<p>We just keep it simple. Target, good pho restaurant and in network insurance provider. All the rest works itself out.</p>
<p>Good comments. Usually it comes down to the best balance of fit and finances. </p>
<p>“My advice is to go to admitted students events at the top 3-4 schools once your acceptances are in” - Start checking onilne calendars. Often those events are in April, sometimes conflicting weekends for schools in question. But a visit when classes are in session but not accepted-students day can be really helpful too. The trick for many kids is dealing with absence during busy IB/AP prep time. </p>
<p>I always advise factoring in transportation ease. A difficult location should not be ruled out, but certainly it can be used in tiebreaker situation. </p>
<p>With the gluten issues, it seems a school with apartment options s (on or off campus) might be good.</p>
<p>I think overnight visits are extremely important but accepted student weekends don’t give you the real feel for the campus. We attended several accepted student days and did an overnight during that weekend for the school my daughter chose to attend. they did a great job of wining and dining the students and the parents and it sealed my daughter’s decision. Now she is in her second semester of her second year and not very happy at the campus at all. Because her major is one that is difficult to transfer into, she will finish at that school but if she had to do it again, she definitely would have done it differently.</p>
<p>My daughter’s deciding factor was the course catalog. She likes a variety of classes within disciplines and she decided that she wouldn’t have been happy at a small school that offered only the basics in areas like English, history or subjects that were important to her.</p>
<p>Similar to zoosermon, I would recommend (if you haven’t done so already) a very detailed comparison of the degree plans. For us, it was the first thing we looked at after finding D’s intended major. I compared three schools with a fine-toothed comb. It was pretty amazing how different the same major looked to the three schools. D chose the one with the most courses in her major (fewest in LA, etc.) and the one that provided the most flexibility in choosing an area of concentration.</p>
<p>Easy answer first–gluten. I would call the dining office and ask the gluten question. Some schools have better resources than others to deal with the issue. If the first person I got was an ignorant lower-end staff person, I would go higher and not dismiss the school off the bat. But if the manager of the place doesn’t “get” you, red flag. </p>
<p>I would not take the kid there to eat in their dining halls unless I knew what was in the food!</p>
<p>(If you are very unhappy with the gluten response and it turns your family away from an otherwise good-fit school, be sure to write a polite letter telling the admissions office).</p>
<p>Assuming all the schools have satisfactory ways of dealing with gluten problems, go to the accepted student days. If they have overnight events, send the kid there if at all posssible. </p>
<p>Go to their online catalog of courses and spend some serious time looking through what is offered by the depts the student is most likely to major in, if you have not already done this. Have the student do this, too. </p>
<p>Good luck and congratulations!</p>
<p>kelbee–if she is looking at residential LAC’s chances are there are college owned apartments on campus which would be the same as moving off campus. Again, I don’t think it is really a concern if she can move off campus or even into an apartments set up as long as she has access to a kitchen to cook. Every college we looked at has that option in the dorms.</p>
<p>I am really starting to go thru the Disciplinary Policies with a fine tooth comb.</p>
<p>My son is the live and let live type. I don’t want him caught in a situation where as a roommate he has a responsibility to “turn in” roommie if roommie has drugs/alcohol/firearms etc in the room. I know he would not turn in, so I’d strongly prefer he not be at a school that he would bear a harsh punishment.</p>
<p>I am also looking at the health center - hours, can staff prescribe, ease of having script filled.</p>
<p>Weekend activities and costs. </p>
<p>Study Abroad - Does merit & FA cover it at same rate as home school.</p>
<p>Transportation was a big factor in DS application list (ease and cost)</p>
<p>So thankful to have found this thread! Tons of great advice on here and I will come back and take some notes. DS has several acceptances under his belt and we are heading off to do campus visits with two of them at the end of this week. Neither of them are among his top 3 though but he hasn’t heard from them yet.</p>
