Overambitious College Road Trip

Parents Forum
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<p>We’re back from our trip, so I thought I’d post an update since you were all so helpful before we left. We started with a fun weekend in NYC. My daughter liked it so much that she is now considering applying to NYU. We walked around the NYU campus on Sunday, and we’re now planning to go back for a tour. I’m not sure if starting in New York was the best strategy, because all the other locations paled in comparison. By the way, I never want to drvie into New York City again. The Lincoln tunnel was a nightmare. </p>

<p>We left New York on Monday mornign. The drive out the city went fine. We arrived at UConn in time for an afternoon tour. The campus, facilities and students were great, but the setting was too rural for a girl who loves the city. They pride themselves on being a self-sufficient campus, but I think it could feel claustraphobic for a student from OOS without a car. </p>

<p>We drove to Amherst later that day. After UConn, the Southampton/Amherst area looked very appealing. Southhampton even has an Urban Outfitters. We had been told that Umass had a very ugly campus. We actually thought the while some of the buildings were ugly, the campus itself was very pretty, with lots of tress, open space and a lake. My daughter liked the school and plans to apply.</p>

<p>We left UMass and drove 4 more hours to Syracuse. We arrived in pouring rain. My daughter throught the campus was small and ugly. We convinced her to keep an open mind, but I think she was done at that point. The next morning, it was dry and warm, but still pretty gray. We sat through a long and painful info session followed by an awful tour. The guide was overly perky and annoying. My daughter is interesed in journalism, but she’s seen several of her older sisters friends pick a school just for the major and then change their mind. Syracuse is off the list.</p>

<p>At this point we were very ready to go home. I don’t think we could have sat through another infomation session. We did feel that the trip was a success. My daughter found a safety school with EA that she liked and got a better idea of what she wants. I’m just happy to be home.</p>

<p>Thanks again for all the advice.</p>

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<p>Glad to hear you had a good trip! Just wondering, if your daughter wants journalism, is she considering UMd.? Is that her safety?</p>

<p>NYU can be a lot of fun for the right kid and a great way to live in Manhattan for four years!</p>

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<p>Glad the trip went well.</p>

<p>If she thinks she likes urban campuses, it would be worth trying to see Pitt and also consider Univ of Cincinnati.</p>

<p>(also…not intending to nitpick…but…when you were at Umass…you were near NORTHampton…not Southampton!)</p>

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<p>Pitt is a wonderful school with many wonderful programs (D is a junior), but I wouldn’t recommend it for journalism.</p>

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<p>Yes, she will definitely apply to UMD. Fall admission gets tougher every year, so she wants to have other options. She knows many students with strong grades who were offered the Freshman Connection program. We seriously considered Pitt. It’s a good match location and size wise, but as people mentioned, it’s doesn’t have a true journalism major. We visited BU earlier this year, and that’s still her top choice. Thanks for the suggestions.</p>