@crepes Yes we have the Hamilton lottery page up waiting for the Sat tickets to open up. Priorities! We will all be in NYC this summer so if we dont luck out with lottery tix then we will all go with regular assigned seats like civilized people! I did not realize there were lotteries for other shows… no idea how that slipped past me so thanks for the scoop!
Okay - throwing out some more thoughts.
Did you mention your dd’s stats? Muhlenberg is not known for giving good merit, if that is a necessity. For my son with much higher stats, Kenyon didn’t come in as high as others. That was 6 years ago, though. Dickinson came in with $0 in merit for him, which shocked us. But, we were considered self-pay then, so why wouldn’t they?! He showed so much love to that school (it’s within a two hours drive); they probably figured he was attending, no matter what. His cousin got in - and LOVED it - but he received tons of need-based aid. BTW, my son ended up at Oberlin, which gave him great merit and co-op living, which reduced our yearly amount by thousands.
Allegheny - We had the same experience with Allegheny. Tour Guide was, well, a ditzy (but “Beautiful! Mom did you see her eyes?”) girl. She just didn’t have much to say, other than, “Here is the cafeteria.” DS asked about lectures, social justice life on campus, etc. She had no idea.
Muhlenberg’s top merit aid is now 35,000 per year. They also seem quite generous for students they want. We got a combination of merit and financial aid that made them very competitive for us. Dickinson, not so much. Gettysburg was very good. Boston schools not so much. I guess it depends on the individual school and the year.
My DD is in her junior year and gets excellent merit scholarship plus FA from Muhlenberg.
@WWC4me looks like we made a last minute change last night and will be in Allentown Sat night and Sunday … then coming back on later Monday for tour and visit. Thinking we can check out the town on our own
@beenthereanddone and @WWC4me …do we know OP’s daughter’s stats? She said average SAT scores. That doesn’t get you excellent merit at Muhlenberg. I guess it’s all relative. My “average” could be much lower than what someone else considers average!
A slight correction to a post a few spaces upthread: Based on my own family’s experience, Muhlenberg’s merit aid tops out a good chunk above $35k/year.
And going beyond my own family’s experience, if I am correctly informed, they have 5(?) full-tuition scholarships that they offer for each year’s incoming class. Those, of course, aren’t available for “average” stats, but pretty much nothing full-tuition anywhere is.
Reporting in from the road with more details later…all is great and my knowledge of all the words to every current teen tune is helpful and amazed by daughter. We are at Virginia Wesleyan today and tomorrow and DD already loves it. Received her acceptance package while at Susquehanna which she also loved …along with loving Roanoke College. All visits were very nice but not every college is a great fit for every student. Lynchburg could not have been nicer or more generous with their time, information, or merit offerings.
Any Virginia Wesleyan parents out there? I am happy to drop off a care package, take a snapshot, or just check in on their student or slip them a twenty 
@DoDEAMom18 you can swing by Rowan on your way up with Pizza Hut! LOL Looking forward to the in-depth recap! Safe travels! Hopefully you missed the NJ monsoon yesterday!
So happy you’re having such a great time. My road trips with my girls were also wonderful times. Stay safe.
Crazy as it seems, I’ve been looking forward to having you check back in, @DoDEAMom18 . Can’t wait to hear details!
Glad everything is going well, @DoDEAMom18. Also looking forward to hearing details on the trip
FINALLY a short report from our CRT # 2. Fabulous weather, friendly people, lots of 80’s Rock singing in the car, and a terrific mom-daughter time with DD2. FYI - Psychology major but really looking at BSW but hard to find where she wants and not sure if wants to be pegged in BSW.
URSINUS- not for her. Did not have that deep college feel to her.
MUHLENBERG - Lovely campus and classrooms but odd admissions meeting. They knew we were coming from far away to specifically talk with them about programs and admissions and do a meet and greet. DD had communicated via email with some thoughtful questions etc so demonstrated interest is there etc. Met with a part time counselor who basically just told us what we already knew, did not have specific answers to specific questions, and was more about a feel good chat. Asked for a application waiver but was told talk to xxx… would not arrange for the waiver code while we were on tour. When we returned from tour no one was around to chat with again with any follow up questions. Further req for app fee waiver were told " your counselor needs to request it ". Whatever. DD liked the school fine but not on her list.
SUSQUEHANNA U - lovely grounds, super fabulously helpful and friendly admissions office, great tour, excellent college vibe. Informative and interesting and heartful meeting with admissions officer. Advised that she was accepted already (DD had not checked her email in a few days…) so that was fun. Full merit package but waiting for any other aid. Adv it will be a few weeks. DD can see herself there so one way or another our gal is going to college! Great move on Susquehanna to have reviewed her package before we got there and to have that acceptance waiting. Why more colleges do not market this way for obvious acceptances is a mystery.
JUNIATA… .wow it is really out there in the middle of a run down town. Drove 2.5 hours to get there, DD immediately said that the location was not at all what she wanted. Both a bit disappointed bc they have a 5 year BSW. Got coffee and snacks and gas and headed on out of town. FYI- admissions office could not have been nicer or more accommodating with some last minute date and time changes.
