Eew.
We flew to LA at the end of Sep to tour some colleges (and, my favorite, squeeze in the Stanford-UCLA game). In order of visits:
Pitzer/Claremont – We were all disappointed. I had recommended going there so that we could see a LAC, thinking that D18 could use smaller classes and more personalized instruction. It was just too laid back, seemingly disorganized, etc. It was also blazingly hot that day, which didn’t help.
UCLA – D18 and I both liked it a lot. Mom liked it but not as much. More energetic vibe but very large. I really liked the area it was in – I like to be the “trash” of the neighborhood 
USC – D18 liked it but still favored UCLA. Mom loved USC. The campus is/seemed smaller than UCLA, the staff was professional, etc. It seems like there are plenty of fun things to do on-campus. The neighborhood … not so good.
Both UCLA and USC should be in D18’s target list after her junior year standardized testing. She’s changed quite a bit in just a few months of 11th grade (in a positive direction, for a change). Recently, she got picked to be in a summer research project at StateU, where they live on campus for six weeks (one of 40 or so students from the state). That’ll give her a taste of college and, hopefully, get her more interested in StateU, which is in the top-20 of USNWR public school list.
OK, it was not an official college visit, but we went to visit Harvard just because it was Harvard. D was not even thinking applying there.
What I noticed was that all the green grass areas were roped off and nobody was lounging on the lawn. Just that day? I’m not sure. But because there were bunch of plastic chairs and tables, it seemed like people just sit on charis instead of sitting on the lawn.
My ideal college life is to sit on the lawn with your friends, chatting, eating lunch, doing your homework, etc. I love just falling asleep on the green grass!! I was disappointed that I didn’t see that at Harvard and it was just too crowded with tourists.
We never went in the old building so we didn’t smell the power.
@HiToWaMom, I think of Harvard as an urban campus. A huge amount of traffic goes around there and it’s never quiet and I could not imagine napping anywhere within a 1 mile radius of there. People can sit on the lawn, sure, but it might be too wet during much of the school year. By November it will be too cold to live out your fantasy. In April those lawns will definitely be a mudpit. Nearby is the Cambridge Common, where is a lot more lawn. Fun things happen there like gigantic pillow fights. A lot of interesting things will happen to your kid at Harvard, but laying around sleeping on the grass might not be one of them.
Hahaha, I didn’t even think about weather and mudpit! I went to University of Hawaii and it became my idea of standard college life!!
Google “chairs in harvard yard”
To me this thread illustrates the absolute need to visit a college campus. There have been comments about how shallow some of these posts are but much of what we pick in life is based on simple visual clues that we (for whatever reason) find appealing. It is much like picking a significant other. You cannot just boil it down to facts and figures. You need to experience the vibe and interact a bit to see if it is appealing. What one person finds attractive may not jive with you. And viceversa. Great thread everyone. Enjoyed the read thru.
If at all possible, have an overnight visit at your top picks. An hour can be misleading.
@vonlost How does that work? I did not even know they allow that. Are you saying to just stay in the area? Like at a local hotel?
Mine is a general comment about any school; check the school’s web site. Some offer it, some don’t.
There are a lot of ways to have an overnight - athletic recruit, program the school offers, high school event, friend who already attends, older siblings (or friends).
@massdad64 Some colleges allow prospective students to arrange to spend a day and night on campus hosted by a student (if parents come then they need to stay off-campus). Some other colleges have programs where an applicant can shadow a student for a day but not spend the night. Not every college offers these and at some colleges these programs are for accepted students. If interested you would need to check with admissions at each college.
@MassDaD68 – exactly. Looking at photos on a website just doesn’t cut it. Even an hour at the physical location for a tour is important. However, I do think it’s more important at smaller schools because large ones, as you’d expect, are fairly similar (e.g. are spread out, have a larger cross-section of the population, etc.).
