Ally, I am not sure what your daughter plans to study, but DePaul is great about building relationships with Chicago businesses, helping place students with internships and jobs, and hosting networking functions. There is a strong DePaul alumni network in Chicago. I used to work in real estate in Chicago, and attended several conferences hosted by DePaul where students were able to meet potential employers. My wife ran a business in the finance space, and she hired many DePaul students, preferring them over Northwestern grads.
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This article in the New York Times refers to Spokane as the ‘next big thing’. The focus is on housing but gives a lot of perspective on other aspects of the city as well.
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Since W&M offers a full geology program, I might regard it as generally more science oriented than UVA.
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Spokane is nothing like Chicago or St. Louis or Seattle. No, it does not seem decayed in my opinion, but is encountering problems like other cities, some businesses have closed, new ones open in their place, an increase in homelessness that was not seen before, etc. have happened, especially with the pandemic. I would also disagree about the long, dreary winters. Is there snow, yes. Nothing extreme. Are the skies grey sometimes in winter, yes, but just as often are crisp, clear, and sunny. However, compared to the grey/rain of Seattle/Portland and the huge problems there, Spokane is nothing like them weather wise or socially. Housing is going crazy because of the massive exodus of people from Seattle, California, Portland, etc. due to the significantly lower cost of living. Those people can sell in their home cities, buy plots of land, or homes for cash, in Spokane or Coeur D’ Alene, and work from home in jobs that pay more than the more traditional working class population of Spokane. The outdoor recreational opportunities in the area are many. Gonzaga is a great school. There is huge community support for all of the area colleges from Gonzaga to WSU and Whitworth to EWU.
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This analysis is somewhat older, but note that Richmond placed higher by standardized scoring profile (74th nationally) than Wake Forest (83rd) and UNC (88th): The 610 Smartest Colleges in America.
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I’m sure you are right, but D used lack of interest in sports among the student body as a positive indicator in her search - the football field front & center was not a plus for her. But I wouldn’t say it was her least favorite thing about Wesleyan!
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It’s interesting how all of these things have tended to filter a certain “Wesleyan type” over the years.
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And no question, my kid was a Wesleyan type. And I’ll add (as I have elsewhere) that she is not politically strident (though more aware now after 4 years at Wes); nor is she a hipster or “artsy” (though very appreciative of the arts as a former classically trained ballerina). I also don’t think she’s weird, but I’m biased and I’m not sure what that means anyway.
Like any kid, she has her particular bundle of virtues and vices: a sweet kid who people tend to recognize quickly as an empath, but with Type A drive (proverbial ‘doesn’t suffer the fool’) and a strong tendency toward fussiness about things since she was small (food, etc.) - actually in the zip code of excessive focus on orderliness and cleanliness. She also wasn’t the kid who was thrilled to be admitted to Wes because it was the most highly ranked of her options. To the contrary, she was aggressive pursued and had likely options at many other selective colleges, including those more highly ranked NESCACs and other LACs and universities.
Didn’t care. It was Wes from the second she stepped out of the car on an unofficial swing-by that we took after her Wellesley official. No ifs, ands or buts. When discussing the 3-2 engineering combo with Dartmouth / Columbia, she wouldn’t even consider not being at Wes all 4 years. I had thought up to that point that Wellesley was where she belonged, and I could not have been more wrong.
She’s at a big-name grad school now and has done very well. And she’s quick to respond to anybody suggesting that she’s a __________ and say, without hesitation, “Oh, this isn’t my school, this is just for work. I went to Wesleyan.”
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Again… let’s get back to the thread.
Feel free to continue discussion about Wes on that school’s page.
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I think lots of colleges filter for certain types, in their brochures, on their webpages. Campus architecture is a big tell, IMO.
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Did your daughter see the Clark Kerr campus and dorms? The campus is lovely and quiet, right up against the Berkeley hills with a hiking trail, and they have their own cafeteria (bad food though). And the rooms are enormous. Nt son lived in a triple that was very, very spacious, at least by CA standards, and a kid from his HS ended up in a triple alone. It is near frat row though, which I think scares some kids away. Maybe because of this the kids tend to be more on the social side compared to the other dorms. My son is not a party animal but still was so glad he lived there.
we just did the normal tour. Nothing would change their mind after the news of 1000 person classes though. If they end up up applying at all it would be because of the price tag, and they are in the fortunate position of not having to weigh price very heavily.