ROANOKE COLLEGE - DD loved this from the moment we drove thru the town of Salem, driving up, the fabulous Admissions office, great tour with a Senior in Psychology with loads of info, and a enthusiastic meeting with admissions officer. Adv that a $1000 each year bonus award for just visiting! Also offers a Non Music Major Performing scholarship and had the opportunity to audition right there. Thank goodness she had brought her own mouthpiece for her trumpet. Generous merit aid from what we can see and the option for Test Optional with over a 3.5, On DD Top 3.
VIRGINIA WESLYEAN - on paper this was THE one that was going to be IT. Once we got there… .not so much. Has a BSW but the school felt very 1960, odd dorm set up, did not feel the college campus vibe at all, students were looking oddly at us as we walked around with our wildly informative guide who insisted on doing the walking backwards thing even though it was just the two of us. The admissions office had NO flyers, magazines, alumni info, maps, marketing materials out in the waiting area at all. None. The admissions rep was about 22, wrote the merit info on the back of a biz card as she had nothing to hand us in writing. DD was very disappointed as she really had expected to love this school and the virtual tour most certainly made the campus look much different than it was in person.
GUILFORD - we added this at the very last minute as it was on the way and was a CTCL so what the heck. Very nice tour, lots of merit money, but is perfect for someone who likes the who Quaker ideas. Only 10% of the students identify as Quaker but they “recognize over 16 world religions so you can come to the Hut to connect with other like minded classmates”. There was a lot of “we are the world” and “we don’t have statues because we do not believe in idolizing” and “everyone is called by their first names because we are all equal”. That was all fine but was not what DD was looking for. That said - they were throwing loads of money at her and the beginning meeting was great- we sat in a circle and chatted about what Respect means and what Integrity means to the college bound students. Nothing like a bit of a therapy session before going on tour.
LYNCHBURG COLLEGE-- soon to be UNIVERSITY OF LYNCHBURG- added this on enroute and really enjoyed the visit. Admissions officers made a big fuss out of the visit and had already reviewed her application (submitted from the road) and read her essay which was optional. Admissions officer for US Citizens Living Abroad chatted us up for over 30 mins and genuinely enjoyed getting to know DD and asked great questions along with providing loads of insider info. Looks like merit is good and they offer a competitive writing scholarship that turns out everyone gets at least $2k but up to $5k and DD can do it remotely with a proctor after acceptance. Offered a 5 year MA in Psych which was a huge bonus. Met up with a classmate from last year who loves the school and programs. Lots of school spirit too.
We stopped at others but these were the highlights.
Looks like Roanoke College is #1 with Lynchburg right behind. Of course Susquehanna is high on the list. Still loves College of Wooster and Allegheny from College Road Trip #1 last October. All applications are in so now just waiting to see what comes back as far as packages. DD2 is super easy and clearly said she will go with the best package if there is a huge difference. Gotta love this gal.
PS – ended up in NYC for a few days of walking and shopping and eating. Managed to grab two orchestra tickets at the very last minute for HAMILTON !!! so on her 18th birthday we were In the Room Where It Happened! Had a great meet and greet afterwards with some of the leads (this is what happens when Mom will chat up anyone and everyone and the manager offered up the opportunity when I told him about our college road trip and special bday).
Thanks to the endless information and suggestions from this great group!!
Glad the VA schools were such a hit! And that you had such a nice trip with your daughter.
Sounds like a successful and memorable trip!
@DoDEAMom18 I think our DD’s may have the same application list. LOL. DD2018 is also interested in social work but has a million other interests as well, so she is going in undecided.
Sounds like you had a fantastic trip. Can you elaborate a little bit on what you didn’t like about Ursinus? DD has submitted an application but we have not yet visited.
Also, what was the “vibe” like at Roanoke? This is very high on DD’s list as well. She has already been accepted and is going up next weekend for an accepted students Scholarship Competition she was invited to attend, but I’m curious what your take is.
Other schools she is applying to:
College of Wooster
Allegheny College
St. Olaf College
Beloit College
Cornell College- accepted
Goucher College (D2016 attends here. This has been on and off DD2018’s list a bunch of times)
Flagler College
@DoDEAMom18 thanks for your report. Sounds like a great trip! Interesting to hear that Susquehanna said full FA package will be coming in a few weeks. D18 did get a large merit scholarship but it would be great if we were eligible for some FA as well!
I love reading your posts! You paint a great picture of the schools and visits. I’m glad your DD is finding great choices along the way. I’m a bit bummed about your reception at Muhlenberg. We had a great visit and interview last week and we didn’t need the info as older DD is a junior.
I’m sorry ursinus was not to your liking. I have been very impressed with the school now that D is there. Full disclosure I did not like it at all during visits but for various reasons she made the choice to attend and we are happy. Very collaborative atmosphere, much different from my sons competitive experience at another LAC
Susquehanna is a great school too; don’t know much firsthand about the others but sounds like a great trip. And Hamilton to boot!