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A post was merged into an existing topic: Off-Topic Discussion from “Colleges Crossed Off List or Moved Up After Visiting”
4 posts were merged into an existing topic: Off-Topic Discussion from “Colleges Crossed Off List or Moved Up After Visiting”
St Mary’s of California–unsure what she’ll do with it, but wanted to give a snapshot, as it’s almost never mentioned on CC.
Here’s what my kid liked:
*the continuous Spanish terra cotta mission vibe. It really is beautiful and there’s a definite feeling that even when they’ve built new buildings that they’ve tried to keep the campus cohesive.
*the fact that the admissions person and tour guide both talked about the 5 Lasalleian virtues (service to the poor, faith in the presence of God, respect for all people, etc.) She liked that people there are probably not hostile to faith, but that there was an openness to people of all faiths (or lack thereof).
*the idea of getting to know professors/small class sizes
*that there was a shuttle/bus to take her to Moraga and beyond. (She was ok that there was nothing walkable from campus.)
*that you can bring a mini-fridge to the dorm. (This is when I realize she hasn’t been on many campuses. I explained that that’s standard.)
*that there’s an Amazon locker on campus. (See above.)
*no Greek system
Cons:
She said she was a little concerned about going to college with fewer kids than our local public high school. I don’t think that means she wouldn’t consider it, but that she’d probably prefer something bigger than the 2100 there.
Parent notes:
*It is a beautiful campus, and was lovely to walk around.
*It’s an ethnically diverse campus, which was lovely to see.
*I’m shocked at how large the gym/workout area is, and the fact that they have some D1 athletics at a school so small.
*The dorm room we saw was nothing special, but it totally felt serviceable. They are re-doing the dorms and classrooms over time, so some dorms have a/c and others do not. ETA: guaranteed housing for two years. One of the students on the tour was either a junior or senior and he still had housing, so it’s at least possible beyond the first two years.
*I would definitely want to see it again on a M/W/F. The tour guide said that they’ve changed the schedule this year so most kids were in class when we went on a Th at 2pm, and that it’s right near mid-terms so more kids were in the library, but I felt like it was quiet and there were very few students out and about. And I didn’t feel like the kids milling about seemed overly friendly with us or each other, but D25 didn’t notice this or seem struck by it at all.
*Also, fwiw, I actually believe the tour guide that the food is excellent there, bc he and another student started talking about how bad it was two+ years ago (before they switched vendors). We weren’t there at a time we could buy a meal.
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We visited St. Mary’s of California during their NCAA March Madness journey a couple of year ago. Lots of kids out and about, tons of school spirit and my daughter was super impressed by the athletic facilities (one of her biggest criteria during her search). It went up on her list.
It is definitely an underrated gem in our opinion for the student looking for a SLAC in California.
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FANCY SCHOOLS
UChicago - Way down. Everyone looked very stressed, and they went out of their way to say “we have fun too” about 20 times. Guide tried to assuage safety concerns by telling parents that all students get free Uber rides from subway to campus.
NYU - Somewhat down. S24 loves the academics but idn’t like the extremely urban campus as much as he thought he would (walk outside and smell the city).
Middlebury - Up. Gorgeous and well kept. Great tour and guide.
Cornell - Up and Away. S24 LOVED it. This is the stretch ED school now.
LIKELY SCHOOLS
UVM - Down. Burlington is great, but many buildings on campus are outdated or in a state of disrepair. Patrick Gym is awful and uninviting.
IU - Bloomington was surprisingly nice and exceeded expectations.
CU Boulder - His strong safety/second choice. Beautiful environment, good business program, family nearby in Denver.
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We had same experience at UVM. I was bummed, I really wanted to like it
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Took S25 to Texas this weekend for tours and to see his sister at Trinity U’s Family Weekend.
SMU-UP S25 didn’t even want to look at anything in Texas but really liked SMU and especially Cox, the business school. The info session was good, the campus is stunning and the location in Dallas is very nice. One of the tour guides was from Colorado and spent a lot of time talking about the change of moving to Texas, which I think our son appreciated. Overall, I liked SMU more than I thought I would as well, much more down to earth and less fratty than our TCU experience a few years with our D23.
