We started by looking for strength in her interests and flexibility because they are varied! Spent a lot of tine searching CC forums as well as our DC area listserv, my own knowledge from friends and google. Then we went to rankings to make sure we had a breadth as many use those, and they will largely determine popularity.
After that, D22 and I worked on a joint spreadsheet, adding info about faculty, programs and financial aid from individual university websites. I also made a list of NPC calculations, including areas for home value, need blind and demonstrated interest. We pared back based on all of that and ended up with about 16 schools (applied for a few different programs). Eliminated a few of those in the end. Ended up w/ 3 safeties, 2 targets, 1 hard target and 10 reaches.
In at a couple Ivies, another top 10 and several strong LACs as well as 2 safeties. (The āsafestā safety rejected her for one program after making her a finalist for their largest scholarship program and then never responded about the general admission or the scholarship. Very strange, but she has way better choices, so not bothered)! Also, waitlisted at the hard target we were sure she would get into because the chair really liked her and made a big effort w/ her. Hard to predict these things. Glad she spread the net wide but didnāt āshotgunā tons of schools. That just messes w/ everyone.
Iām not following. I responded when someone posted upthread that the UMich prompt on community was a question in search of a āidentity politics manifesto.ā Are you saying you canāt verify my source or that you canāt find where the issue originated upthread?
She had narrowed it down to UF, GW or Tulane, but had originally set her sights on Tulane, and ultimately, did not sway from that. She wanted a different experience than one she intends to have when she goes to grad school or settles down and becomes a ārealā adult. Right now, she thinks she wants to end up living in DC after college, so maybe for grad school, she can snag GW a second time And she really really really wanted to be OOS and not at our flagship, which just happens to be an amazing school, but so so so many kids going there from high school ā her dream is to have a unique experience in another place.
I have only heard great stories from other parents about their kidsā experience at Tulane, so I am nervous but optimistic that she will thrive there, and I hope these next four years bring her happiness, success, lifelong friendships, and opportunities ā and most of all personal growth.
Both GW and UF are more comfortable, easier places for me to envision my D22 being at, but true to herself, she picked the most difficult one for me to swallow. A very good friend texted me today (when I expressed some angst over her not choosing the other schools) ā
"but if her heart wasnāt in it ā¦it would have cost more in the end."
This helped me immensely, so I wanted to share her sentiment, in the hopes it helps someone else, too.
Congratulations to all the parents on here navigating through this process --itās been harder than I thought it would be (first timer here). Hereās to the next adventure!
No, my student also applied to UMIch and was accepted. My kid didnāt think that essay question you mentioned was about politics and wrote about our families cookie recipe. I think some could have thought it was about politics. But my kid avoided that altogether and wrote about something else. Sorry for the confusion out of context.
congrats! sheās joining my D22 at Tulane Honors then Mine was working on the housing questionnaire today and got stuck at the āevacuation optionsā
Our school calls them ālikelyā vs safety as the stats of the kid are likely to lead to admission but they arenāt āsafeā and they are not lesser, and they are different for many kids. We both loved a couple of likely schools as much as any others on the list and liked all of them.
For all you experts now that you have gone through this process at least once, help a newbie out. DS24 and I are heading to NC and SC on Monday for the week to tour some schools. Unfortunately it looks like we are going to be dealing with several days of rain while we tour Super bummed because we are coming from what has been a cold and wet Spring in New England so far and were looking forward to some warmer and sunny weather.
Anyway, I am very curious if you feel like the weather that presented itself on college visits had an impact on perceptions of the school, campus, etc., and if ultimately you feel like it might have swayed a decision one way or the other? I am very much a weather person, as is DS and wondering if this entire trip will result in him not liking anything because of the weather
I remember during my own college search the day I visited UW it was gorgeous, 70 degrees and sunny and Mt. Rainier was clear as day, cherry blossoms out, etc. and that is still most of what I remember from that tour.
Unfortunately yes. Weather seems to play a big part in liking/disliking a college for a lot of people. Youāll probably need to consciously try and factor it out while visiting.
