Check out GaTech!
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Yes good suggestion to include GATech. We could not visit Atlanta to check that school out. You have only so much time so got to pick and chose which cities/universities to visit.
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I have 2 very different kids so thought I’d list our experience for each.
For my D19 (music major) 3.5 GPA, 26 ACT, extensive theatre experience, music awards, lots of volunteer work. Wanted an artsy vibe with diverse campus, preferably in a “music” city.
Moved UP:
Berklee Boston-very cool tour and great for pop music & songwriting (her passion) plus loved the city
Roosevelt University- professors sat and talked to us, very personalized, nice tour, all classes within the building so no need to travel class to class in the cold weather of Chicago
Columbia College Chicago*- Open House really pumped up the students, excellent presentations to highlight what an artsy, unique school it is, holistic view for admissions and merit considerations (was more about the portfolio/talent than grades.) She didn’t like the buildings being far apart (not a traditional campus)but was impressed overall.
City College (CUNY)beautiful campus and friendly faculty, sat in on a music in film class and loved it, didn’t offer a Popular Music major but had a great jazz program
College of Saint Rose (Albany)*- started off not interested, but attended an open house and once we toured the music facilities and she learned more about the Music Industry program (they have their own record label and performing lounge) she was intrigued
Loyola New Orleans*-we had a crazy adventure getting to her audition (stuck on a plane for 2 hours due to technical issue, missed layover, etc.) so she was flustered when she arrived and ready to say no to any school that did not offer direct flights from Buffalo) but they could not have been more welcoming and supportive. She loved the vibe and diversity of the campus.
*she did accepted student overnights for each of these Top 3 schools and fell in love with Loyola (plus they showed her the $$$) so that was the winner!!!
Moved Down:
University of Miami Frost-beautiful campus and tour but admissions rep was laser focused on my daughter’s “low” ACT and said she needed to get that up to improve acceptance chances, even if she had a great audition. Rubbed my daughter the wrong way.
New School NYC-a friend who attends gave us a tour, very nice school but really needed to be a self-directed, independent student for maximum success, not a lot of faculty guidance or a tight-knit campus feel
My S23 (Psychology major, Spanish minor) 4.0 unweighted GPA, 1450 SAT (will likely retake) Might be a National Hispanic Scholar as per his PSAT score. Level 10 gymnast, honors band (percussion) lots of volunteer hours. End goal is PhD in Clinical Psych so have to keep undergrad cost low. Wants a diverse student body. Prefers a small campus or an Honors Program/college which gives it a small feel, wants a full immersion Spanish study abroad, possibly full year.
(Note: We like to travel-began tours sophomore year-and have to travel for gymnastics meets, thus the long list of schools we have visited and still have yet to visit.)
Moved UP:
SUNY Buffalo State College-great local option, checks many boxes, great honors program and he qualifies for good merit so will likely be our cheapest option. He met professors from the psychology, Spanish, philosophy, and honors departments and really enjoyed his conversations.
Daemen College Buffalo-another nice local option, liked the small classes and personalized attention but not very diverse
LeMoyne (Syracuse)-really loved his tour of this college and we ended up returning for an Open House which made him love it even more. Beautiful, hilly campus, nice honors program (no frills but some perks) good study abroad options, he liked the professors he spoke to. Only negative was a lack of diversity. If the merit comes through, could be a strong possibility
Rollins (near Orlando) Fell in love with the campus and loved the vibe. Has the right amount of rigor and challenge he is looking for. Would need to land good merit to make this realistic, but he will try for some of the bigger scholarships. As a parent, it felt like a resort! Upper class dorms have a huge pool attached to the complex with apartment-style living.
UMASS Boston-campus probably too big for his comfort level and more of a commuter school, although that’s starting to change. He was impressed with the Honors College and felt it could give a “small college feel” to such a big college. Lots of undergrad research opportunities which was a plus.