Baylor - DOWN. Not S25’s scene. I knew it likely wouldn’t be but D23 loved Baylor and we were impressed with their academics. Too much bible, football, and Waco for S25. Not a surprise.
Trinity U - SAME. D23 is a freshman but S25 had not been before. He liked the size of the school and the campus but didn’t like San Antonio. I didn’t know that anyone preferred Dallas to SA but there ya go 
More to come in the spring!
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A post was merged into an existing topic: Off-Topic Discussion from “Colleges Crossed Off List or Moved Up After Visiting”
Vanderbilt - way down.
We went to the Open House event from 8am-1pm. The visit was underwhelming. The first impression started off well as they had actual breakfast food. Not just pastries and bagels but breakfast sandwiches, fruit, and some version of a chik’fla sandwich. The food was ok but A+ for effort.
We started with the usual student led campus tour. Didnt go inside any building other than the student center - no library, dorms, none of the colleges. Things were described but nothing was available to be experienced first hand. A video tour wouldve probably accomplished the exact same thing - which was disappointing considering we flew in from New England just for this. We learned very little other than what we could’ve read from a magazine or their website. It was the usual discussion of dining hall swipe cards, dorm room stories and anecdotes of how nice everyone is. Does anyone care that upperclassmen help freshmen move their stuff in when they arrive on campus or that the faculty may attend your dance recital on campus? The message was: the faculty cares about you and are accessible - which is nice but every tour highlights the same thing. Professors want you to succeed and are available for you. The only missing cliche was the “there are so many student orgs there’s even one for Taylor Swift fans!” - though they did mention Taylor Swift in two other different contexts. Tour guide was enthusiastic but the tour shouldve been more dynamic.
The information session was even worse than the student led tour. The president spoke about admissions but said nothing about admissions. He mentioned that they were looking for rigor and that they were test optional. Then he spoke about financial aid and that everyone could afford Vanderbilt - with no specificity. Everything in his speech was just a thin superficial coating of something but no details. It felt like a descriptive summary from a 3rd party magazine.
Second session was all about their residential colleges. They mentioned that Vanderbilt’s residential college system was “unique”. Hmmm, Rice’s residential college system has existed far longer than Vanderbilt’s?? This was literally a long discussion of faculty living at the residential college, pictures of their family, and how the residential colleges have a fighting spirit and they compete for a trophy at the end of the year. And they are still working out the kinks and adapting to get more people interested in the residential college system beyond the freshman year? It seemd like an odd topic to spend so much time on. Perhaps it was their effort to minimize their Greek reputation and focus more on inclusivity.
Next was a panel discussion from the career center, study abroad program, student safety advocate? and a representative from one of their colleges. This was by far the worst session. No interactive opportunities with the audience. No videos. Just a panel session that yielded little interesting information that would scream, yes, Vanderbilt is the one! Vanderbilt requires immersion learning and study abroad meets that requirement. Students can study abroad and half the students do. Ok. Career center - alumni will help you, there’s some workshops, and they work with employers to help you find jobs. Nothing specific about about networking, what companies recruit from Vanderbilt, what percentage of students are employed after graduating, the interview process, and overall outcomes that make Vanderbilt unique from their peers. Student safety person - We care and about you. You will feel safe at Vanderbilt. At this point, half the kids were either on their phones, asleep or doing both at the same time. The parents had this glazed look on their face as if they were watching a documentary on the migration habits of wombats.
Next, everyone separated into individual colleges. We attended the Arts and Science session. Quick static slides and then Q&A. Another generic talk about intellectually curious, freedom to explore multiple interests, pursue your passion, etc etc.
Not surprisingly, the students wanted more meat on the bone type questions: How many AP credits do you accept? Do they satisfy AXLE requirments? What does foreign language proficiency mean? Do you admit by major? Do you have campus jobs and work study? How many classes are large lecture style classes? Is it ever difficult to get some classes? Can you park on campus your freshman year?