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Yes, my son is a Math/CS major and was in a class like that. Luckily he does not mind large classes but he is an unusual kid. Understandable that it would be a big turnoff for most. That’s why my younger son is at a 1500 student college now, leaning toward the same major. But for those that choose Cal go live in Clark Kerr!
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Just finished a two college tour in Georgia with DD23
University of Georgia- moved up. We have never visited a school this big and was afraid D would be overwhelmed. Tour was great and D really liked the school. Just about every student was in active wear / it looked like an Athleta advertisement. We are from North East and before we started researching we had no idea how impressive UGA was academically. Downtown Athens had a fun chill feeling and my daughter loved the niche clothing stores. Definitely her vibe. She said she could see herself here but at the same time she still preferred a medium size school. This one stayed on her list as an alternative option if medium size school did not work out.
Emory University- moved down but off a very high pedestal. D would likely have to ED to be accepted so she needed to love this school and on paper she did love it. Tour was very good. AO gave a great speech. One thing she said is test optional really means test flexible. She alluded to the fact that if you decide not to submit scores then at least submit your AP scores as an alternative. Too many great candidates and you need every edge you can get. They mentioned research like 10x during the tour so clearly that was important if you are interested in undergraduate research( my D is). The students are very diverse and my D thought she could find her friend group but it was definitely a different vibe than we expected. Without the D1 sports and the heavy premed emphasis it seemed a little dull especially after the UGA visit. She loved the size, the main campus is beautiful and the academics are top notch, D has this school high on her list but is not clear that this is her first choice.
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Wesleyan was our daughter’s #1 U.S. school after she was deferred at Cornell ED. She’s looking at UK schools but fell in love with Wes on paper. Went to visit last week and it’s now off her list. Too small. She also went to visit Wisconsin, never really high on her list and now it’s up top, loved Madison, loved the internship opportunities at the Capitol, the whole vibe. If she can go to Madison and love it in February . . .
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OMG, I remember you from the Wesleyan ED thread. You were so supportive of the parents who had been deferred. I wondered where your DD landed and am so happy it worked out.
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Was that me? 
I don’t remember lol.
D22 is still waiting on London School of Econ, Cornell, Uni College London, U of M, American, Syracuse (I think pref in that order but we are heading to the UK to check out LSE and UCL). Accepted to Bristol and Nottingham, both are possible but LSE and UCL would likely trump. The UK system and the conditional offers are a little nerve wracking! Anyway, I think Wes is off her list due to size and she’d attend Wisconsin if she doesn’t get in anywhere else, but checking out the UK schools will give her a much better sense.
Good luck to all parents and students! This has been such a stressful time - trying to “enjoy” it, as before we know it our kids will be where they are meant to be and we’ll be missing THIS time period with them. 
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UMaine(Orono) - moved up quite a bit. Campus was nice, he likes the open space and outdoorsy activities available on/near campus. Tour was very well done, and he was able to have the opportunity to discuss undergraduate research opportunities and programs with several professors. (I am a fan because it is very affordable with NM scholarship)
WPI - moved up. Very nice campus, lot of open space. Well done tour. In the end, removed from list for other reasons, but visit was positive.
Northeastern - moved way down. Nice campus, but he felt it was much more urban and less open space than portrayed in the brochures. Ruled it out as he does not want an urban campus.
Suny Binghamton and Suny Buffalo - stayed same. Both visits went well, tours were well run and the campuses were decent, his opinion remains that they would be perfectly fine but not particularly enthusiastic.
MIT - stayed same. Didn’t like campus much as it was to urban, but, as he says, its MIT, and that supersedes pretty much anything if he happens to get in.
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If you’re unsure where to stay, I’d suggest Russell Square. It’s in between UCL and LSE and will give your D a good sense of life as a student in London. Also, take a walk through other nearby colleges - SOAS and KCL in particular.
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We are in Seattle.
UW Madison (deferred) jumped up high on daughters list after visiting. She never really thought she’d like it, let alone love it. She said the campus is gorgeous and the school spirit is amazing.
Indiana Bloomington (accepted direct admit into media school + merit money) moved down list after visit. Campus too big. Dorm communities super spread out. Still a contender, but Wisconsin now ranks higher.
CalPoly SLO (waiting decision) jumped up higher after visit. Initial thought was too small. She likes the layout and overall vibe. Very different vs big sports college but a top options.
Going to visit Colorado Boulder next week (admitted + merit money). She’s very excited as she hopes it will be the perfect fit.
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