Northeastern-this has become the dream school. Amazing to have a pretty traditional campus right in the middle of Boston with a T stop on campus making travel around the city very convenient. He definitely would find “his people” there. A high expectation, intellectual vibe but seemed more collaborative than competitive which is what he wants. Sadly, not only is this an academic reach but likely a financial reach as well since they aren’t known to give big merit.
Boston College-my son prefers the modern looking campuses/buildings, so I was surprised he liked BC, with all the old-style architecture. But the buildings really are beautiful. He enjoyed the tour and was impressed with the programs and support systems in place to ensure students succeed.
St. John Fisher (Rochester, NY) I thought the campus was too spread out for a small school (shuttle offered if needed to get to different buildings) but my son liked the vibe of the school and programs offered. They are #1 for college food in New York State so that was a plus. Lol.
Didn’t move either way:
Clark (Worcester)-best tour guide yet. Very friendly but honest and not afraid to discuss pros and cons, campus was very nice, he liked the idea of a suburban area fairly close to Boston but went into the tour undecided about applying and left the same way.
Taken Off the List:
University of Buffalo-felt too big for him, was turned off when the tour guide told them to expect all Freshman classes to 100-200 students and TA’s teaching or assisting with most classes. Not for him.
SUNY Fredonia-very artsy vibe which he didn’t feel he’d fit into
St. Lawrence (Canton, NY)-great school but did not like the rural setting (lots of nearby farms, not much to do in the small nearby town.)
Clarkson (Potsdam, NY)-same sentiment as St. Lawrence, very nice school/programs but ruled out colleges in rural areas then and there
Hamilton (Clinton, NY)-he’s ok with quirky but was just a tad bit too much. Plus they didn’t have a BS Psychology program, only BA, so that was a strike. Not much to do in the area, although they did have some shuttle services to Utica. He couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Just was not his scene.
Suffolk (Boston)-didn’t like the “neighborhood” school feel (many different buildings throughout the city) and heard it was more of a commuter school. He prefers a more traditional campus.
Emmanuel (Boston)-tour guides were friendly and enthused, campus was pretty, but he just could not see himself there, wasn’t feeling it
MCPHS Boston-great for pre-med or PA (his original path) but Psychology program wasn’t what he was looking for. Loved the modern building and small college/class sizes but program wasn’t right for his path.
Tours booked in February for:
Emory (Atlanta & Oxford campuses)
Oglethorpe (Atlanta)
Possible April Tours:
He may apply to Macaulay Honors and wants to view: CUNY City College & CUNY Staten Island
Fordham (Rose Hill and Lincoln campuses)
Others he may check out this summer or just apply and visit if he gets accepted:
New College Florida
Wilkes Honors College (separate campus but part of FAU)
Nova Southeastern
University of Alabama (mainly because they give great scholarships for National Hispanic Scholars if he makes the cut with his PSAT score)
North Park University (Chicago) & maybe a few more in Chicago
His goal is to narrow his list to 10-12 schools to apply to in the Fall, aiming to do EA for whichever schools offer it. He will probably do accepted student events for his Top 3 after offers come in. I know we are probably crazy to visit so many schools but we enjoy it and visiting campus is so much better than online info sessions IMO.
I really enjoy reading about everyone’s experience with campus visits! Keep them coming!
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Interesting…we fell in love with Miami after visiting. College requires freshman and sophmore live on campus so it is not a commuter school. Maybe you passed just a regular parking lot. Lots of personal attention given to us from the dean of the college and super nice helpful students and employees. Also, very beautiful campus.
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Worcester Mass! Pronounced wustah
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Oops, corrected the spelling
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He’d get some great merit aid there either way. With his GPA and SAT score he’d qualify (automatically) for their Presidential Scholarship, which this year is $28,000/year.
Thanks for the long, thoughtful post.
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Oooh, and Suny Buffalo is also a member of NSE (National Student Exchange) so he could do up to a year at any of the participating schools (or 1 semester each at 2 different schools) and have all the credits transfer automatically while paying only whatever he pays at SUNY Buffalo (scholarships included!) Tons of cool participating schools all over North America, including UMASS Boston, some schools in Canada, Puerto Rico. Mainly public schools, but a few private schools too, such as St. Olaf in Minnesota.