After this session was over, the students and parents went back to the student center where they held an Q&A fair. The highlight of the event - if you went around and visited five different organizations, you received… a Vanderbilt cowboy hat. This was actually the best swag we received on any campus tour. My D wore it in the Uber to the airport, at the airport, and all the way home. That was a home run! The second best part of the trip - got upgraded to first class on our plane ride home.
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One last visit before all the early action applications are turned in…took DS 24 to see Skidmore, which has hovered on the periphery of his list for a while now. He is humanities and arts focused, and loves rock-climbing and snowboarding. Wants a SLAC, prefers open curriculum.
SKIDMORE, UP: We visited Skidmore on a beautiful fall day, and campus was gorgeous. When my daughter visited two years ago she hated it–but my son found campus to be really lovely. The info session was the worst we have seen. A rambling surface level overview of the size of the school and how close students are with their professors presented by a lackluster admissions rep. Two students sat at her sides but were asked minimal questions. No visuals, no real unique content. Total dud.
Luckily the tour was great. We chose the tour guide who was a STEM major, which is not at all in my kids area of interest but she was wearing an argyle vest and he was wearing an argyle shirt so he picked her. She was very personable, involved in lots of things on campus, and had a neat balance of STEM and Arts interests. I was tickled at how quickly the visiting students on the tour bonded with one another–it is the only tour we’ve been on where all four of them became friends by the end.
The new science building is wonderful, with an impressive maker lab. There is a big hole in the ground for the new athletic center, but no plans for a rock climbing wall within (sad trombone). The outdoors club on campus is super active. We ran into a first year experience class that was using the professor’s corgi to lure people in to register for vote–I talked to a couple of the students who seemed really happy and shared that they chose Skidmore over places like Vassar and Bennington because of the ability to walk into Saratoga Springs and enjoy all that the town has to offer. The dining hall was really nice and they gave us all a free cookie–hooray!
The low point of the tour was definitely the dorm. The “show room” has new vinyl flooring but that does not disguise the fact that it is a modest-sized double with a third bed shoved in near the window (blocking 2/3 of the window seat, in fact). All first-years should expect to be in a triple. Some sophomores will get singles, but most will be in doubles. Ugh. Our tour guide said it’s not the worst housing set-up, but you definitely appreciate more space when you move up through the years.
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Last college visit.
Amherst - down.
This will be brief since they didnt host information session when we attended.
Tour guide spoke about the open curriculum, dorms, dining hall, the usual. Because they dont have a lot of students, there is only 1 dining hall. Buildings are a mixed bag. They’re nice but not grand like some other schools.
Tour guide was very honest. Asked about finance jobs: Finance jobs are extremely competitive. Asked about the social scene: Only athletes host parties. If you want to be involved in the main social scene, you need to ingratiate yourself with an athlete. Each sports team is the head of a different social group.
Question to tour guide: Can you attend parties if you’re not friends with athletes? Not really, maybe you can show up late around 11-12am, by then no one will care. Message is there is a dichotomy of athletes and non athletes. And if you’re not an athlete, you better find your own small group of friends, which will be somewhat limited because the school is small. Basically it’s like a mid-big HS where the athletes are the most popular and everything runs through them.
The end. Crossed off ASAP for both D24 and D26.
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4 posts were merged into an existing topic: Off-Topic Discussion from “Colleges Crossed Off List or Moved Up After Visiting”
2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Off-Topic Discussion from “Colleges Crossed Off List or Moved Up After Visiting”
Recent tours of Loyola Marymount and Occidental.
Both of them moved UP. DC loved both.
LMU is in a beautiful location. A few of the buildings are a bit run down, but overall the campus is beautiful. The tour guides were all very impressive. The campus was busy and there was a nice energy. We are not religious, but I really liked this school for DC. The only downside - despite the great location there isn’t anything within walking distance. Definitely applying!
Oxy - Another beautiful campus. Overall location maybe not as impressive as LMU’s but stores and restaurants were walkable from campus and the area seemed fine. A lot of students out and about and everyone seemed happy. Not quite the same buzz as LMU, but very pleasant. I honestly wasn’t sure the vibe was right for DC, but they came away with a positive impression and will apply. Only downside is the smaller size.
