<p>My S and I attended presentations given by 4 schools in a downtown hotel today. I was pleased that S went along without complaining. On the way home I asked (nonchalantly, of course) what he thought. The run down (which actually matched my reactions exactly)=Occidental College--OK. Not a real fit. Oberlin--talked so fast barely understood what she was saying. Colorado College (or was that Oberlin?)-focused on two amazing students for the opening. The kind of student that makes mine shrug shoulders and not see himself or his friends there (which they COULD be...) and did not really get that the "block system" meant only 3 1/2 weeks of classes excluding weekends. (he thought it included the weekends and so would overwhelm him). Whitman-good, amiable guy my S liked, and so we will go and visit (yeah!). He did say he would take another look at Colorado Collage. Oberlin (with loads of legacy) is out. My huge huge complaint--the talks seemed geared to the parents and why these are great schools. Way too many slides of words---kids want to see slides of dorm rooms, dining halls, studying in the library, classes, parties (!). Weekend life. NOT the amazing people who went to the school or the many awards-Fulbrights, etc. I know, many of you have kids that want or understand this stuff. But the majority have Honors kids who want to see what their day to day life might look like. Ok, just my vent that my S was willing to spent 2 hours on a beautiful afternoon and what could have great was not.</p>
<p>After two years and 20+ sessions like that, my observation is that all info sessions that utilize slides are nearly worthless, with the biggest offenders being videos of testimonials. C'mon, we all know that 90% of colleges have a quad with a green lawn and a tree, where each and every student loves to study, and has had ammmazing opportunuties :D The best sessions actually tended to be those where the adcom and alumni just showed up and talked --- about the school, the academics, etc. As I read in an article a long time ago, all colleges claim they want amazing unique kids. Very, very few colleges have taken the time to figure out what is amazing and unique about them. The best ones have, but they are the exception. Even a well respected school such as Northwestern badly fumbled my question "Why Northwestern instead of UChicago?" The answer consisted of banalities about great education, great city, and lifelong friends and relationships.</p>
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kids want to see slides of dorm rooms, dining halls, studying in the library, classes,
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Mine didn't. After the third tour, her response was, "Dorms & dining halls - they have them. Next."</p>
<p>Oregon 101 I feel badly for you, but better for us--S2 had to miss that gathering yesterday because of another commitment--sounds like it was ok to skip.</p>
<p>Completely agree about the slides: There was another group gathering 2 weeks ago--Brown, Cornell, UChicago and Rice--where the best adcom (Brown) barely showed the slides, and was hilarious! Even though Brown isn't an option for S2, he wanted to work with THAT guy! Others spoke more, showed slides less, and I thought were very effective as well.</p>
<p>OP</p>
<p>Two hours is not really enough time to get a good sense of 4 different colleges. Even entries is guide books might be more helpful--at least the words stand still. I'd suggest you--or your son--borrow a few guide books from the GC or library and browse. We particularly liked the Fiske guide and felt it did a great job of capturing in a few pages what made eack school unique.</p>
<p>We never went to a "cattle call" for college presentations. We only went to the ones given at the individual schools we visited. Having said that...the absolute worst was done at a University of Richmond. The adcom doing the presentation (in July) had graduated from the school in May. Simply put...she was able to answer student questions (the students didn't ASK any questions) but she was unable to answer any of the adult questions. This was for the info session...not the tour. It was the year that the SAT writing was on the test for the first time and she had no idea if or how the school was using that section of the test. She couldn't even tell the audience the %age of students who had been accepted the previous year, or the %age of financial aid met at the school. She had a nice Power Point presentation...but my kids (and I) were pretty sick of those. They all look the SAME. OTOH...the tour guide (a junior) was wonderful...and the kids really related to him...and DID ask questions.</p>
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Even a well respected school such as Northwestern badly fumbled my question "Why Northwestern instead of UChicago?" The answer consisted of banalities about great education, great city, and lifelong friends and relationships.
