@zozoty We did tour back in early April and it was an immediate off the list for D19. The campus is overall unappealing and surrounded by numerous parking lots, which I think is a clear sign that it a commuter school and draws mostly kids from the surrounding MD suburbs. Also, there is really nothing else in the surrounding area so you would definitely need a car.
The Open House we attended was also poorly organized and crowded, too crowded. This was right after the basketball team had the huge upset over UVA so I suspect it generated a lot more interest than they were anticipating. The general info session was the normal basic facts, except it started with a couple of the menâs basketball players talking. They had tables set up for various majors but it was so crowded that you couldnât get near any of them. Our tour group was enormous - must have been 50-60 people with one guide. We tried to stay towards the front but could barely hear what he was saying. We ended up ditching the tour half way through and did our own tour.
There was also some other type of event going on for younger kids in another building that contributed to the congestion.
It was a Saturday morning but other than the tour guides we did not see many students at all around campus. We toured Towson a few weeks later and decided to drive through UMBC on our way home to see if anyone was out and about on campus as it was a beautiful day. It was a Friday afternoon in early May and it was a ghost town.
I think they are trying to shed their image as a commuter/suitcase school but I think it is going to take awhile.
Just returned from our Quinnipiac U tour for S19. Will post this in both parentsâŠ2019 threads. As some know, my D14 just graduated from there (with a JOB - key in our houseâŠtime for paybacks yippee!!), and I was interested to see how S19 liked it. Decided to give D20 a break now from tours and will take her next year. Here are some new things I learned (go figure!):
- 3+1 program for biology - graduate in 4 years with both bachelors and masters in bio - said lots of pre-med students are utilizing this option. Saves a year or two of tuition. I asked - what about if student wants to take biochemistry and do 3+1? Counselor said they are most likely adding biochem as an option to do that and to keep in touch via email with him before/as S19 applies. There are other 3/1, 3/2, 3/3 programs that were there prior which I remember. 3+3 is an engineering program.
- Pre-med acceptance rate into any school (not just QU) is ~85% as long as you maintain a 3.0 in your classes. Separate counselor to help stay on track.
- Shuttles go to all campuses. When D was there, I didn't think they went to the campus where med/nursing/law/ed was, which was not an issue because by then everyone in those majors brought cars anyway to do clinicals, etc. But now goes.
- 87% receive merit aid. 95% live on campus - other 5% commute. Housing no longer guaranteed all four years - now only 3 years, but (my D14 tells me) every senior that wants to live on campus has been able to if they want. D14 says that the seniors more often want to live off campus because there are a lot of options within minutes of campus and it's cheaper. I also asked about tripling - when D14 started, no tripling, but mid-way, they were overcrowded. D14 (not counselor) tells me they worked that out and no more tripling. She worked in admissions office for all four years.
- More students by 1,000 since D14 started - counselor stated 7,000 undergrads and 2500 graduate students.
- One mention about GPS directions - sometimes they take you to the "back way" which is very rural looking, and may give the appearance that it is in the middle of nowhere. The regular way is through town - Whitney Ave/Dixwell Ave which is adorable Hamden. The Olive Garden type restaurants and Target stores, etc. are in North Haven. Then New Haven is the small city stuff.
Everything mentioned on the tour seemed accurate to D14âs experience - no inflated thoughts to convince/sell the school. Tour guide was great. S19 responded, âI could go hereâ which translates to: âI love it!â So he will apply.
Two more tours - going to check out Marist College and decided to take a look at Rowan - which we keep going back and forth on whether to go or not, so weâre just gonna go, LOL.
I am actually getting pooped out now after all the college tours. 
Hey @cakeisgreat sounds like a great tour. Iâm tired too. I just think we need to see a couple more schools, but then question my sanity.
@carolinamom2boys I think my daughter would beg to differ! Her school is definitely not a party school and tho there is drinking, itâs not happening on campus and as a freshman, not much of a party scene unless you have older friends with invitations to off campus parties. And transportation to these parties (most of them 10-15 mins away by the beach-she and her friends didnt have cars at school as freshmen). Though my daughter is not a big drinker, she was looking forward to having a social life and attend some parties. While her friends at other schools (incl one at UDel!) seemed to be having âa lot of funâ on weekends, acc to their Instagram accounts, my dd was hanging out in her dorm room with her roommates wishing she was at a party meeting people. Greek life is not big, Rush is spring semester and there are no frat/sorority houses.
Her second semester was better socially and she is looking forward to going back, but it definitely was not easy for freshmen to party at her school . That was definitely ok by me!
@4kids4us Youâre daughter and you may âbeg to differâ. My sonâs experience was different than your daughterâs. Although, he wasnât looking to party or drink underage. He attends a âparty schoolâ and was able to have a good social experience with others at school just like him. It is possible for students to have a social life at a party school without drinking . Itâs not something that heâs interested in nor is it worth it to him to risk losing his scholarships . Every student is different and not all students drink underage.
