<p>Niagara Falls is beautiful. However, the town in the U.S. is really shabby, a failed city. The Canadian side is much nicer so bring your passports.</p>
<p>I think you’d need at least a couple of hours to get from I-90 to the falls and catch a glimpse, and maybe an hour to get back on the road.</p>
<p>If time permits, you could visit SUNY Buffalo, the university, which is pretty selective and an excellent school. It used to be private but was taken over by NYS before I went to college in 1966. It has a medical school, very strong in science, and nice programs in the liberal arts as well. Also on the way to Syracuse you may want to consider U. of Rochester, which my kid and I loved when we did our trip a few weeks ago. Also Rochester Institute of Technology which I liked a little more than my kid did. Each of them is less than half an hour off the highway.</p>
<p>oldmom: Thanks for the suggestions and comments re: schools and Niagara Falls. Because D is interested in fashion and marketing, we’re visiting schools known for their merchandising programs and have the big school spirit she wants (Greek, Div I sports, etc.). Syracuse fits the bill, so we’ll concentrate on that school (and a quick visit to Fashion Institute of Tech. in NYC just for fun).</p>
<p>Momofwon, SUNY Oneonta, which can be on the way to NYC from Syracuse, has a fashion merchandising major. It’s a very nice school. Tuition is the same as FIT. It’s not Division 1 and much smaller than Syracuse but a very nice school. I was pleasantly surprised when we visited a few weeks ago.</p>
<p>I have been nagging DD to get her essay written for this one school that is a reach but might have a chance early in the application process. She finally finished last week but hadn’t filled out the online application. So last night I made her sit down with DH and I to get this done because I was really annoyed. Realized after she kept saying it only lets me apply for spring 2014 that the school is not taking any apps. for fall 2014 until Sept. 1, opps! Very embarrassed Mom.</p>
<p>oldmom: Thanks for the recommendation to the SUNY school Oneonta. Sure looks pretty from the web photos and her test scores, etc are right in that school’s sweet spot. At this point, D is really focused on big schools with 15K+ enrollment. She really does want that “Big State U” experience and I think she’ll be fine at a large school. That said, we’re visiting four big schools (Syracuse and three Big Ten Universities) next week and, who knows, maybe she’ll decide she wants something smaller when all is said and done???</p>
<p>@momofwon: Just out of curiosity, have you looked at Iowa State? We visited there recently and heard very good things about their Apparel, Merchandising and Design major. t is D-1 and has great school spirit. It may already be on your radar but I thought I would throw it out there.</p>
<p>BobbyCT. No we haven’t visited ISU, but we know it’s huge in fashion merch/retailing, etc. F-I-L graduated from there in 1952 and would love it if his g’daughter would considered his alma mater! Unfortunately, our road trip heads east from N. Illinois and we just don’t have time to swing west toward Iowa. Lots of school spirit there and it’s close to many relatives which D would like. </p>
<p>What surprises people the most is that some of the best schools for fashion merchandising are in locations that are so unlikely–Wash. State, Oregon State, Iowa State, Kent State, Indiana, Purdue, Syracuse, and Wisconsin. Thanks for suggesting!</p>
<p>Bobby, my daughter has filled out her Common App. Maybe we can help!</p>
<p>Question for all of you…I know it’s beneficial for our kids to apply to schools early to boost their chances, but I have hopes that D’s GPA in the 1st quarter will be an improvement over last quarter. I’ve been disappointed before, though…</p>
<p>I’m wondering if it’s better to wait to apply until those grades are out (early. Nov.)? Maybe at least for the reach schools? Would appreciate any thoughts!</p>
<p>LisaK, I have been thinking the same. Several schools my daughter is most interested in have nonbinding early action programs. She did not have a good year last year. Maybe we will wait and see how the year begins (school starts September 9 here) before she pushes that send button.</p>