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<p>I think I would be at a loss for words if somebody asked me why Chicago over Northwestern. I know what my own answer to that question is (I like Chicago's emphasis on academics and de-emphasis on parties, I like the personality of the school, the campus, the neighborhood), but I don't think I could formulate an answer for another person that wouldn't be insulting to Northwestern (which I think is a great school). It would be like asking Coke why Coke and not Pepsi. What could they REALLY say? It's just sweet brown fizzy water.</p>
<p>Actually the most disappointing off-site college presentation at a hotel was given by Northwestern. The admissions officer stood in the front of the room with no microphone and talked quietly (and in a monotone voice) the entire time. There was a lot of noise going on outside the room and it was pretty impossible to hear anything he said. Several times members of the audience asked for him to speak up and he just didn't get it -- because he never really did except for the next 2 sentences out of his mouth. After about 15 minutes of sitting there without being able to hear a single thing my son and I quietly left. It was a school night. There was homework to do. This was a complete waste of time. What a waste.</p>
<p>Interesting. I'm just now contemplating whether to insist that S2 drive with me to an airport hotel in L.A. this afternoon to hear a presentation by seven LACs, two of which he might be interested in. He had a rough time (in his mind) spent in the sweltering heat yesterday, all day, for a school-related event, so I know that he wants today "off" to spend as he likes. (And it is a gorgeous day for the beach.)</p>
<p>Hmmm. College dog and pony show in a hotel conference room with a sullen teenage S exuding don't-wanna-be-here attitude. Doesn't sound promising. I wish they would publish the order of the presentations so we could just pop in for the ones he's at least talked about (Colorado College and Macalester) and skip the others. I know that once you're in, though, there's no graceful way to just leave.</p>
<p>jazzymom-I think you can just sit near the back and leave quietly. They asked everyone to move closer to the wall so that late comers would not have to step over others to get a seat-just to alert you to that possibility. I did not count but am quessing there were about 70 kids plus parents there.
We have loads of books- read and reread the schools of interest. This is #2 kid and it is not quite as new and, perhaps, interesting. Back then (2002) I had so many questions but really have few now and these are mainly different schools than D considered. Maybe it is just me but it just doesn't seem the same. Parents are asking fewer questions and the kids do not seem engaged. Ah! There seems to be less humor. And while I know that every school has a library, dining hall etc. it can help the applicant see themselves in that setting. My S said he wants to be able to imagine himself in those buildings doing those activities. We are still deciding if we will travel to see these school and this is just one more step in the decision. S also is drawn to certain achitecture and while that type of info is not a deal breaker it could be something that he remembers and helps the school come alive for him. But words on a power point?
Just a few things that were missing-
dining hall/food/vegie/vegan/organic/important? late night choices? What type meal plan. What is different about it. Example:Middlebury has an outstanding dining program as well as a great grill at the Student Center and a special night that the students cook and the other have to line up for tickets.
Library HOURS. Only one-Whitman-mentioned the hours as 24/7 which is amazing and it says so much about that school's focus. Also, it gives a student who needs somewhere to go on a party night a safe and comfortable place to go.
Flash more pics of the sports. Doesn't matter if it is a level 111 or intermural. One school had a list and S did not catch that they did have track and rockclimbing (being as the type was so small). Just info he wants and why he was there.
Art/Music-can non-major kids use facilities? Would be nice to see some making pottery or ?
I look at these meetings as being in a bakery and tasting a sample of what they have to offer. If is good then we will committ to the next step-buying a cake-and if that is good we will make them our bakery of choice...oh well, maybe I'd better go garden now</p>
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<p>unalove, you can do better than this, your comments on the Chicago board have always been some of the best anywhere :D </p>
<p>The "fuzzy brown water" comment is exactly what I mean. If you go university info sessions and peruse the info they make available by themselves, you mostly come out with a conclusion that "it is all brown fuzzy water". Yet, there are meaningful differences between NW and UChicago, and it is possible to formulate an answer in an objective manner. An admissions office that has not done so has failed miserably at its job. It is the equivalent of a person showing up at an interview and not being able to give a meaningful answer to the question "Why should I hire you?". The best way to answer this question is to think about yourself and identify a thing or two that separate you a bit from the crowd, then illustrate it with examples.</p>
<p>By the way, I thought that the schools that did the ABSOLUTE best job of explaining what they are about, through a combination of the info session and their web sites, were Chicago and Columbia.</p>
