We are visiting Miami in a couple weeks- very curious what DS will think. I have a feeling he will love the vibe there.
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UM was absolutely gorgeous. It was quiet while we were there on a Saturday. My kid really liked it, but Little Havana was what resulted in the full grin. Live music is his main draw. There was an amazing trumpet player on the street. @coastal2024 if you have an extra day there, the Viscaya Museum was wonderful.
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I second everything that @Auntlydia said about Syracuse. The best presentation of any school we saw. You should expect that from (arguably) a Top 3 communications school, but it was still great. (Remember that the Sheraton is right across the street from campus!) Lehigh was just a drive-by. Didn’t spend nearly as much time on campus as Syracuse. Cornell is an impressive campus and Ithaca is certainly a college town. Ultimately, DC received nice merit from one school and an acceptance from another, which made Syracuse & Lehigh last-minute “scratches” from the application list. Waiting on a couple of other situations to play out before finalizing plans. I REALLY liked Newhouse, and I was a total sucker for the complimentary mini Kit-Kats at the presentation.
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Yes we will be in Miami for three days and I Can’t wait to visit Little Havana, etc. We are spending the first half of the week in Marathon and then Miami the second half so it should be a fun trip.
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Just reminding people that this thread is for posts about how college visits changed, or didn’t change, college lists. Other discussions go elsewhere.
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Let’s see if I can do better with a relevant description, then. 
University of Miami: Stayed high on my kid’s list. The campus is gorgeous, with its lake and palm trees and inland “beach” volleyball court. They have a huge pool for diving, meets, etc. I thought it was was quiet while we were there on a Saturday, but my kid did not agree with me. He spent time with 100+ applicants to the music school while I waited in the Starbucks. You could see how it might be very vibrant when students were around. Its proximity to Little Havana was a selling point for my kid. We did not get to go inside any buildings. The on-campus Smoothie King was a definite stop.
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It’s been a few months since our second week of tours (back in April '22) - our first tour focused on southeast (Tulane, U of Richmond, UVA, Wake, W&L, Davidson) and we did some in-state schools earlier in '22. The spring '22 tour was just DS’23 and his pops. Part of the tour was to have him see some schools he thought he was interested in (Villanova, BC) and also round it out with some schools that fit his “vibe”…which we were still figuring out)
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landed in Syracuse…it was 37 and raining sideways (maybe hailing)…first day plan was to tour Syracuse U on our own…we went to a movie instead since it was dumping - bummed we missed touring what i hear is a great school.
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Hamilton College - beautiful little town, beautiful school. I’m realizing I love every school and want to go back to college. Anyhow, we weren’t able to do an official organized tour but through some friends got two personalized tours from two very different current students. It was a really great way to learn about how different kids with different interests experience the school. It seems like a really inclusive and welcoming environment with great academics. But ultimately felt too small and quiet for DS. He passed on applying
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Colgate University - after the experience at Hamilton, I expected he would feel similarly about Colgate. He didn’t know much of anything about the school but he loved it. Loved how close it was to the small town. Loved the architecture. Was happy to hear about the school spirit and the social vibe of the students and sensed that he was surrounded by really smart kids that were also relatively outgoing (which describes him). We had a great tour guide and the weather was nice which also helped. We then spent time in the student center building which he really loved. He came away really liking his experience. Way Up.
Bucknell: Up. I was getting a sense of his style after him also really liking this school. Pretty campus…town/area is hard to get to (as is Colgate)…but the little town is cute with shops, bars, restaurants. School has good spirit…he was intrigued by the business school even though he’s a pre-med kid he’s really been enjoying his high school econ class. Could definitely see himself here…and did end up applying.
Villanova: Up! Really loved the campus (it’s beautiful) and it was a “Chamber of Commerce” day. He also saw some of the final 4 basketball players hanging around so that was cool for him. It felt like a rigorous and academic environment but one where he could see himself. He also liked the surrounding area (it’s in a nice part of the Philly suburbs).
Lehigh: He felt it was “meh”…while i thought it was an awesome place and really liked the architecture and the town of Bethlehem, DS just wasn’t feeling it. This school had a more engineering / business / pre-professional feel to the students and he just didn’t connect to the area. We also had a tour guide that was not a great fit…the tour groups were really large and in hindsight i really wish we peeled off and joined a tour where I think he would have connected with the guide better. He did not apply.
BU - down/pass. Just too urban for this suburban kid. It’s a school for kids that want to be in the middle of the town (Boston is awesome and this is a good neighborhood) and aren’t looking for a “traditional” campus experience. He couldn’t see himself there and ultimately did not apply.
Boston College - we were there when the campus was closed for Easter but we did get a personal tour from a current student who is having a great experience. Lovely campus and it seems like a great place to go to college. I thought he would love it and he definitely really liked it…but once we got home and he reflected on the school, he ultimately decided to pass and not apply.
Northeastern - another urban campus and we also did an official tour. He liked and he was surprised by how much he liked it especially since it was also in the middle of the city like BU. The difference for him was that the campus felt more compact and had a better sense of place for him…but ultimately also chose to not apply as he couldn’t see himself at the school.
Good luck everyone!
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I’m a student (current hs junior), so this is a bit different than the question. So far, I’ve visited 3 colleges: Vanderbilt, Rhodes, and University of Arkansas (all very different).