<p>BTW colleges have “Offices of Disability Services” or something like that. Your daughter qualifies. Call the school and ask the switchboard to be put through to whatever they call theirs. ZYou can find out very quickly whether they offer special housing (ir rooms with kitchen so the kids can cook their own meals) or special services from the dinig hall. </p>
<p>The potential drawback to an apt or suite in freshman year is not being able to casually meet new people in a dining hall. That is where an awful lot of new contacts are made especially in freshman year.</p>
<p>It almost seems as if the gluten issue has to come first. If she’s sick, nothing else will be right. OP, maybe you could start with the acceptances she has and do some research. It would be good practice for investigating other schools when the time comes.</p>
<p>We live in the Boston area, and when we first started talking about colleges, I tried to impose a 300 mile limit on colleges our D could look at. “There are a million schools around here,” I bellowed. “Why shouldn’t we be able to drive your stuff there, see you on parent’s weekend, etc. You’ll still be far enough away so that we won’t be able to drive you nuts on a daily basis!!”</p>
<p>Naturally, as it turned out, of the ten schools she applied to, only two are in the Northeast (if you don’t count D.C. as northeast). 4 are in California, 2 are in the Midwest, 1 is in the deep south. “It’s not you, it’s me,” she explained (in her best George Castanza imitation). </p>
<p>Anyhow, my question is: how much should distance matter? What if there are direct flights? (and what if there aren’t?) Can merit money make up for distance? Does a three-hour time change mean we’ll never even talk on the phone? What if she, (or we) get sick–do 3,000 miles/two flights and a wait in between make it difficult to help?</p>
<p>We haven’t heard from anywhere yet, but any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I ain’t the distance, it’s the connections. A direct flight on Jet Blue or Southwest (or a heavily discounted ticket on any other airline) where your D sleeps and then gets off the plane, takes a city bus or subway back to campus is easy-peasy. Having to switch in O’hare or Atlanta and then grab a puddle jumper on a small plane and then wait for the Greyhound which serves a small town twice a day… but is delayed if it’s snowing- now that’s a nightmare.</p>
<p>For us- we didn’t let distance matter, although our kids ended up in our 300 mile radius (but sort of accidentally.) From my siblings and close friends- there are schools 200 miles from home which are a pain in the neck to get to, where the connections are inconvenient and expensive, and other than a parent doing the round trip a few times a year, there aren’t easy ways to get back and forth.</p>
<p>Kids get sick. Grandparents die. You will end up with plans A, B and C and then something unanticipated happens and you throw out the rule book and start all over again. (Like the kids trying to get rental cars after 9/11 who were supposed to be heading for a semester overseas but the flights were all cancelled and they couldn’t get back home and their parents were freaking out. And then they discovered that Hertz doesn’t rent to 19 year olds.)</p>
<p>You will figure it out; but a direct flight is worth a lot in my book!</p>
<p>Both of my D’s went to school in Maryland, 7 hours’ drive on a good day from me in NC. Before D1 left home, I had a few of those spontaneous tearful moments, thinking I didn’t know how I’d get through it. The internet, smart phones, skype, etc. change the entire dynamic of having a D away at school (I am much more connected to both of them now than I was to my own mother when I went to college, and I lived 2 hours from home). I think the distance definitely helped them get more independence than they may have if they could have just driven home easily. There were a few phone calls for each of them over the years that it broke my heart that I couldn’t be there to hug them. A few times I held it together and played “rational mother” to help discuss the problems they may have been having, and then lost it after I hung up. (Usually I’d fret over it incessantly, and then find out that within 15 minutes they were just fine and whatever the cause for the angsty call was history)!</p>
<p>D1 graduated and is now in graduate school in Boston, and D2 is graduating this spring from undergrad. Having direct flights is a MAJOR benefit, because with potential weather issues (flying into the NE during the winter), she would not ever want to deal with connections. It psychologically is easier for me to handle the concept of the 7-hour difference…I know I could get there easily if I needed to. The 15+ hour drive for older sis is a different story, but now she’s older (and in a relationship), I know she’ll be fine, and I try to fly up (or fly her down) every couple of months to see her. Again, thank heavens for facebook, email, and texting!</p>
