<p>This recruiter obviously misjudged his audience, but whether the school is small or large there are pros and cons that don’t necessarily divide the fans of each environment into “serious” and “not so much”. Some students choose the larger environment to prove that they can stand out and make themselves heard above the student mass that forms their academic cohort. The bigger school is not necessarily about hiding out in the back of the lecture hall, it is also about opportunity and finding out how you stack up against a large cross section of your peers. It would appear that your daughter is seeking a more intimate learning environment, but one foolish comment from a recruiter doesn’t mean that the large school is a bad option, only the perspective of this particular individual is intellectually limited and out of touch.</p>
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<p>Absolutely. Some time being shown the workout areas, pool, gym, etc along with a rundown of athletic opportunities on campus would have been fine.</p>
<p>The explanation of the ticket lottery process was just really detailed and long and dull.</p>
<p>Also…this was 1983. We really did have to go to the library to do research back then, and then we typed those research papers on the library typewriters, wite-out in hand ;)</p>
<p>There were other reasons as well. ISU was 5th on her list so it was just the nail in the coffin.</p>
<p>Well…maybe keep it on the list and see what kind of scholarships get offered. Even at big schools with large freshman lectures, the classes often get smaller as the classes become more specialized.</p>
<p>"Even at big schools with large freshman lectures, the classes often get smaller as the classes become more specialized. "</p>
<p>Yes, that was the case at the state flagship I attended. The large 400-student lecture I had as a sophomore to fill a requirement ended up being the reason I chose my eventual major. THOSE classes had no more than 20-25 per class.</p>
<p>I was painfully shy as a college freshman. Not all of my classes were huge, but I was glad to have some, because while I KNEW the answers and DID my homework, getting up and speaking out wasn’t on my list of things I enjoyed. I’m better now.</p>
<p>One of the reasons I chose my school was because it was a big school-- I like to blend in, and pick and choose when I want to be particularly active in a discussion. I frequently was very active in the very few huge classes I actually got to take… as it turns out choosing a big school really blew up in my face since by the time I was at a 4 year university I was already a junior and a lot of my classes only had 12-15 students in them anyway. They were the smallest classes I’d ever taken in my life.</p>
<p>It sounds like ISU wasn’t really a contender. It would be a shame to take it off the list just because one recruiter said something dumb-- obviously he is not representative of the whole school. The umich rep I met with was hideously rude to me but most of the faculty and staff there were actually really wonderful to me as a student. But, as you said, there are other factors anyway, so I guess it’s a moot point.</p>
<p>ETA: As for the libraries, I always thought you toured those a little bit to see the library and see if you could see yourself studying there, but a lot to get a look at what the students at the school actually look like. Perhaps I missed something there.</p>
<p>On the subject of libraries, I agree that not touring it or spending more time on the fitness center is not a hugely horrible omission on the tour itself, but the library was actually my key “sniff test” on whether or not a college or university takes academics seriously. I always made a point of taking a look with my son either before or after the tour.</p>
<p>I do NOT care about the number of volumes, and am sick to death of hearing on every single tour about how interlibrary loan works (EVERY school is part of a consortium where you can get books or electronic articles from journals they don’t subscribe to from another university. I swear I hear this on every tour, but it’s not unique and has been around for years.)</p>
<p>What I DO care about is, does the school invest in keeping an up to date library with regards to study space? Is it a nice place to study? Do they have up to date equipment, a computer lab, helpful staff members? THAT is what is important to me. I have been in some doozies that look like they have not been updated since the 1970s. I have no problem with a school spending money on athletics or a nice fitness center, but if they don’t update the library in 40 years, well, that is a big red flag, as far as I’m concerned.</p>