I personally don’t think kids should do overnights unless they have a pretty good shot at getting in, or until they are accepted. It’s very time consuming, and can lead to unrealistic expectations. I think some feel they need to do it to express interest, but there are other good ways to do so.
@Lindagaf - good point, but I can see the utility of it if it’s an ED situation and the student’s stats/profile is within the range of possibility. Do you think it’s OK to have your child do an overnight in that scenario?
Yes. If applying ED, it’s definitely worth doing because you can’t reneg, so it’s best to be sure. Wasn’t really thinking of ED when I posted. But, it’s not going to gain anyone extra points.
Thanks guys. I knew about the student shadow days and felt like that would be a really good way to get the feel for a school. To actually sit in a lecture and listen, see how the other students interact or not interact, see how that one professor treats his students and his temperament, does the prof seem to like his job or the school, etc. Also gives you a way to hang out in the student center or cafe and watch the students to see if you fit in.
I can see where the overnight would be for accepted students (at least for EA ones). Cannot see how you could effectively use this if you applied RD. You would find out to late.
I have read every one of these posts so I thought it only fair I should comment on what we saw.
We have seen a lot of schools in the past 3 years. I am sure many will disagree with my family’s assessments (in fact my daughter and I regularly disagreed… but this was what we thought, I hope it is helpful to someone).
Here goes!
Vanderbilt-- first college tour ever. Campus beautiful, everything great, except two things: 1) tour guides explained how Nashville was a great college town in theory but not in practice because it is really a town for kids over 21 and 2) the admissions presentation was all about how amazing the school was and how so few applicants would enjoy it because they wouldn’t get it. It was also annoying to be in a room with 100 kids who said they all wanted to be “insert some totally specific esoteric major here”-- my daughter was like: “how does these kids possibly know- isn’t that what college is for?” Compare our experience to Emory below.
Emory-- Unlike Vandy, Emory sent the following message: we are amazing and you must be too, so here is what you will experience when you come here. I loved that, especially compared to Vandy. My daughter thought it was too hot and the campus looked like Disney World. Huh? I loved everything about it. But we moved on, because only daughter is going to college :).
Clemson-- We are from the North and were (clearly) on a trip to the South, mostly to see different types of schools. I like Clemson. Not for us, but seemed like a great place to go to school. Campus was a bit run down and the outskirts were…bleak… but kids seem to love it.
College of Charleston-- the sleeper of our first trip. We just went on a whim while in Charleston and the parents especially loved it. Daughter disliked the lack of organized green space but we liked the history, the honors program, and of course, the location. Not applying but we were very impressed.
Miami of Ohio- after seeing the others, daughter was concerned she would never love any school. However, when we got to Miami she actually cried. “I feel like I am on say yes to the dress”-- this is a likely for her, and she applied EA. Others have criticized the lack of a town, but she is fine with Oxford.
Indiana University- Daughter ruled this out before we arrived because of the sheer number of classmates that go to IU but I was very impressed. Beautiful campus, great opportunities and facilities. Not for her but I’d apply there if I had a do-over.
Elon- On the list but only as a maybe. Liked the size and the mix of sports, greek and academics. We loved the experiential learning aspect and the “busy” vibe on campus. She was interested in the communications program and loved that possibility. Something didn’t feel quite right to daughter (she didn’t buy a t-shirt), but applying EA as a likely and will then see.
Wake Forest-thought this was going to be the one! It may have been if we didn’t have a very cold day where two of the tour guides didn’t show so the 2 that did took everyone. Our tour guide was kind of snooty and snotty. Daughter tuned out and was over it. I loved campus, academics, traditions. I didn’t love the isolation-- can’t walk to a town, though there are good options a short drive away.
Bates- beautiful campus but felt to us like a mini college- like a “prep school”-- also, hated the environs. No magic for us here. Tour guide said for fun they “go to chapel”-- I am sure that isn’t true, but we moved on.