<p>I agree with Blossom about the direct flights. Making connections in the snow during the holiday rush…boo. Who needs it?</p>
<p>I agree with blossom to an extent. I wouldn’t let a non-direct flight be a deal-breaker, but with all things being equal, a direct flight/ease of travel could tip the scales.</p>
<p>I was worried about this when my son went away, but between the time he was accepted and when school started, Southwest added a non-stop! He can’t always use it, but when it fits his schedule, it’s great.</p>
<p>Lots of good advice… I know you said transportation might be an issue at some schools, but if a flight is involved, I say check the flights. Lots of connections leave room for lots of delays especially during rush travel of school holiday’s (where usually flights are at a premium as well). </p>
<p>Overnight visits - accepted student days are great, but my son is so glad to have visited his school on a random wednesday minus the dog and pony show intended to go overboard to woo students. He ate in the cafeteria and did his homework in the library. Lots of kids studying, but looking happy doing it. That said mountains.</p>
<p>I also believe that going to the threads here was really helpful, especially for understanding the level of student academic support that is available. Do a lot of students form study groups, how about department study tables in the library (or wherever). If the only answers are writing and math center, and prof office hours…you can assume that there’s not a lot of support (as every school out there has that). I have said this before but I really do think the most selective schools seem to have the most resources as it’s the culture of the school, especially in the absence of any documented learning disabilities (where they might qualify for something more).</p>
<p>The EC thing is also huge. If you’ve been ice skating your whole life and there isn’t even a rink a non-hockey player can skate on nearby, you’re probably going to miss it. A lot.</p>
<p>My kids don’t have food issues, but every school I’ve visited in the last two years has had gluten-free selections, vegetarian entrees, and a nut-free zone. But definitely some is far more appetizing than others.</p>
<p>"a direct flight is worth a lot in my book! " - So true. Our CO son goes the other way… Denver to Boston. We usually can get a direct flight. Sometimes he flies back to school on a redeye, arriving 5am Boston time. The redeye is not necessarily cheaper, but it is direct and often has seats available. </p>
<p>Some kids will call home (or skype) a lot, regardless of timezone. Others prefer email. Yet others, like my son, prefer communication blackout (almost). You will figure it out wherever the student ends up. </p>
<p>Yes, merit awards (or FA) can be tradeoff for extra travel expenses. But it’s not a reason to send a kid far away unless they like the idea.</p>
<p>tougis–flights–some are easier than others but I guess you have to look at it this way, what if she got a job in California after going to school in the NE? What happens if she gets sick then? What if her flight is canceled then? It’s part of growing up and I think a HUGE learning process of going away to college and having to learn to deal with these things on your own. Look at the current calendar for her prospective schools, when do they get out of school for breaks? I was pleasantly surprised to see our kids won’t have to travel all that close to Christmas, last day of finals is Dec 12th next year. That give a lot of room for delayed flights, etc. Same with going back, they don’t have to be back right after New Years, so again, flights are very workable. Worst case, they spend the night at a hotel near the airport or even in the airport. </p>
<p>If you are really worried about travel, book a flight on Southwest for late in the school year, maybe with the thought of flying home with her at the end of the year and if you need to change your travel date because she is sick or something, you can easily do that with SW and not have to pay for an expensive last minute ticket.</p>
<p>Our D has a chronic health condition. She is going to school 8 hours away. We’ve talked to people in that town about dr’s, etc. We have a back up plan in place already. Her D here has given D her cell phone number and can call in medication, etc. if needed. You just do what you have to do. If she ends up going to CA, think of the nice warm Feb vacation you can take each year to visit!!</p>