<p>And, yes, I understand that some older schools have older buildings for libraries. My main question is, is it a nice study space? The reason I think it is important has to do with what the university thinks is important, and that says a lot. If my son wants to study in his room and not in the library, that is fine with me, and I do realize that so much is available electronically so you don’t need to leave your room to get stuff from the library, but I’d still like him to go to a school that thinks libraries, studying, and researching are important.</p>
<p>^^ I agree with all of that.</p>
<p>
[Flavorwire</a> The 25 Most Beautiful College Libraries in the World](<a href=“The 25 Most Beautiful College Libraries in the World”>The 25 Most Beautiful College Libraries in the World)
My favorite Cornell library: [HuffPo</a> likes A.D.’s library | The Essentials](<a href=“http://blogs.cornell.edu/theessentials/2010/12/17/huffpo-likes-a-d-s-library/]HuffPo”>http://blogs.cornell.edu/theessentials/2010/12/17/huffpo-likes-a-d-s-library/)</p>
<p>D1 did very well on her math SAT I, so she received a lot of marketing materials from various engineering schools. The one from Caltech: “Our students have a lot of fun, they don’t just spend all of their time in labs or working on problem sets. They like to go mountain climbing…” D1 promptly crossed out Caltech from her list.</p>
<p>Thanks Oldfort, I really enjoyed that tour. Yale was my top pick, followed by University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>When I said most libraries aren’t that different from each other I meant in the practical context - not what the building looks like. If how the library building looks is really important to the prospective student then that’s fine, they should make sure they inspect it.</p>
<p>GladGradDad - not to nic pick here… When people tour a campus, what are they looking at? Buildings. :)</p>
<p>^^ Largely, yes, but it’d be a shame if people select their campus only by the visual appeal of the buildings (but I realize a lot of people do).</p>
<p>It’s not about visual appeal. It’s about investment in infrastructure. What does it say about what the university values? If they put fitness center way, way ahead of library, it tells me something. (I think every university we toured had a fabulous-looking fitness center). I’d just like the library to match, or if it is an old, classic library, that they invest in maintaining it. </p>
<p>I think what is much harder to judge is the value placed on faculty recruitment, retention and support. Are the faculty happy? Because if they are, they are probably going to be more cheerful and enthusiastic teachers than if they feel teaching is a chore on top of many other demands on their time. I wish I knew a way to get a handle on that from a college visit. I guess asking students if they generally like their professors and classes is the best way to go there.</p>
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That would be true but I haven’t seen a campus that did that although I suppose I’ve really only seen a handful of campuses. What I tend to see is that they’re both nice.</p>
<p>I think that the Library is a “window” into the soul of the school. When I browsed through the “25 Most Beautiful College Libraries” (link in post #29), I was surprised to see Yale’s library for Rare Books and Manuscripts. Stunning, and not at all what I expected to see. What this tells me about Yale is that they are progressive and are looking forward. I think it is critical for a University to have that outlook.</p>
<p>You don’t have to go with the tour guide you are assigned to. My D has gotten to be excellent at picking the best guide by gut feeling based on that short look at the end of info session. We just drift into that person’s group. We have had some wonderful tours. And yeah, libraries are interesting, Urbana-Champaign’s underground is cool. At Chicago they gave us free passes to visit the glass dome library at our leisure, but just talked about it as we walked by during the tour. Some of these new rec facilities are designed to impress, not always enough thought given to practicality. Treadmills on the upper floors up against walls of south-facing glass. Very pretty. But no blinds? Uh, I know when not to exercise there.</p>
<p>If you tour Dartmouth you’ll spend a lot of time looking at the library. It’s the central building of the whole campus - the one that is on all the picture post cards. And externally it’s also a dead ringer for Independence Hall in Philadelphia:</p>
<p>[Local</a> College Library Gallery: BC’s Bapst “Most Beautiful” College Library - Bostonist](<a href=“WBUR”>WBUR)</p>
<p>^^ And you’re probably quite familiar with the library at UCSD that’s commonly recognized by most people as being featured in the popular movie I’m sure most CC members have watched - “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” - </p>
<p>[Geisel</a> Library - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisel_Library]Geisel”>Geisel Library - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>^^Yes, and to tie the two libraries together, Ted Geisel is a graduate of Dartmouth College, class of 1925.</p>