<p>unalove-actually Pepsi and Coke are very different -one with a lemon/lime and the other a cinamon flavor. Easy to tell the difference and often if you like one you don't like the other.</p>
<p>My D and I went to a college presentation/interview at a
downtown hotel some years ago. The school was in Ohio
so it was an opportunity to get some info without traveling
out there. We waited and waited at the hotel but no-one
from the college showed. Eventually someone called the college
and sure enough the young man from admissions answered
the phone. He was laid back and non-plussed. "Lets just
talk over the phone." Anyway my D did still apply, enrolled and
graduated, so, so much for info sessions.</p>
<p>I see what you mean. Each school should have a "mission statement" down for itself in terms of why it's appealing and what differentiates it from itself. Northwestern in particular has a lot to play off of in this regard-- its Big Ten athletics, relationship to Evanston/Chicago, liberal arts offerings, engineering offerings, arts offerings, journalism, etc. etc. etc.</p>
<p>However, it's unfair to expect admissions people to justify their school in relation to a specific school. I refuse to do that when posters ask, "Okay, what's the difference between Chicago and Duke?" How would I answer that question? I know very little about Duke; I can only talk about Chicago (and even then I'm horribly biased towards what I know,the person I am, and the people I know).</p>
<p>Admissions people don't necessarily have the familiarity with the school to sell it on its specifics. Some of them (many of them?) might not have attended the school and therefore may be blind to the school's real strengths from the point of view of a student.</p>
<p>** I can only taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke if I drink Coke regularly (I used to). I have since switched over to club soda to get my fizz fix (and to save calories) and now I can't tell the difference between diet anything and regular anything. This is an asset, because one of the most popular eateries at the U of C <em>only</em> does RC Cola.</p>
<p>This is slightly off-topic, but S and I attended an admitted students day presentation at a small top 80 LAC that made it TOTALLY clear that it was not the place for him - even though we had visited twice before and thought it might be a good fit.</p>
<p>What turned us off? For the part of the presentation where current students get up and speak, the Admissions Office had rounded up 5 students. Of the 5, two were females from NJ who were also college cheerleaders and two were males who were majoring in Exercise Science. The Assoc. Dean of Admissions was in charge of the cheerleading squad, but couldn't they come up with a better cross section of majors, activities, etc? Another thing - when we went to the Pre-Med presentation, the Department Chair said that their students weren't independent learners when they came to College X, and that part of their mission was to make them independent learners. This didn't speak to us....</p>
<p>In contrast, when starting the college search we visited a top 30 LAC. That presentation was the opposite - go, go, go, go... and it also turned us off, but not nearly as much as the college above.</p>
<p>The moral of the story? Visits, dog & pony shows etc all help get a feel for the college. If you're disappointed, there's probably a reason!</p>
<p>Yikes! I can't imagine a slide presentation providing useful information to a roomful of prospies, some of whom came to hear one presentation for the school they were most interested in, and others who came hoping that one of the schools might be appealing. Ugh. JMHO.</p>
<p>The only really poor info session we attended was also Northwestern, and also featured a slide show--the only one we saw anywhere--and a very boring, whitebread presenter. </p>
<p>Seems like there's a trend, there.</p>
<p>My son & his friends found the BU presentation "pretentious." :-)</p>
<p>Wondered if anyone had attended the "Colleges that Change Lives College Fair?"</p>
<p>We have one tonight about 1 hour drive from us. I'm in the process of juggling a change in work schedule to accomodate, rescheduling music class, taking 6 year old out of school early and dragging along a less-than-enthusiastic high schooler. </p>
<p>If someone went & thought it worthwhile, I'd continue this path...but if I heard from someone who thought it lacked much value, I'd be tempted to forgo all this rescheduling and driving....</p>
<p>Thanks for any thoughts...</p>
<p>We attended one with my D, but it was two years ago. We did find it worthwhile;her attention was drawn to at least one school that didn't shine in previous research. She was also "warned away" from one that had been interesting.</p>
<p>My strongest memory was that the room with school tables was extremely crowded. If possible, go to the book/website/school sites to narrow S's interest to no more than a half dozen where it'll be worth standing in line to talk to the rep. All the tables had signups or took names/addresses for more info, and some of them courted D strongly on that basis. Good luck and have fun!</p>
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We have one tonight about 1 hour drive from us. I'm in the process of juggling a change in work schedule to accomodate, rescheduling music class, taking 6 year old out of school early and dragging along a less-than-enthusiastic high schooler.
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I don't think I'd do all that for any college fair. I'd only do that if it were the regional admin rep and there was the opportunity for an interview.</p>