<p>There are many different reasons for choosing a particular university; hopefully students do all their research before investing the large amount of time and effort required for the application process. For our family, the academic caliber and opportunities, location, quality of student life, and alumni support were major factors. My kids applied to schools they had researched beforehand and would be willing to attend, from reaches, matches, and safeties. </p>
<p>My kids went to some of the admitted students days, but not to all of them. Some of the colleges had grand and showy events, others, not so much. We knew already before attending the events, whether or not the college would be a good choice. One of my kids is attending a college to whose admitted students day event we didnt even go. </p>
<p>It seems inconceivable that people would pick a college based on an admitted students day. For those colleges with lack luster events, it never occurred to us to later go to that schools forum and negatively report about our disappointment. To do so, seems to reflect poorly on the reporter rather than the institution and might come across petty and somewhat egocentric since it is unsolicited opinion with questionable informative value.</p>
<p>My D is deciding not to attend BC due to a combination of factors, but the indifferent attitude from admissions and staff affirmed her decision. She did not decide to go elsewhere due to a lack of balloons or t shirts, and that is ridiculous to even post. Those examples were to show how much eagle day is lacking, and they are not even her sentiments. They are mine.</p>
<p>My original post was to alert readers that Eagle Day was a very underwhelming day. It was a deterrent from the originally positive feeling my D had last August. The lack of welcome by the school is only echoed by many of your follow up posts.</p>
<p>So based on all the things that the other places had, balloons, parades T-shirts!!! What did you go for? Personally the T-shirt as part of a $200k education would get me for sure. Anyway, if your daughter would like good food, a parade every day, with balloons, and the chance for lots of T-shirts, I would recommend you keep taking her to Disney world. Fantasy Land might be the best place. </p>
<p>All the schools you list are good institutions, but when it really comes down to it the decision should be based on the faculty and program offered at each school. We took the time to visit a special open house last fall, and it was the faculty (had lunch with them) and the offerings within the major that sold us. Listen if you go for the balloons at Bucknell be prepared its 200 miles to the nearest sign of civilization. The vomit in the hallway on the Bucknell tour, was interesting. </p>
<p>BTW had my oil changed two weeks ago at the local Chevy dealer, they all greeted me at the door, balloons everywhere and were giving out T-shirts, but I wouldn’t want my kid to end up there. </p>
<p>Anyone who chooses based on your criteria is in for a disappointment, once classes start the balloons and parades go away and the reality of most of what you hear on these tours, becomes apparent that its was sales job.</p>
<p>Snajean: Don’t blame those responding to your original post for harping on the balloons, parades and t-shirts. You’re the one who brought them up in the first place and who focused on them. So, if it wasn’t the lack of those things that made her decision, apparently it was the lack of fruit or protein in her lunch.</p>
<p>My sense is that your daughter has made the right decision to attend somewhere other than BC.</p>
<p>Let me start off by saying that I was one of the forty student volunteers that helped on that weekend.</p>
<p>I don’t see why people are arguing. The original poster is simply stating her opinion that she did not like our admitted students day, and gave us reasons why. We didn’t have massive amounts of people here to welcome yall. We didn’t have free t’s or have a giant celebration to welcome prospective students. That’s all she’s saying. I can understand why snajean thinks that our admitted students day was lackluster for all of the reasons she gave. The day was very disorganized, even in my eyes.</p>
<p>Greeting 2200 people in front of Conte can only go so far as “Good morning!” with a smile. Maybe this is just my opinion, but we shouldn’t have to pull away from greeting every other person just to talk to a specific family. While that would be nice, there’s only 40 of us.</p>
<p>When we split up into the first academic lectures, the speaker was announcing them way too fast for us to guide yall to the buildings. Every two minutes he would say “Blah blah to Gasson Hall” and the concourse would still be full from the last announcement, so I’ll give you that. The tours were also messy–I remember seeing a couple tours with 50-100 people. That could, and should in my opinion, have been planned a lot better.</p>
<p>Being a part of the admitted students volunteer team, we aren’t supposed to win you over. We were supposed to show you Boston College and let you decide if you liked it or not. I couldn’t tell a family “Well you should come to Boston College because we’re better than college A and B because of reasons X and Y and Z”–we were just there to answer any questions you guys might have had about academics or housing or financial aid or clubs / organizations or whatever. </p>
<p>I talked with a few families last weekend and straight up asked them, “So how do you like BC?” and every single person said that they loved it. In fact, this one kid came up to me while I was directing people to lunch and asked where the admissions office was so he could officially tell them that he was coming here. So I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the admitted eagle day, but a lot of other people seemed to have liked it. The admissions staff or financial aid staff aren’t here to win you over but help you decide if BC is right for you…</p>
<p>fraire - I agree that there’s nothing wrong with someone expressing their opinion about their experience. It was their experience and its their opinion and that’s what CC is supposed to be about. </p>
<p>But sometimes its not what you say but ***how ***you say it. </p>
