It’s a tough week to see schools. My guess is that Colgate will also be quiet.
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Aren’t students expected to stay put and not travel? Why are they leaving campus to go home? So many schools cancelled Spring Break to avoid the travel issue. The Northeast is having a resurgence of Covid cases right now. Really disappointing.
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Clearly, there was a strong impression at Lehigh, but hard to say which direction. But, my wager is on the side of “lesser” impressions there. Agree 1000% about having to see the place to rule it in or out. Can’t wait to hear the “official” reviews! Safe travels, @homerdog and homerdaughter!
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I am sure there are students who live a few hours away by car and who go home for certain holiday weekends. NY has reciprocity with certain states during Covid- I live and work in 2 different states.
Also, I know plenty of kids who attend a variety of NYS schools (both public and private) who go home for certain holidays (not all). This doesn’t mean the school will be completely empty.
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As for quiet campuses, all campuses seem pretty quiet these days. Our last swing through Wake, UR and Davidson yielded maybe 10 students total!! We’ve given up on people watching on campuses too much. We did see more kids on Lehigh’s campus than the others and saw quite a few Colgate kids after driving through campus last night and grabbing some food in town.
We have students we know at each of these three schools showing us around and an official tour and info session at Colgate today. It is what it is during Covid!
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Me when I was a student and visited years ago. Of course on the day the visit it was about 10 degrees so that may have been a factor as well. My D18 when we visited in August of 2017. Of course it was about 90 degrees so that might have been a factor…lol
I think some campuses look busier than others, even when there are extremes in weather. We visited NYS schools (public and private) in the middle of the winter. Covid makes it hard to judge.
Ok I’m going to admit it, I’m dying to hear about all of this! Headed to UVM myself next weekend with my ds20 who is likely transferring out of UMass Amherst. I’m a huge fan of these trips. Such a special time to spend with your kiddo. Lots of luck today!
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Having reciprocity means the state is not requiring travelers to quarantine, but it doesn’t mean travel is allowable or advisable, especially from the school’s perspective. Being from the same or a neighboring state has no bearing on whether a student will interact with others and bring back the virus. The virus is everywhere now.
Maybe larger public schools don’t have travel rules, but with breaks being cancelled at many schools, I would think they are telling students not to go home. Based on comments about how strict the smaller schools are being, it makes no sense to have students go home for holiday weekends. The description of some of these kids being captive in their dorm rooms is heartbreaking. They can’t go to a small class with mask wearing but they can travel and be with different people? The pledge at my son’s school says travel not deemed essential by the university is not allowed. They are trying to protect the school bubble so the students can do as many normal activities there as possible.
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NY area colleges have students from NJ, Ct. and Pa. All that I am saying is that some students from these states might go home for holiday weekends. I never intended to discuss whether or not this was a good idea, and I am not suggesting that students go against school policy. And nobody is telling people in NY/NJ not to travel between these two states. That is next to impossible (we do it every day). I know college students, and the reality is that they travel. Again, I am not here to discuss whether or not they should. If my kids were in college they would follow the rules of their school.
I understand how awful this past year has been for students. I work in a school and see it first hand. What makes me really angry at school are the number of families who take vacations (Florida etc) as though Covid doesn’t exist, and then complain about having to quarantine. I am also living through the serious impact that Covid has had on staff. Teachers working through this crisis are developing significant mental health issues. I have never downplayed the seriousness of Covid. I only allow my kids (they graduated) to come home if they quarantine for a week, test negative, and wear a mask 24/7 in the house. They don’t eat in the room with us. The 3 of us have been vaccinated, yet I am still nervous. I hope to be able to slowly relax my rules.
I rarely leave my house other than for work, and when I do I am masked and distanced. I was simply making a point- that some students may go home for holiday weekends.
I am hoping that things improve now that vaccines are available.
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Just like to hear how Homerdog and Homerdaughter are doing/engaging/experiencing and their thought process/questions/answers…
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BC is on Easter break from Thurs @4 until Monday. That’s shorter than most Easter breaks but I’m sure many students could stretch it into 4-5 days by doing some classes online. Even Saturday may be quieter than most Saturdays as clubs and activities are cancelled for the Holy day.
Lady Whistledown! 
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So when do we get some more information? We are waiting with baited breath…
Since my sleeper pick Vandy is off the table, I’m going with Richmond or Davidson, maybe Colgate a distant third.
CA schools are off since you can’t even visit the campus properly and it’s too far from Chicago and DS. BC is too religious and cold and Lehigh is too remote.
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My final pick is Davidson. I think the cold temps yesterday will make her realize she wants warm weather.
I think she will like BC but will ultimately choose an LAC.
With Vandy off the list Richmond moves to #1
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I agree. I think given what @homerdog has generously shared about D’s preferences Davidson is too small, may not have a lively enough social scene, and doesn’t seem to offer the dance options available at Richmond. I would go so far as to say her D prefers Colgate to Davidson, and if it weren’t for the weather, would pick it over Richmond.
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I haven’t chimed in at all with predictions but will jump in and say I think Richmond seems to check most/all of her boxes compared to the remaining choices. So that’s what I’m betting on.
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Colgate. Final answer.
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Just finished touring BC with friends. Beautiful day here.
We need time to digest.
D has seen all of the schools in contention now. Kind of crazy that this is almost over! I really want to wait to post reviews because we haven’t had time to talk things through. If any of you have questions about any of these schools, please DM me and I’ll be happy to tell you what we found out. I will post full reviews of her top six schools or so once we know where she’s going. 
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