<p>Thanks for the information on visiting schools in California. We are coming from San Antonio, TX so haven't seen any of these campuses before. Harvey Mudd sounds very intriguing and the mailings we've gotten from them are definitely interesting. My D is currently attending a small all-girls school so the boy part will be interesting. Thanks for the tips on Occidental and Pomona. Sorry to take so long getting back here to reply but I kind of got lost among the threads.</p>
<p>We're all lost among the threads.</p>
<p>I am a true believer in dry runs - and visits during vacations while in the area. We did that when D & S were in 8 & 9th grade and it was a great revelation to both when talking to admissions or students about GPAs and activities necessary (of course, just was parents had said, but who believes mom or dad?). After which, both buckled down and took their classes and selection therein, more seriously. I also advocate bringing kid along on business trips for college visits - makes for a delightful and interesting quality time with child.</p>
<p>historymom -- I too have been "lost among the threads" and just saw your post. What a story about your asthma attack! I guess there was no shrinking into the background after that.</p>
<p>LOL dbwes... especially since there were only 5 people on the tour. The only consolation was that at least admissions at Cal Poly SLO is numbers driven so no matter how much I wheezed and coughed, if my kids have the stats they need, my embarrassing behavior won't count. :-)</p>
<p>OP my girls are planning to apply to Trinity! Any info you can pass along would be great. Please PM me if you have anything to share.</p>
<p>If you are going to tour California schools during summer break, be sure to ask for the earliest tour of the day. It gets hot! even in Northern California.</p>
<p>We went to Oxy on the hottest day in July, touring at 3 p.m. (I know better, but we were on the way to LAX to pick up H.) The tour was very hot, very short, and the campus didn't feel appealing at all. And I am a happy alumni of the place......</p>
<p>Speaking of HOT, my brother and law and I took our boys to see MIT a few years ago because we were nearby at the US Open Chess Tournament (which, btw, is really open to anyone and is quite inexpensive--a great dweeby event). It was so miserably hot that Boston had a brown-out. Power out everywhere, even the traffic lights. They both crossed MIT off their lists that day.</p>