<p>There was a certain tone to the OP that was (in my opinion) off-putting and she chose odd things to highlight by comparison to other similar programs. My guess is others felt the same way.</p>
<p>It should be interesting to see how Sunday’s Eagle Admit day goes when its raining! It sure would be nice to push the nice weather you’re having now through the entire weekend.</p>
<p>Stanford78, be sure to bring the umbrella and the woolies. Weather forecast includes cold with that rain. Will sure test the mettle of us wimpy Californians. If it’s truly lousy weather, perhaps we’ll have a more intimate Eagle Day. Hot cocoa on the house? ;)</p>
<p>fwiw: every year a poster comments on the differences between accepted students days, and since they are both Catholic and NE college, specifically BC and 'Nova. Whether one likes the balloons and up-front spirit is a personal reaction.</p>
<p>One of the UC campuses does the balloon thing too, complete with marching band. (Of course, this is a UC without a football team, so ‘marching band’ is a generous term; perhaps they were trying to demonstrate that they have as much spirit at the two big D1 campuses, Cal and UCLA?) Regardless, a neighbors’ kid saw all that psuedo rah-rah and was immediately turned off, which was too bad, bcos IMO, that campus was the best fit for him of all the UCs. Instead, he chose a different UC campus and spent most of his first year planning his transfer. He spend most of his second year planning for a year abroad to get off campus.</p>
<p>The moral is that first impressions matter. For some it can be the presences of balloons; for others, the lack thereof. There is no right or wrong answer.</p>
<p>I bet a statistical analysis of balloons and no balloons and students like/dislike of a school might show that there is no coorelation, just a hunch.</p>
<p>Now T-shirts are a whole different matter! On the food front, BC has so many dining options, each catering to a different type of diet, that I think further research should be done. </p>
<p>While I recognize that everyone has a view, I think the initial post that places so much emphasis on this as a warning to people. It never touches on the point that a student will ultimately like/dislike a school based on a wider variety of reasons. It should be acceptable that people views in this forum on their agreement or disagreement with the initial post.</p>
<p>Lastly hydration is very important so we will add that to our checklist going forward.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone on their decison in the next two weeks.</p>
<p>There seems to be an arms race going on during these Admitted Student days. Of course it’s nice to be wanted, but while I watch all the smoke and lightning the not-so-little cynic in the back of my head keeps whispering “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”. </p>
<p>No school, not even the mighty HYPMSs, has 100% yield; so I have no particular problem with whatever is your special tipping point. But Parades? Balloons? T-Shirts? FRUIT!? You’re buying an education not a Buick.</p>
<p>^^the fruit comment did touch a nerve with me, however. BC charges way too much for apples and bananas in the cafeterias. A ~$1.00 for a banana is outrageous, IMO. Starbucks sells them for a similar price and we know withe certainty that Starbucks is making a nice profit.</p>
<p>(If I was food service czar, healthy food items would be sold at cost to encourage their selection!)</p>
<p>I didn’t have to read the article to know what the cost drivers are in a college: it’s, the labor, which is way above market rates. But still, that does not explain the $1.00 bananas. FoodServices could lower the cost of apples and bananas and raise it on, say, brownies. </p>
<p>Add in the fact that there is a LOT of waste in any fixed meal plans. Anyone with a pair of bifocals blinded by cataracts can see PARENTS loading up the cars with food purchased under the meal for the drive home in May. What happens is that their little darling has not used his/her meal plan, so the parents stock up on water, soda, chips and plenty of other stuff to take home for the summer. Heck, any student staying over for summer does the same. </p>
<p>It doesn’t take a CSOM expert to figure out how to manage a large food service operation.</p>
<p>We attended the Admitted Eagle Day yesterday (Sunday April 22). The OP was correct that there were no balloons, t-shirts or parades. But there was a very nice welcome from the Admissions Dean, an inspiring presentation by a Jesuit priest member of the faculty, lots of student volunteers braving the impending deluge to provide directions and answer questions all across campus, excellent faculty-led programs (in our case about the Biology and Psych Departments and the Pre-Med Advisory Program), an opportunity to tour the Upper Campus dorms and see a few rooms and have some conversations with the student volunteers.</p>
<p>We came away feeling better informed and our daughter more confident that BC is a “good fit.” Neither of us felt like we were getting “sold” and, in fact, quite the opposite since many of the presenters acknowledged that the admittees likely had many good choices and that whatever choice they made it would most probably be a good one.</p>
<p>I will agree with the OP that the lunch was disappointing. So, with a recommendation from one of the Admissions Office staff, we took the opportunity to go off campus to a local sportspub in a nearby neighborhood where a lot of BC students live. The food and atmosphere were excellent.</p>
<p>Overall, we were very pleased with the program and the information imparted and our daughter is very excited about the prospect of attending BC.</p>
<p>I began a separate thread for Eagle Day II, if anyone is interested. I concur with Stanford78, except we found lunch to be just fine. After the cost of the flight to Boston, I was happy to have a complimentary meal!</p>
<p>as an fyi – should you choose BC and attend Orientation – which parents definitely should – you will be pleasantly surprised at the food that they roll out (for the parents). They feed the 'rents extremely well during orientation. (Students just get normal fare.)</p>