Brandeis- dad and mom went here so it is on the list. Probably not right for daughter (wants sports and greek and a traditional campus) but she wants to apply. Tour guide did say he only went to Brandeis because he didn’t get in anywhere else (do they actually train these kids?) but daughter was resigned to apply (her choice not mine) so she didn’t even notice. Warm cookies in the admissions office were AMAZING.
Kenyon- Professor my daughter met with wasn’t very nice (truly, I was there). Campus beautiful. Town just too small and campus too sleepy. My daughter said: here’s the deal- I want to go to a school where the instagram account shows people having fun, at games and in classes outside, and doing stuff. Kenyon’s instagram is basically pictures of leaves on a path." it was a big no.
Denison- I loved Granville and campus was cute. Another major no for daughter. She thought it was just blah. Adorable tour guide couldn’t think of anything they did for school spirit and said she mostly went out with small groups of friends at night. I am sure that’s not true but that’s what she said, and campus truly felt a bit dead. I tried to convince my kid to keep it on the list (another likely) but she said “it’s too quiet”-- I was literally arguing with her at the same time a family of deer meandered 3 feet away from us, and I had no credibility.
Lehigh-- Daughter’s ED1 school. She wandered into a professor’s office on our first visit and ended up spending an hour with him and has been corresponding with the department since then. She is going back this weekend. She loved the campus, the location, the academics and the mix of the school spirit and the “dorky students”. I liked other schools better but was elated she loved somewhere, and I am not going. I am happy with her choice and really hope she gets in.
Bucknell- this was ED 1 for a long time. She also loved everything about Bucknell. She doesn’t care about/didn’t notice the remote location (proof that there is something intangible parents can’t understand that allows kids to have blinders on part of the time and blinkers the rest of the time). She loved the academic experience she had here, loved the mix of sports and greek life and a liberal arts school and felt she fit in. Loved the campus, liked the town enough. (Meanwhile, mom thought “what town” but again, I am not going). In the end, she applied ED to Lehigh instead because she said “I fit in at Bucknell more than Lehigh now, but in 2 or 3 years I may be different and no longer fit in at Bucknell.” Basically she felt it was a bit homogenous and not as much potential for growth or development. She will apply if she is not admitted to Lehigh.
Franklin & Marshall- Mom liked this, daughter was over it after Bucknell and Lehigh. For daughter, it was just eeh. We did love the admissions experience where instead of an info session kids came and spoke to us in the office. However, this was a school where you had a one on one with a tour guide, and ours was not a match. He was too folksy and rural and not preppy and his version of college life was not my daughter’s. She was too burned out to care a (note, don’t see this many schools) that there were other students she might have been better matched with. I did like Lancaster. Great college setting and campus, IMO but no magic for the kid.
Dickinson- Also a no. She was not impressed with the campus (like others have noted she didn’t like the mis matched facilities and road running through campus) and the caliber of our tour guide. I am sure it is a lovely school but didn’t press as we had lots of love for other schools. She has a family friend who went there with a lackluster experience so that didn’t help our personal cause.
Lafayette-- we liked Easton, liked the Lehigh rivalry and LOVED the library. Visited on a cold Saturday and saw literally not one sign of student life. We didn’t press it and I thought she might apply but I don’t think so-- having decided it is too small. It’s a nice school though and offers a lot that is positive.
@taliecharley Good luck to your D, she has lots of good schools on her list, many of which I also visited with my daughter. My D agreed with Dickinson, what is it about the street through the campus that students don’t like lol ? Same with UScranton and Providence College. I so wish we had toured Lehigh, every time I read about it I can’t imagine why it didn’t make our visit list. We flew into PA and visited several schools including Bucknell but Lehigh never hit the radar. Oh well.
@MassDaD68 My S used a couple of overnights/shadowing opportunities to decide between colleges he was accepted to RD. He made visits to his top couple of schools in period between his RD acceptance and when a deposit was due. It was helpful to him in making his final decision.