Vanderbilt: WAY UP! I loved Nashville. For background, I’m a huge music person. The live music scene in Nashville and the location of Vandy being close to everything helped. I thought the campus was beautiful. The information session seemed really generic but still informative. Our tour guide was really really good though. He seemed really involved in the school and helped give insight into how the school has both a lot of academics and fun. Talked about lots of clubs to join as well as lots of cool academic stuff. The only thing was that he said he didn’t apply to the big merit scholarships because he didn’t feel like writing the essays, which, as someone completely relying on merit aid, did seem really…spoiled I guess. But I guess if you don’t need the money there isn’t a point. Nevertheless, he was a good tour guide. It was summer, so we didn’t see many students.
Rhodes: Down
I will say that the campus was beautiful. I thought Memphis was cool. The main thing I didn’t like was how tiny it felt and the information session. The school felt like a really fancy high school instead of a college to me. The information session was a guy in a folding chair on a stage just kinda talking. He said some cool stuff about research opportunities with medical places near, but it was almost too laid back for me. Like a high school assembly. I could see some people loving that though.
Arkansas: Up and Down
This is my backup along with LSU. It went up because I had no idea how beautiful the area was and how cool the town was until I went. The athletic facilities were also really cool. I’m not an athlete, but I liked the gym. It seemed like it had a pretty good academic program, but it wasn’t as much the focus like Vanderbilt (not surprising). The main negative was that I didn’t realize how much I wouldn’t like a school that big, which is weird because of how much I disliked Rhode’s small size. Still, I thought the size was terrifyingly huge and there were just so many people. It’s still a good backup though. I think I would get used to the size.
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Did you visit LSU? This is on S24 list and we have not visited- would love to hear about it if you had a chance to visit.
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I haven’t done a real tour but I need to. I’ve been to football games though and on gamedays, school spirit is through the roof! It’s crazy. Lots of fun. There is not a strict regulation of beer among students it seemed but that’s any big school. If you find the right places, the food in Baton Rouge is really good. Not sure about the safety though. It’s been a while since I’ve been. A lot of people complain about it, but I don’t know if it’s actually really unsafe or if you just need to stay out of certain areas. My Louisiana city, for example, has a super high murder and crime rate (not New Orleans levels though), but the violence was mostly isolated to certain areas that most people just avoided. I wouldn’t be surprised if Baton Rouge is like that too, but I haven’t been in a while. It’s the state capitol so if she’s interested in politics or anything like that, that’s a plus. LSU has a real tiger kept in an enclosure. That’s all I can remember though
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Loyola New Orleans went up. It was already high on the list, but my kid seemed even more excited after auditioning there. The auditions were more chill than some other schools. He found it to be a friendly atmosphere with beautiful old buildings, and the campus did not seem too small. It’s integrated into such an amazing city. He went to a parade that night in the French Quarter. The streetcar is an easy ride there.
When we visited NOLA a couple years ago, we spent time in Audubon Park, where the path travels alongside the river and is almost connected to the campus. This part is my opinion. I found it to be a beautiful place for those who want to walk, run, roll, or sit by the river.
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You’re right about Wesleyan…it seems well laid out and blends in nicely with Middletown. I’d rate the Amherst campus above Williams and Tufts but below Wesleyan. The Amherst, MA metro area seems kind of congested. Bates has a very nice campus but Wesleyan has a nicer surrounding area. It’s a shame Middletown doesn’t have a train link to NY or Boston.
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You’re one of the first people without an axe to grind to recognize Wesleyan’s particular “Rome wasn’t built in a day” charm right away. I’ve been trying to make the same point for years. 
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Trinity University (Texas) - Way up. This was one we had heard a lot about, but we weren’t sure we believed all the positive reviews. We all loved it. It has a lovely campus, near downtown SA but not in the middle of downtown. Huge endowment that they seem to be using to improve the campus. About 2500 students, which felt so much bigger than the 1500 student school we had seen recently (in a good way).
The admissions presentation was great. And the tour guide was engaging. This was the first time dc (and friends that joined us) were at the front of the group right by the guide. The kids I took all said they would apply. Overall the group I was with came back very pleasantly surprised.
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Although we slept over in the “greater Middletown area,” our tour was more of a drive-by, “find buildings that are open and improvise” kind of thing. Looking back, it’s probably unfair to compare a full-blown, scheduled tour versus self-guided. That said, our primary takeaway is that there’s nominally profitable room for another boutique hotel in Middletown. DC ultimately did not apply.
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Yes, the Inn at Middletown is quite literally the most expensive place to stay within the city limits. It requires booking ahead by quite a bit.
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We visited late summer before senior HS year: Best presentations: Amherst College hands down - the talk was representative of their standing. Most Unique Presentation: UMass Amherst - way up! a student presenter, in my mind means the school is giving empowerment choices to their students. Lovely, calm, campus - we instantly felt at home. Although many on this thread liked the Syracuse presentation - it was catchy but everything there seemed too administrative, too top down - I got the feeling students were less empowered in their system. Univ of Vermont - down - their Arts building was falling apart. For what it’s worth, there’s something for everyone & I wish all our kids secure the best choice!
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Sounds like Amherst has improved its presentation. In 2009, the one we attended was given by a guy in a cardigan sweater. The main message was that a lot of kids want to attend Amherst, and you probably won’t make it. Definitely moved the school down the list. My son was accepted but didn’t go.
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As a Williams grad, it pains me to say that Amherst’s tour and presentation hit the high notes for my D18. She grew up attending numerous Williams Homecomings and Reunions, and we all thought she would be headed to Williams if she got in. But she was so taken by Amherst especially after spending a long weekend there that she would have chosen it over Williams. She loved the student vibe, conversations and the campus and found the town of Amherst and neighboring Northampton a lot more lively than Williamstown. She was also pretty impressed with the huge new Science Center that was getting ready to open at the time.
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How dare he wear a cardigan sweater!!!
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