<p>There was a great thread a few years back about funny things kids did on college visits. For instance, I clearly remember one family who took their daughter to visit Stanford (gorgeous mission style school) and she refused to get out of the car because she didn't like "Taco Bell Architecture"! :)</p>
<p>So, anyone have a good story about visiting schools with their kids?</p>
<p>I know my son refused to move past the parking lot at Swarthmore because he "could already tell it was too small, too quiet and there is nothing to do". When I finally coaxed him to tour the (beautiful) campus he noted there were exactly four kids on campus and that was 10,000 less than he wanted. </p>
<p>My kid didn’t say this, but while taking a campus tour, one girl appeared to be terrifically bored. All her questions revolved around shopping, such as what kind of stores are at the shopping malls nearby. Maybe not so funny when you think about it. Do kids actually select a college based on shopping opportunities?</p>
<p>Maybe! We used to joke that my sister picked UC Santa Barbara so she could lay out and maintain her tan. Ultimately she transferred to Berkeley. There actually WERE too many people there who seemed to be majoring in tanning.</p>
<p>I’ll never forget an incident that occurred when I was looking at schools (yes, in the stone ages). We were visiting Boston University. One of the parents in our tour group asked the tour guide as we trekked on Commonwealth Avenue, “Is the someone to help the kids cross the street?”</p>
<p>aquamarinesea–we had a similar experience but it wasn’t shopping, it was food. Every single question this family asked (mom and 2 D’s) was focused on how the dining plan worked, hours for the dining hall, where could they eat when the dining hall was closed, etc. It became a running family joke for us to make comments about the “dining hall” after every tour.</p>
<p>We also had a tour guide at another school that was quite funny and his tour theme was where the best spots on campus were to find free food–which clubs had the best free food at their meetings, etc. It was a cute way to introduce activities on campus we though.</p>
<p>I remember on my D’s first college visit we went to TCU. There was a girl from South Carolina on the tour who kept asking where the best bars were in relation to Campus…</p>
<p>One mom asked, in a road show info session, whether the mattresses were comfortable. </p>
<p>Same mom, though, asked about the career placement center. My gawd, a pro adcom and two recent grads-- and they started hemming and hawing. A well known, highly respected LAC.</p>
<p>When we first started looking at colleges my son visited Fordham and was invited to eat in the dining hall (for free, which was nice). Anyways, he was thrilled to find honey mustard DISPENSERS and decided that a variety of condiment dispensers in the dining halls was going to be on his list of determining factors. So a place with not only ketchup, mustard, mayo but also honey mustard, bbq sauce, sweet & sour sauce was going to get many many bonus points.</p>
<p>I am sorry to report that a couple very highly ranked colleges failed miserably in the condiment category.</p>
<p>On a bright note Villanova (which has a very nice dining hall) not only had fantastic salad dressing but when I asked for the brand took my name and got back to me! :)</p>
<p>My son’s student sponsor at a VERY highly respected research U told him he should skip his scheduled classes because nobody goes to them, except for a very few interesting classes.</p>
<p>Whilst running a campus tour, I had a parent interrogate me on why they should send their child to the equivalent of Dartmouth rather their local (and rather rubbish) university. It took a fair while to establish that what she didn’t realise is that you don’t take the same tests regardless of where you attend. </p>
<p>The precocious high school sophomore who vehemently accused me of lying about how many books there were in the library was another favourite…</p>
<p>We never see wild rabbits where we live, and the only rabbits my youngest daughter had ever seen were in a pet shop. When I brought her along on her older sister’s college visits to the midwest and pointed out a bunny rabbit on one campus, she said in amazement, “You mean they have them just running around up here?”</p>
<p>spdf–LOL!!! I’d be glad to crate up the wild rabbits in our yard and send them your way–they are actually very destructive!! We saw a Doe with 2 fawns during one visit, just wandering down the grass in the middle of the quad…me thinks the students feed them…</p>
<p>My kid didn’t say this, but she did receive an amusing telephone call the other afternoon from Prospective U. Young woman leaves a message confirming DD’s tour & appointment time, goes into all kinds of detail, but never mentions the name of the university… :)</p>
<p>I visited Notre Dame with my boy/girl twins. While approaching the football stadium, the tour guide described the student football parade leaders. These leaders are unique due to a height requirement (must be male and taller than 6’4") and wear a kilt. DD couldn’t stop laughing as she thought about her brother, who is tall enough, going to football games in a skirt. She asked how she could sign him up.</p>
<p>My goofball son (who, yes, goes to an ivy - has smarts, but no common sense at times), asked an embarrassing question on a tour. It was a really hot Summer day on a tour of a conservatory. The tour guided noted that they had no ac but that was because they didn’t have Summer classes. My goofball son then asks if they have heat in the Winter. The school is in New England. And my son was serious…</p>
<p>Fortunately, the tour guide laughed and made light of it while I cringed.</p>
<p>First official campus tour to a very small private college in GA (beautiful setting in a pastoral sense) and my child’s response to “what did you think” was “there are too many streets!”</p>
<p>On a tour on a school S did not like, so did not apply, he remarked to me that one family “looked like they were straight out of a Talbot’s catalogue.” Actually they did, and it was hot and they were all overdressed.</p>
<p>On a tour at a small LAC my D’s only question was, “what’s the ratio of males to females?” As soon as she asked the question several other girls piped up and said they wondered the same thing. I looked at her and said, “if that’s your only question, then I think the tour is over!”</p>