A post was merged into an existing topic: Off-Topic Discussion from “Colleges Crossed Off List or Moved Up After Visiting”
Decent chance I was on your tour w/d24. Very recent on a rainy Saturday. Info session was (IMO) amazing. Tour was ‘meh.’ Wes ended up #4 of 8 on her list, and I was almost relieved at the mediocre tour. We were helplessly in love w/info session and it was nice to return to Earth. Not bad, but definitely “hit wrong notes” on our tour, too.
2 Likes
My D23 visited 4 out of 5 of these (all but Amherst) as an athletics recruit) and would agree on almost all impressions. She ended up at the first one on that list (where she never would have pictured herself initially) and, based on what she was saying in my visit last week, couldn’t be happier there. Campus and town are just as you describe.
3 Likes
I’m at Smith now visiting my sophomore and struck for the one millionth time by what a special place it is. I’m a Wesleyan grad and my younger daughter (senior in HS) took Wes off her list because she needs a place with a more positive vibe. And I’ve said it here before but our Amherst experience twice was comically ugh!!
5 Likes
Gone to Lehigh with S24 for their DAP over the weekend. Their Open House happened on Sunday as well. There was about 40ish kids and many have one of their parent tagged along.
We flew to Newark and then took the United Bus to Allentown airport, where the school send a school bus to pick us up. We were the second batch as we arrived in the afternoon.
The first day we had dinner, chat with current DAP students, then mingled with other students and parents a bit before we were to the hotel. The campus was also very pretty during evening time, despite some construction/remodeling going on.
On Sunday morning we joined the Open House. There were a lot of people and the Zoellner Arts center was full. They did it really well and I like how the coffee chat with the deans was run.
After the coffee chat, the crowd gone separate ways to visit each undergraduate college. We were surprised there wasn’t that many students going to the College of Health presentation. (We saw tons of students and parents gone to College of Engineering presentation though.)
The College of Health was relatively new. The presentation was done very well, partly because the department dean was pretty funny. Later on, we stopped by the PreMed info session and S24 got to speak to few current premed students afterward.
In the afternoon we had a lunch panel with some of the alumnus, followed by a guided tour. Since some of us had to catch the bus back to Newark airport, we left at around 3:30pm.
Only downside I could think of would be the United Bus ride. Its 1 and a half hour long and pretty boring. 
Oh yeah… if you booked both flight and bus together, the bus seating would be based on the plane seating… Of course, since the bus only has three rows of seat - A, C and F, that was totally different from seating layout of an airplane. If your ticket has assigned a seat B, you will not be able to find your seat! (Yep, I had the luck of given B on both rides. Fortunately there was enough seat on the bus.)
Anyhow, the campus was much prettier during day time. Very European look… and yes, it is a bit hilly but not that bad. The food we had were catered by the school cafeteria and was pretty good. 
After the visit Lehigh has jumped up on his school list. It has the programs he was looking for, and he liked the campus very much.
14 Likes
A post was 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”
Syracuse University - down, toured yesterday, it’s a lovely campus and the academic programs appear to be very robust. We also loved the diversity on campus - not just ethnically but also academically. The current students we spoke to were very positive about their experiences. It moved down due to the dining situation - we ate in the student center and tried two different food court restaurants. The food was terrible and we threw it out half finished even though we were hungry. We aren’t picky eaters and we have found decent food options on every other campus tour we’ve gone on. When we asked students about dining hall food they said that’s even worse. Then we looked for off campus food options within walking distance and they were very limited. By far the longest line was in chipotle, the rest of the places were pretty empty. Students are required to live on campus for two years and unless you get an on campus apt you are stuck with their dining plan. The other issue is they have buses that will take you to stores to get groceries, but they don’t go on a regular schedule. We got the feeling that unless you have a car you are trapped on campus and you are stuck with limited dining options. If they address the dining on campus, this would be an awesome school.
7 Likes
S24 did a half-day visit to Seton Hall - Up
He was already accepted for Fall 24 with $23k merit and was happy after an initial tour - they invited him to spend a day and he went with it.
Half Day included a 2.5 hr 100-level intro class, a sit down with a dean, and lunch - all chaperoned by a student. He reported the class was a little boring but in his major (IR), he bonded a bit with the student chaperone, and had a good chat with the dean. The visit was handled well by the school and he remains very comfortable at SHU.
We did discuss the honors program afterwards which has interesting colloquium courses but likely draws electives away from his major which is pretty intensive. So he might stay away from that. The diplomacy & IR school has the feel of an honors college already
10 Likes
S24 will also apply to Seton hall, as his major is also IR. BoroDad, can you descript a bit more on what the school was like? Did your kid like the dorm, school culture… etc?
I have not heard SH as a party school, but wondering how big Greek life is there since S24 is not a party type.
The dorms are the usual mixed bag of older and newer. Maybe a little bigger than the usual prison cell (looking at you, UMd).
He was comfortable with the school and liked the program and internship opportunities a lot. He really wants an urban setting. He is also not likely to go Greek - he is more SJW if anything
I did grad work there many years ago but did not attend undergrad so I don’t have first hand knowledge on Greek life. From what I have found, there are 20-ish fraternities and sororities total (plus some Greek honor societies) and about 25% are in the Greek system. there are no official fraternity or sorority houses - just unofficial houses and apartments scattered around town.
