting.
Tour was fine. Group was a bit big so there wasn’t much off script chatting. Pretty campus, nice weather, and well kept buildings sell themselves. Campus was very quiet on a Saturday morning.
U Richmond: Way up after in person tour. D was only reluctantly considering prior to visit and now it may be her first choice. D said it was the first campus she could really see herself as a student. Admissions was very welcoming and did a great presentation. Saw inside of many buildings. Tour guides cheerful and upbeat.
Washington and Lee: off the list. While we both thought Lexington was the most adorable small town (with great restaurants!), WL was just too small and frat life too big a deal. Tour and admissions kept saying how many classes only have 3-4 students and that was a real turn off for D who doesn’t want a smaller community than high school (her smallest class is 8). Also they had a gym requirement. That was the final straw!
Wm and Mary: same. Was near top and still is. I think it would be her number one but she doesn’t want to get her hopes up as an out of state female.