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University of Tulsa - up a little
The day started with an information session. It was typical and there was time for a couple quick questions, but not many. I would have liked to ask a couple more, but the tour guides were waiting on us.
The guide had was really good. She did a nice job of making sure we could all hear her. The tour took us through 2 different dorms - a traditional double with hall bathroom and a suite style double. I liked that we were not just shown the best of the best. After freshman year, there are apartments and the guide says most students continue to live on campus all 4 years, which is a plus for D24.
We met with a mechanical eng professor who gave us a tour of the labs. If there was a someone working, we got to hear a summary of the project being worked on. We also met with computer science in simulation and gaming as she’d like to mix engineering with animation and design. She gave a nice overview and answered questions for my daughter. Then we had a tour of their lab and research areas. My daughter really liked both of the department tours. I thought they did a great job setting those up with professors and having us go to both of them.
Campus is very pretty. It was bigger than we were expecting. There isn’t much around the area and the guide said you really need a car to do things like grocery shopping. Not ideal for sure. We didn’t intend for her to have a car at least the first year. We enjoyed seeing the lawn mowing and food delivering robots around campus.
We had hoped to see the marching band and picked a day to come that they have rehearsal. We had asked about that in emails before we arrived. Unlike other places we’ve been to, we didn’t get an agenda until we arrived for the tour, so didn’t know it wasn’t part of the tour. Unfortunately, the department meetings took place during the rehearsal time. We almost caught them at the end, but no one we asked knew where they practiced, so it took a bit to find them and they were already done. If the agenda had been sent a couple days before, I would have set that up on my own perhaps. We were the only ones meeting with the computer science professor, so maybe that could have been an hour or two later.
We spent some time in Tulsa and visited some museums and downtown. It’s a nice city overall. Not too big but offers plenty to do in the area. But, there isn’t much near campus at all.
So overall, it’s the same or up. She was excited by it to start and the campus size and labs were a plus.
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Cornell - UP. We visited Cornell over the weekend - it was the last school on his list that he hadn’t seen in person so off we went (6 hour drive for mom). Despite the rain, he liked the campus a lot (nice buildings, good amount of green space, nice views - well they would have been nice if wasn’t overcast). On the academic side, he liked that students can minor across schools and the fact that most classes were on the smaller side. Learned that Bill Nye the science guy often comes to lecture in Astronomy - tour guide said class has great attendance as he doesn’t announce when he is coming and kids don’t want to miss it. The highly rated food was also a plus. He loved the location in Ithaca as there were a lot of restaurants/shops etc. Also, he liked the fact that there are a lot of outdoor opportunities in the area. He is definitely going to apply here if his ED school doesn’t work out.
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Thought I’d add some of mine and my child’s impressions since this thread has been so useful for us…
First thing to understand: my D24 likes every single school she goes to. It’s frustrating because no schools are EVER eliminated. She thinks they are all amazing. So with that understanding…
UCHICAGO – UP. This was the first tour we attended and it was right after the close of her sophomore year. It was amazing. Gorgeous June day, gorgeous campus. Surprised it didn’t feel “urban” like we expected. It’s such a dreamy oasis. The initial auditorium presentation was excellent and student-run. Tour guide was excellent. The students seemed enthusiastic and interesting and happy to be there.
Only annoying thing (for me) was that the guides made it seem like literally everyone should apply. “Don’t worry if you have a lot of B’s; it’s fine.” Don’t worry about low scores, don’t worry about a lack of impressive EC’s, don’t worry about sub-par LOR’s. It was getting ridiculous. It was clear they wanted everyone to feel like they had a great chance of admission (which I knew to be false).
My D24 left thinking she would definitely apply.
Now, however, 16 months later, and with the knowledge that Chicago really only accepts kids ED – she will not apply. If they were more reasonable in their RD admissions it would be different. (She also heard many stories from a friend she met that summer who lives in Hyde Park about how dangerous the surrounding area is.)
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