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I mentioned St. Olaf, because students who consider North Park, often also consider St. Olaf.
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Some of the nation’s best undergraduate psychology programs award B.A. degrees only, largely as a matter of institutional tradition. Even students who major in physical sciences, such as physics and chemistry, receive B.A. degrees at these schools. Your son may want to consider this so that he doesn’t counterproductively limit his college search and selection process.
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Wow-I had no idea about this. Great to know! Thank you!
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Trust me, I’ve had this conversation with him many times. BA vs. BS won’t matter for grad school. But he INSISTS on the BS path because:
- He’s a math/science kid and when he looks at the curriculum map for both (BA & BS) the classes for the BS are much more appealing to him
- He thinks it will prep him better for a PhD in clinical psych program
Yes, this “must” definitely takes some schools off the table. But he’s stubborn and tells me he has researched it 
But I’ll share your sentiments. Thank you!
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Wow-thanks for that info. Can’t believe how generous AU is. He does not want a party school, Greek life or a huge school, so it would be ironic if he ends up there. Lol. But they do have great honors options and we have heard of some kids like my son who have “found their people” there, especially in the honors program. So definitely won’t take it off the table at this point. Appreciate the info!
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University of Chicago is one of the best research universities in the country, no doubt. The difference between NU and UofC is that NU undergrads are more likely to enter the workforce and UofC undergrads are more likely to go straight to graduate school. I have four family members who earned either undergraduate or masters degrees from NU and two who have masters from UofC, and I lived in Chicagoland for over 20 years. NU has a much stronger alumni network there, and UofC has a reputation for producing academics.
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I got my daughter out of this mindset a few years ago when I told her Princeton only offers BA (well, AB’s there) degrees (outside of engineering).
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Duke - went down on the list after visiting for a couple of reasons. First, did not like the Freshman residences being on the other campus and didn’t like having to take buses to classes or main campus. People were not that friendly - could be we had a bad day. Also, watched some videos posted by students on YouTube and they gave the vibe that there were some issues with social life.
U of Chicago - Down ….location and traffic.
Northwestern - Down - beautiful campus, but very strict COVID restrictions when we were there over the summer. Although the proximity to stores, bars, and restaurants was great - just didn’t seem friendly.
Wake Forest - Up - went again this Fall and saw it this time with students at a game. Great school spirit.
Notre Dame - Up - Beautiful campus. Cleanest campus we saw - tied with Wake Forest. Happiest students we have met so far at any school.
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University of Chicago ….I think the primary concern I would have would be the horrible crime in the neighborhood surrounding the school…. It is just not safe to leave campus and walk around in my opinion
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Moved UP:
NJIT: We were expecting it to be rough, given the Newark location. Driving through downtown Newark was as expected, but as you get closer to campus, there are many other colleges around, and it has more of a ‘college town’ feel. The actual NJIT campus was perfectly nice - green spaces, modern buildings. There was a brand new massive sports complex, an incredible(almost the best we saw) makerspace, and the Honors Dorm was also the nicest dorm we saw. We were bummed that DS wouldn’t consider it.
Rowan: We weren’t sure what to expect, but it was really hard to find any downsides with this school. Good sized, nice campus, gorgeous new engineering building, and very passionate excellent EE-specific information session. Very cute little ‘college-town’ area on Rowan Boulevard.
Georgia Tech: We went hoping that we would like it, and we LOVED it. Beautiful campus, so many green spaces, cool mixture of architecture & history, amazing library rooftop garden, awesome makerspace, and lots of happy, friendly students enjoying the beautiful weather.