@carolinamom2boys, I was quibbling with your statement that any school is a party school for a kid who wants to party (I know that typically means drinking but not all kids who like to go to parties drink) and that simply isnât true. My daughter wasnât looking to go out drinking, but rather, to attend parties and meet people. There simply arenât parties on her campus. Parties take place in off-campus housing and at the beach - two places that are not all that accessible to freshmen. And yes, I agree that itâs possible to have a social life without attending parties-believe me she tried first semester. Joined intramural soccer (placed on a team with grad students who were nice but not interested in hanging out with a freshman), volunteered as a soccer coach with a kidsâ team at the local YMCA (thought sheâd meet some other student coaches but didnât), joined the environmental club but outings ended up coinciding with her kidsâ soccer games on Saturdays so she only attended one, etc. Her dorm was set up such that it didnât lend itself to too much interaction. She is a bit of an introvert, and while friendly, sheâs not exactly vivacious. She knew she was going to have to try hard to meet people, and she did try hard, but was looking forward to going to parties and socializing on a Saturday night rather than sitting in her dorm room with her roommates. Itâs possible to like parties without drinking. It just so happens at her school, parties happen off campus, which like I said, are not very accessible to freshmen. I suppose if someone was determined to drink (which my daughter is not), he/should could find a way, but that doesnât mean because a kid is determined to party/drink it will turn any school into a party school. That was the point of my post. Of course a kid can have a social life w/o drinking and/or going to parties. But there are also kids who like parties who donât drink. On a dry campus, where kids live in dorms, not apartments, there simply arenât parties, no matter how much one desires it. She does not go to a large school.
@DCNatFan - thanks! You may have saved me a visit - she definitely does not want a commuter school - Stony Brook also looked like a good fit for her major (something bio/biochem/neurosciencey) but also has that commuter school rep. Right now, she only wants to apply to UMass, UConn, and UDel and while Iâm pretty sure sheâll get in to all 3, I feel like thatâs not enough schools - I think this website, where people seem to regularly apply to 20+ schools, is giving me a complex. And of course, those schools are not cheap for OOS so a lot will come down to what aid is offered. UDel is currently her #1, so like you, I was not thrilled to see their new ranking. Ugh!
For what it is worthâŠmy college (Penn) was declared the ânumber one party schoolâ byâŠwait for itâŠPlayboy magazine. (Seriously.) Though it definitely was a work hard / play hard school I think most of us that were amused that we were considered a party schoolâŠbecause the balance always seemed to tilt toward the âwork hardâ.
I wouldnât be concerned about silly rankings like those. If the school is a fit, the education is sound, and your kid can find their tribeâŠitâs all good.
@zozoty I think DCNatfanâs impression of UMBC was on target. Iâve been on campus a few times for non-collegiate sports events for my younger kids that were held at UMBC and I never really even felt like I was on a college campus as I didnât see many students around. The few kids Iâve known personally whoâve gone there, including my niece who transferred there from UMD, are commuters. That, coupled with its location in a suburban area with nothing around it really, make it seem like itâs not a place for kids who are looking for a more traditional college environment. Itâs too bad for those in-state residents whose kids canât get into UMD and/or donât want to be at a huge school like UMD or Towson but like the in-state tuition because they do have some well-regarded academic programs.
A friendâs son is going to be a junior at UMBC and heâs loved it. Did move off campus into an apartment sophomore year. I think with big schools, even if thereâs a large commuter population, it leaves plenty of kids left who are on campus. But I also understand wanting a more traditional campus and college experience, which is what mine wanted.
I think my school (now Rowan) also made the Playboy party list back in the day! I agree - parties are everywhere, drinking is everywhere. Iâm sure more prevalent at certain places, but as with anything it can be avoided. Thereâs a ton of drinking, vaping, drugs at D21âs high school - she made a decision to distance herself from her friends who are into that stuff and has found a new group of friends who are more her speed.
@4kids4us just because a school is listed as a " party school" does not mean that the parties take place on campus. It means that their student population likes to party. You mentioned that your daughter is " not a big drinker" , Iâm sorry if I misunderstood that she doesnât drink. I also beg to differ that is a person lives in a dorm , and not an apartment, there are no parties. That has not been our experience at all. And as you say, people can enjoy parties without drinking.
Just noticed that our Naviance has been updated with a new look and new features. There is now an option for the student to mark a level of interest for each school: low, medium, high, first choice. I asked D19 to take a pass through it and mark her rating. Told her it was a way to get us to stop asking about it.
Drexel tour update. It wasâŠinteresting. Definitely different.
The visit included a CS department meeting, general admissions presentation and a tour.
The Drexel campus is as urban as you might expect. We arrived the night before and wandered a bit trying to get a feel for it. The next day when we headed to the CS meeting, it took us a bit to find it as it turned out to be the first few floors of an affiliated student housing mid-rise building, the front of which was under construction and on the other side of a pretty busy street. The meeting was semi informative but really didnât do anything to sell either of us on the program or school, it was quite a bit of being talked to, versus the professor engaging S. Heavy focus on academics, and a niche section of it that S has no interest in but the professor definitely had a lot of passion for. S requested a flowcart and gotâŠmore general talking.