3 Likes
2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Off-Topic Discussion from “Colleges Crossed Off List or Moved Up After Visiting”
3 posts were merged into an existing topic: Off-Topic Discussion from “Colleges Crossed Off List or Moved Up After Visiting”
S25 (good but not exceptional high stat student - he’ll end up in the top 40% of his class at a competitive Jesuit college prep high school) and spouse did an all-Ohio trip over the last few days:
Dayton - Same. Felt like a good size, campus was pleasant but nothing jaw-dropping. Dorms, student union and some of the other physical plant felt a bit dated and in need of modernizing. S25 liked the friendliness of the place and all the students met/observed. Completely randomly ran into one of D23’s high school friends, who’s a freshman, on the sidewalk, and she provided more insights. Liked the “off campus” neighborhood, which is mostly university-owned smaller houses that allow kids to move out of the dorms but still feel tethered to the school and undoubtedly are better maintained than private landlord houses. Could see him applying here but it won’t be near the top of the list.
Miami - Up. S25 wasn’t sure about a public school that doesn’t have big-time athletics, but liked that at least hockey’s a big thing here, and I’m sure he’d find a way to get into MAC football and hoops. Campus is gorgeous, though large and spread out. 17k undergrads is a lot but felt manageable, especially given the school’s clear focus on undergrad teaching.
Consistent Georgian architecture and well-laid out quad style of campus was very appealing (esp. to spouse). Farmer School of Business impressed. Both of them liked the specified focus on real world, post-graduate guidance/outcomes. Campus integrated seamlessly with quintessential little college town.
Denison - Up, but… The best thing about campus (set on a big hill, allowing for beautiful views of the surrounding environs, which both spouse and S25 said felt more like Connecticut than Ohio) is also its biggest weakness - there’s no expansive “main quad,” kind of a center of it all place. Everything’s tucked away and cozy because of the tiered verticality of campus. Great for some but a bit of a drawback for S25 as the layout made the campus feel sleepy to him. Disappointed by the student center/union, which could serve some community-building purposes. School’s been in the process of slowly strangling the Greek system, which again is a plus for some but not this particular kid. Slightly preppy/wealthy feel to student body. He’s still to decide if he wants to be an athlete in college, but he’s not quite at the level in his sport to play at Denison, and being a so-called “narp” there doesn’t seem as appealing. For that reason, I’m guessing it comes off his list.
Kenyon - Up. A reach school for S25 academically, though one where in contrast to Denison he could be an athlete (would likely have to get in on his own, however - wouldn’t be a recruit a coach would use many chips on with Admissions). Felt for all the world to spouse like it was a cozy little NESCAC school, or possibly the English countryside, not something in the Midwest. Described to me as “absolutely beautiful.” Outstanding facilities across the board. Student body definitely had a more intellectual vibe than Denison’s. Kenyon presented itself as a classical liberal arts school, more pursuit of knowledge oriented, as opposed to post-college what do you want to do with your life focused.
23 Likes
Kenyon mom here…happy to answer any questions you have. It’s a special place.
Miami isn’t as spread out as most state flagships. Very walkable town. Sports are not top tier for sure, but still there. Nightlife for students is a fun time for sure.
1 Like
My D25 is a potential music ed major and have participated in 2 “music major for a day” events. One last spring at TCNJ and one recently at Rowan.
TCNJ: down, off
It was a beautiful spring day with all the trees blossomed, campus was compact, walkable but not small. They started with admissions pitch then sent the students one way and the parents another. D25 chose ahead of time what sessions to attend, she went to a woodwind workshop with professors. She spent the day learning a piece they would play altogether with the college students at the end. She had lunch in one of the dining halls.
I went to a Q&A with the department director. Lots of parents needed reassurance that our kids wouldn’t be destitute majoring in music. Luckily a fairly recent graduate who adopted an older child was there and she explained how much she loved the program and school. She had a public school teaching job upon graduation, has been employed since and even got into grad school for an unrelated subject but was deeply interested in. The director remembered her and he would ask her for her opinion on some of the activities they offered. She loved all of it. Afterwards I walked the entire campus, got lunch at Panera then headed to watch the performance. The hs kids were on the stage rehearsing, sadly a couple seemed frustrated and left the stage. Soon the college students entered and they began playing together. I’m always amazed what they learn in a day. As we were leaving my kid said: “I’m not going here. It’s old and I don’t like it plus Gabbys cousin didn’t like it.” So that’s that.
Rowan: same
This music day didn’t have a parent component. About 10 kids from her school also came. They separated by instrument but all complained that they hardly played it. My D spent more time setting up her instrument than actually playing it. They had the marching band and various instruments groups perform which was great. She’s been here participating in various ensembles, master classes etc so has played with the professor before. She’s heard the program pitches many times so was a little bored. Former band members from her school showed them around and had lunch in a dining hall. Rowan is closeish to us and is the likeliest college for her academically while requiring an audition. The music building is newer and she’s used to it. She says campus is too big but not bad so she’ll happily apply.
As a parent the TCNJ day was a much better use of her time and I was surprised how much she didn’t like it, even after the Rowan day it didn’t move up. 
Gabbys cousin commutes to Rowan now.
5 Likes
St. Lawrence - WAY Up
D24 and I visited SLU as maybe the 13th of 13 schools. The place is incredible. Similar in ways to Hamilton and Trinity … but really in a class by itself in terms of personal attention. Blew us away. Instantly climbed into top five. Just wow. Gotta see it to believe it. Not exactly her fit on a personal level, but just so nice and intentional and full of quality it leapt above schools with far greater reputations. Truly in the middle of nowhere, but amazing.
26 Likes