Lots of useful info and peopleās experiences on this threadā¦
Congratulations - my daughter is graduating soon, and gets quite melancholic when realizing that soon she wonāt be going through that gate anymore.
She truly loved her time there. Hope same will be true for your daughter.
I agree with @DadOfJerseyGirl ā unfortunately, the weather tainted college visits for both S22 and D19. A suggestion would be to agree in advance what is part of the college rubric ā size of campus, terrain (is it full of hills?), distance between dorms and academic buildings, how many trees are on campus, etc. (Donāt laugh about that last one! It was on my Dās list of āfactorsā for her college list!)
Keep a lookout on the weather locally and make the best of āgray clouds but no drizzleā times so you are able to walk the campus.
The thing about bad weather is that students wonāt be outside as much so itās hard to āfeelā the campus energy. I would make sure to get into the student union and the library and any other place where students might be hanging out. You want to sit down and watch. Also, if a student likes a school in bad weather, thatās a really good sign.
Our D21 started out really wanting a warmer climate (and clearly a sunny one, not a rainy one). We did a swing of schools in Feb of her senior year during Covid and it rained and rained but she still loved Richmondās campus. In April, when we traveled to see her March acceptances, it was COLD. We were in NY, PA, and MA. Colgate was wicked cold and windy, maybe high of 20. Unseasonably cold for late March. The whole tour Iām thinking that no way sheās going for this. She loved it and is currently a freshman there.
Granted, all of the campuses we saw were small so walking to class in bad weather is max ten minutes and more likely five. Weather is more of a bummer if class is far away from your dorm.
LOL, Iām on my second with my S23. My current one site at 52 columns as well, currently only 114 schools. Would love to hear what information you were tracking! Congrats on getting through the process 3 times!
I think weather can definitely be a factor. However my D20 and I toured lots of schools. For the most part the weather cooperated even at cold weather schools. However, when we toured Elon it was pouring rain. I had recently broken my leg and was on a cane. The tour was long with tons of walking. We were running late and completely missed the info session (we were enjoying lunch in the cafeteria at another school). Everything about the day was just frazzled. Then for admitted student day we bought plane tickets and it was cancelled due to covid. Somehow, she ended up picking Elon. I think as someone else mentioned, try to spend some time indoors where the kids hang out to try to get a vibe. If there are off campus hangouts nearby, go and grab a meal or a cup of coffee. My D didnāt get enough of the vibe and initially Elon wasnāt really a fit. She stuck it out though and now loves it.
My S22 has definitely been swayed by weather. We have visited schools in Ohio twice and both times the weather has been great. Itās really made him love the schools, tons of kids out playing sports and hanging out and he got a great sense of the vibe. I donāt think he realizes Ohio can be cold and miserable!
Weather can play a part but it doesnāt always.
D visited Villanova on a rainy dreary day last summer and fell in love with it. We visited SLU on one of the first spring days and everyone was out picnicking and throwing frisbees. She hated it.
My cousin visited ND on a beautiful spring day and UW on a cold snowy day in April the next weekend (talk about a contrast!) ā¦. He fell in love with uw.
You never know! Best of luck!
S20 ended up in the school that had the most miserable weather during both of our visits. Never mind that the tour guides didnāt really know what to do because such a downpour was supposedly rare there One of S20 other favorites included a snowstorm during his interview and departmental visit. So I guess we go for ugly weather and in S20 case way too hot climate.
Perhaps have a chat with your son about weather possibly influencing the campus first impression.
And she really really really wanted to be OOS and not at our flagship, which just happens to be an amazing school, but so so so many kids going there from high school ā her dream is to have a unique experience in another place.
A very good friend texted me today (when I expressed some angst over her not choosing the other schools) ā
Mine was working on the housing questionnaire today and got stuck at the āevacuation optionsā 
Super bummed because we are coming from what has been a cold and wet Spring in New England so far and were looking forward to some warmer and sunny weather.
One of S20 other favorites included a snowstorm during his interview and departmental visit. So I guess we go for ugly weather and in S20 case way too hot climate.