The general admissions presentation was much the same. Heavily focused on academics and co op, almost nothing it seemed on campus culture, school spirit, student life outside of the classroom. It is a quarter system and as a result, the co ops are 6 months long and things do move quickly when not in co op. Frankly at this point S and I were almost ready to drop it from the list entirely. The tour however redeemed it some. It was long, 90 min and perhaps overly so. We did get a good feel for the academic campus, which seemed definitely disjointed (and we had heard that prior so no surprises there). The residential however felt like a campus and was well connected with decent green space. Dorms seemed a bit larger than we were used to. Interestingly the gym is alleged one of the top college recreation centers in the country but all we saw was a hallway. No library tour either which I always find odd on any tour, though its not uncommon. Despite walking into literally every academic building on campus, or passing by, the CS one was not mentioned until the very end. They are moving into a new building and there was a vague reference to it at the very very end of the tour.
Overall, we both felt that the academics are likely solid, the co op program quite good but we got very little feel for any kind of campus personality or culture. Or maybe we did. Their current slogan is âambition canât waitâ and that was the general impression we got. Not in a grinding stressful kind of way but in a students just want to get out and work now, kind of way. Which seemed a bit lonely to us but our one data point, the tour guide, was quite happy. One pro was a repeated emphasis on their performing arts program. Not sure if they are desperate for members but we were told repeatedly that they will pay for you to come play in their various groups. Which for S, who wants to continue trumpet in college, was appealing.
S17 wants to keep it on the list and apply, but it moved down. It is a PROFILE school, and the only one left on his list, which I am not thrilled about. They did say, as I contacted them prior to our visit, that they do not recalculate EFC with the PROFILE form up, only down. At the end of the day, while we both liked the location and some aspects, I donât see it as a fit and would be ok if it falls off entirely. I am however very glad we went as it gave S some needed clarity and was a great comparison to his other co-op school, RIT.
We returned home last night from a quick 3 day/3 school visit through PA and Rochester NY. Also had a great visit with our Rochester area family which made the long trip even more worthwhile
D19 sticking w wanting to do physical therapy so only visiting schools that have freshman guaranteed seat to graduate portion or that offer 3+3 route.
First stop was University of Scranton and as we came into the city and saw that the campus was really IN the city, both hubby and I thougbt, she wont even get out of the car. Boy were we wrong. She really, really liked it. Admissions interview was very informative and counselor had first hand info about PT program She enjoyed the tour. I liked how students can both dorm and learn in different âlearning communitiesâ in the Jesuit tradition. Now solidly in top several schools on her list.
Next stop was Misericordia which offers a 3+3 option. Rural/suburban campus and very small (about same size as her HS). She enjoyed the tour but we were not able to see the health sciences building which was a bit off campus. Might require a trip back to campus once school starts because that is a biggie for her. Super nice and informative admissions staff.
Last visit was to Nazareth College in Rochester. Also a small school but a great location on East Ave right outside of Rochester. Lots of growth over past several years and a solid PT program with 3+3 option. Started raining then pouring at start of tour but we had our âNAZbrellasâ to keep us dry. Campus much larger than we thought. Great new PT/OT/speech facilities. Great admissions team, very informative. Now also solidly on top part of her list, although d19 admits that 7 hours from home might be a bit of a concern
Also proud of D19 for being so patient with her older b and s who have significant devel disabilities. She wanted us all on the trip especially since we were seeing family and although hubby, d19 and myself had to tag team various parts of visits to mind our older two, it all worked out marvelously (although it added a whole new level of stress to the whole touring experience
@EENYMum thatâs funny about Scranton because my son didnât get out of the car!! LOL We were on our way up to Cooperstown, so it was on the way. Didnât push the issue and we never got out!
We need a new thread: Which College Did Your Kid Refuse to Get Out of the Car. Mine was Lehigh last week.
There is a thread like that somewhere! I remember two experiences of my own. My parents drove me up the Hampshire College drive, I saw a bunch of goats running around, and told them to turn around. They also drove me up to the University of Delaware, I thought it looked ginormous, and told them to turn around.
I ended up at a mid-sized Jesuit college located in a city. No goats. Not too big, not too small.
As for my son, Muhlenberg. Perhaps there is something about the Lehigh Valley schools for some kids, @TwinMom2023 ?!?!? 
My older D refused to get out of the car at Virginia Tech. Well, actually she did since we used the restroom facilities, but then we turned right around and left.
LOL @TwinMom2023. This is the closest Iâve got: My D19 and spouse and I were walking in Wash. D.C. and realized we were somehow walking on GWâs campus. I turned to her all bright-eyed and bushy tailed: âletâs go for a campus tour! Weâre here already!â She said âAbsolutely notâ and walked right back into metro D.C. Lesson learned, she likes a real campus.
Is anyone familiar with St. Maryâs University in Winona, MN?