Moved DOWN:
Rutgers: We went to visit after DS was admitted to the Honors College. Given Rutgers’ solid reputation in NJ, it was a top contender. We went to visit, knowing that we wouldn’t be able to get into any buildings due to Covid. DS complained - saying that he would never change his opinion of a school just based on walking around. Well, on the way home, he said absolutely no way he would go to Rutgers. And we agreed. Busch, the engineering campus, is, in a word, depressing. Old old crumbling buildings with no landscaping, no connection to the entire rest of the university. It only adds insult to injury that looming over the engineering campus is the giant, shiny new football stadium, complete with massive extra-fancy workout facility dedicated to the players. We researched online and found that they plan to replace almost all of the engineering buildings in the next 10 years. And there’s currently little-to-no space for engineering competition teams to work. I’m sure the brand new honors dorms are very nice, but not enough. Such a shame.
Cornell: Went down a little bit. We had taken DS there before(I’m an alum), and knew how beautiful it all is. He liked it, but just didn’t get a great vibe from the students and campus.
TCNJ: I thought it was perfectly nice - pretty buildings, and a very engaging information session. DS hated it. The freshman dorms were awful, but then so are many schools’. I’m not exactly sure why, but it wasn’t for him.
University of Delaware: The collegetown was nice, the campus was okay - very busy. We intended to spend the whole day there going to several information sessions, but we had the Electrical Engineering building tour first. We were the only ones to show up, and were shown around by a very nice student. What we saw and heard was enough for us to cancel the rest of our day and head home. The ‘makerspaces’ were just small rooms with very little equipment. The room where soldering was done didn’t have any ventilation(dangerous) and smelled awful. The projects that the student described in his upper-level electrical engineering classes were things that DS had done as an 8th grader at home. We asked about electrical engineering-based clubs or teams, and were told that there weren’t really any.
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University of Chicago: Moved off list. Beautiful campus. Loved Chicago. But the vibe on campus was too ultra-competitive, even for my very high achieving academic kiddo.
Northwestern: Moved up. Gorgeous campus and a tour given by a family friend. But he was later turned off by their admissions materials and stand-offish attitude. He felt like he never got a feel for their academic life. Go figure! Never applied.
Swarthmore: Moved off list. He loves LACs and assumed it would be high on his list. Visited in the summer when there were no students or tours due to Covid. Never applied. I’ll note he was also turned off by their admissions materials that came in the mail.
Haverford: Stopped by on a whim after visiting Swarthmore. He loved it. He liked the vibe and the willingness of the school to do tours and be friendly. It wasn’t a ghost town like Swarthmore. Jumped way up on his list.
Columbia: Moved WAY up the list. He didn’t think he would like such an urban campus but fell in love with the energy, and vibe on campus. Definitely in his top 3.
Princeton: Move down. Pretty campus - but seemed snooty to him. Didn’t help that they weren’t offering tours.
Harvard: Stayed the same. He loves Boston and campus/facilities are as he expected. Slightly turned off by the Disney vibe on campus. Seriously…the amount of tourists taking selfies on campus is a bit much.
Bowdoin: Moved up. He thought he would love it but the tour guide really sold it. They clicked and were off and running debating literature from 10 seconds into the tour. Definitely a top choice.
Colby - Slightly down. Beautiful, but too far removed from town. Seems isolated. Also - it seemed less “life of the mind” than Bowdoin. He could still imagine himself happy there and it is great school.
Williams College - His first choice going in and still his first choice. I’m not sure what it is that speaks to him about the school, but it really does. He feels at home there.
Amherst - Moved down the list. The town seemed small and ordinary and not quaint - compared to Williams and Bowdoin. Also didn’t help that we couldn’t tour. But on paper he loves the school and if he gets in, will spend time there to really give it a fair shake.
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Thanks for pointing that out. He’d probably just tell me he wasn’t planning to attend Princeton. Lol. It doesn’t help that he directly asked a few professors during open houses and they recommended the BS path for his goals. Well, he has plenty of good schools on his list so far, with enough financial safeties thrown in, and he’s having a fantastic Junior year, so I’ve learned to pick my battles 
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