One caveat to your theater example, @jonri, is that I can’t think of a LAC where students can’t start their own group or project and even get funding. If one theater group is full and plenty of kids still want to get involved in acting, nothing is stopping them from forming a group to do something. They might need to get creative in terms of space to use if the campus theater is booked, but its totally doable.
Most of these observations are spot on. A word of caution is to not overemphasize one person or aspect of a school. Our neighbors daughter always wanted to go to school X. She went for a tour and the tour guide was awful. So bad that she no longer wanted to go. A 2nd tour guide was booked and she loved the school again. Ended up attending this school.
Yes, if you plan to go to parties while you’re in college. If you don’t like parties, the information you would get this way is not very relevant.
Self-selected students in a private high school?
You have to be careful about reading too much into what is seen on a visit. As someone said above, we visited some schools on a Saturday morning and saw very few kids out and about - mostly because they were probably all still sleeping! If your student goes to one party, they may see kids drinking to excess but not realize that there they happened upon the handful of party hearty kids at the school or on the one big party per year. Kids you pass not talking or on headphones? Doesn’t mean there aren’t friendly kids.
I agree with Jonri on the ECs. I would check the clubs I thought my kids would like to see if they were active or in name only. And the point about the audition or try-outs for clubs/groups is good to evaluate, if your kid wants to continue to participate. My son has been disappointed at not getting to go on some camping trips with the outing club, because too many people wanted to go and they did a lottery. Not sure that would be different at any school.
That being said, the little things did not figure very much into our choices as it as the academics, overall school environment (size, diversity) and cost that were the key factors.
As a lifelong dancer, but not wanting to major in dance, D was looking for was a place with plenty of opportunity for non-majors. The school she ended up at has a big student-run dance group. When she set up her overnight campus visit, she mentioned that, and they hooked her up with a student host who was in the group, so that she could get the skinny from an insider. She also got to attend and participate in a rehearsal. I think that’s when the decision was made.
She also liked the diversity on campus, and the progressive culture.
For one of my kids it was the ease of being able to play sports just for fun. She found herself on 2 different teams within the first few weeks. The school that she went to was not the school any of us originally thought she would attend, yet after visiting it became quite obvious that this was where she belonged.
My other one loved the friendly students and the fact that the community Is part of the campus. Some of the little things did not present themselves until after she started- like being invited to run with her professor and getting emails to check up on her during the first few weeks.
@jonri , your comment is something that totally missed our radar until my D started at college. It never occurred to us that there are plenty of colleges where kids can’t do ECs without trying out for them. Luckily my D’s school is built on inclusivity and she joined the debate team without ever having done it before. I think anyone can join anything at her college. It’s only been from reading posts on the college life forum that I realized, after seeing many students complaining that they have a hard time joining clubs, because they have to try out but don’t get in. For my D, that would have been a disaster, because she has had a hard time settling into college.
Next fall my son and I will be starting college visits and that is something we are going to look out for.
I agree! Learning that students have to apply to join college organizations was a shock to us, and it was the norm at both my children’s colleges. It worked out fine for them, but only because they didn’t try to do anything far outside their wheelhouse. Had they suddenly wanted to join, say, the debate team or dance troupe or some other EC they hadn’t done in high school, they would have likely been rejected. Frankly, I think kids have to specialize far too soon just to develop the kind of resume that gets them accepted to college. It’s a shame they can’t always branch out once they’re there either.
Which colleges require students to apply to join ECs? Where would I find that information?
My daughter was impressed that laundry was free at one college.
^At Union back in 2009, the tour guide told us that laundry was “free.” My son rolled his eyes at me - he couldn’t believe the sticker price of a school like that was $50,000! And that was seven years ago.
Every time we were on a tour and my husband heard a comment about free laundry or free printing or the fact that the use of the gym is free, he would always whisper to me “No it isn’t, it costs $60,000 a year.”
Dads.
Yes, we use the word ‘included’ for those things the tour guides claim are free. Football, movies, concerts, Friday night events are ‘included’ in the price, not free.
For one of mine, a smoke free campus was a huge plus. I was surprised how many student smokers we saw on some campuses.
My D17 has Celiac Disease (that’s the gluten intolerance one) and when one college tour’s tour guide mentioned that she had it, it was the icing on the cake for her knowing that was her ED school. You never know what little detail will have a big weight to it!
Probably more based on the EC than the college. The following ECs may be more likely to be selective:
- Fraternities, sororities, and similar organizations.
- Intercollegiate sports teams.
- Performing arts, where there is a limited number of roles to play.
- Other organizations which have limited space but more interest than there is space.
Even something like marching band can be very selective or not very selective - it really depends on the school and how many tubas they need. It would be easier to become student body president at a smaller school than at a large one (at some large ones, it is really almost impossible unless you are Greek). Club sports at some schools (or for some sports) are very difficult to get onto a team and they do have try outs.
Many college campuses are smoke free, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t smoking going on. CU is a public school, with public buildings and that means there is no smoking in any business or on campus (there is very little smoking allowed in Colorado in any building (office, school, public, private) except a private home. Yeah, right. But is it more noticeable on some campuses more than others.
@ucbalumnus It doesn’t need to be a private school. I go to a public high school (which isn’t that great) but there’s a culture I never noticed until a principal pointed it out where kids will leave their stuff outside a next class during gym or lunch and I’ve never heard of anything happening (I’ve even done it with my purse).
For my own list, (and by mine, I mean what I notice after my mom has pointed it out)
*Are they happy? I don’t judge this by smiling. I’m not a smiler, myself. (And there can be bias if you’re visiting during midterms/finals vs the beginning of the year when everyone is bubbly). BUT if we bring our dog (medium size border collie) do people notice her and say hi? We went to one school where while I went on the tour my mom waited by admissions with the dog and not one person said hi. (And while on the tour I saw someone not pick up after BOTH their dogs. And someone ran over her bowl without looking.)
*Do people hold doors? This is a big thing because it’s cultural. If you see someone older struggling carrying things, do you help? Do you look behind you when going in to hold the door? Obviously not EVERYONE will. Maybe they’re busy or tired or distracted. But the overall is telling.
*Is there litter? Like the dog thing, people not picking up is just gross.
*Food attitude. I only paid attention to this during (funnily enough) Williams and Amherst. Williams for the sheer freshness of the food and Amherst for the no meal plan policy. Which I guess gets into a bigger thing of does the school put its money where its mouth is? Or do they just give lip service
Not to be too shallow but my daughter (or maybe her father!) is easily impressed by nice dorms, good food options, friendly chill kids, nice gyms, libraries, events/concerts, etc - like it easy on the eyes - and of course good academics!