<p>@LisaK216: Are you talking about applying Early Decision? Or are you talking about applying Early Action or applying Regular Decision earlier than the due date? Only applying binding ED has shown to improve acceptance rate (it can vary). If the college offers Rolling Decision, than early application can also be slightly beneficial. Otherwise it won’t make much difference to submit your application early. One other thing, the high school will send the first quarter marking period grades to the college if you request.</p>
<p>tpcrd: In addition to Syracuse, we’re visiting Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, Ithaca College, and the Fashion Institute of Technology NYC (when was the last time you saw someone on CC discussing FIT?! ). We fly out to Chicago on Friday morning and return to the Pacific NW on Labor Day.</p>
<p>Stay tuned for updates on our road trip odyssey. I’ll try and post some thoughts and impressions throughout the journey. I don’t know who’s more excited–me to explore towns and parts of the country I’ve never been to (especially looking forward to checking out upstate NY), or D who is all about collecting sweatshirts from cool schools…sigh…</p>
<p>Bobby, no ED here, just EA and applying early for RD. Just wondering if the timing of the applications will make a difference. Thanks for the feedback :)</p>
<p>One more school to tour…SUNY New Paltz in a couple of weeks. D wants to do overnights at a few schools. Anyone else doing this?</p>
<p>Actually, DD '19 picked up on FIT when we were looking at Cooper Union for DS '14. So please be sure to share. It looks like all their programs are two years long. Can you go there for all four years?</p>
<p>FIT offers 2-year AA degrees and graduate degrees. No 4-year degree. D’s counselor suggested she get a marketing degree w/a fashion minor at a traditional 4-year school and then go to FIT later for a masters, if desired.</p>
<p>FIT would be so much less expensive than a traditional college, but after going to an incredibly exciting Big Ten football game with her proud alum g’pa and 70,000+ red shirt wearing rabid fans five years ago, she was hooked on going to a large, leafy Div I school in a smaller city. Is that somewhat shallow and non-intellectual ;-)? Probably. But, at least she’s honest about what she wants and I know she’s not the only kid out there who desires that same kind of college experience.</p>
<p>I don’t know who has kids who are looking for small LAC’s but I am here in Canton, NY taking my 2012 S to college at St Lawrence University. This school is unbelievable. What a gem. The campus is probably the most beautiful of all colleges campuses we have visited…except maybe Bowdoin. The dorms are HUGE and really nice. The student center looks like a ski lodge, there are fireplaces everywhere, big comfy chairs, beautiful trees, a gorgeous quad with adirondack chairs spread out all over, and the dining hall and food are top notch. They have the oldest first year program that other colleges have modeled after. All of the administration that we have come in contact with so far have been warm and helpful. I literally can not find a fault with it so far. My S is an outdoors kid, so with the 2nd oldest outdoor club, this is paradise. I can see why they have a 92% freshman retention rate and an alumni network that is insanely loyal. Check it out if your kid doesn’t mind being in a rural bucolic place.</p>
<p>p.s. my S got a $30,000 a year merit scholarship here…with a 3.4 GPA and 2190 SAT’s… they give tons of merit…</p>
<p>Momofone - One of D’s best friends recently received a bachelor’s degree from FIT. I just pulled up their web page and found over 20 bachelor degree programs listed. BTW, FIT is part of the SUNY system. I would look into it.</p>
<p>FIT’s academic programs provide career preparation in more than 30 fields leading to Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Below is a list of majors at FIT. Also use the left-hand navigation to explore our other academic programs such as online courses, credit certificate programs, and international programs. In addition, we offer a wide range of non-credit certificate programs.</p>
<p>Prospective Students: If you are applying from high school (i.e. you have not attended college before beginning FIT), you will be applying to a two-year associate degree program. You must declare a major. Students seeking admission to one of the Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees must hold an Associate in Applied Science degree from FIT or an equivalent degree from a regionally accredited college.</p>
). We fly out to Chicago on Friday morning and return to the Pacific NW on Labor Day.</p>