My DD ended up being admitted to a top 75 ranked school and a school ranked in the 200’s. I knew where they stood but DD did not. For her it was all about fit, location and majors. She chose the school in the 200’s because she saw herself there and is very excited for the fall. While I never made her feel bad about choosing what school worked best for her, some of her friends did. While it didn’t change her opinion of her college, it did change her opinion of some of her friends.
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I just did a similar thing with Niche this week, where I looked at comments for schools I know well. They line up pretty nicely with my impressions.
I applied what I know about student evaluations of teachers: the valuable reviews are not the worst or the best ratings, but the middle range, and look for repeated themes in comments. I found that for the niche reviews, the most illuminating comments are the 3 star, and some of the 4 stars. Most of them really like the school overall, and note its strengths, but are also honest about weaknesses.
One of the most common and interesting things I found in the 3 star reviews is that they really like the school, but that there is not enough demographic diversity, or that it’s too expensive. The major complaints at one school we’re really interested are that it’s cold and the mental health services need more staff. Cold isn’t a problem, and we would be sure to have a contingency plan for any potential mental health care issues. But some schools have lots of complaints of being snobby or having profs who only care about their research. Those would be dealbreakers for us. So as for many things about college: it depends on the student!
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Thank you! D loved Barnard from the minute she walked through the gates.
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For S22, our early visits when the schools were just “potentials,” weather did color his impressions. But once he fully engaged in the college search process and especially those visits after acceptances, I think weather was a minor factor.
You’re pretty early in the process. If your kid is super excited about starting this journey, then I wouldn’t worry about the weather. But if you’re the instigator of this trip, I might be concerned about starting the whole venture on the wrong foot.
This is a long, exciting, exhausting process. My humble advice is don’t rush into it, because you can’t afford to get burned out when you need to be at your strongest a year and two from now. Also, again in my humble opinion, don’t rush through this experience to get to the next.
Good luck! It’s quite a ride!
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Be sure to check the dates on the reviews as well. I’ve noticed that Niche has many that are over 5 years old, and a lot may have changed since then.
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Elon is first on our list- going Monday at 2pm and it is one he is excited to see so keeping my fingers crossed the rain doesn’t mess with his perception of the school. Did/does D20 like Elon?
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We toured CMU for the second time today and we had absolutely beautiful, sunny - and out of the ordinary - weather in Pittsburgh.
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We’ve had a lot of rainy visits. It’s probably evened then out. Lol.
I’m hoping to sit down and really go through the options this weekend with my son. I’m ready for a decision to be made so we can move on.
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Same. After 4 years of college tours with two kids including one pandemic, we went on our last one today. Looking forward to the final decision and retiring from this long process.
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It was truly a gorgeous day today in Pittsburgh! I am a bit biased, but I love this city. Friendly people, lots to explore…museums, sports, theater, Kennywood Park, Pgh Zoo/PPG Aquarium, and much more…there is something for everyone.
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She loves it now. First year was tough with covid and she’s less preppy than many of the students there so it took awhile for her to find her people. Had a couple great friends from day 1 but struggled with finding a bigger circle. End of sophomore year now and she really likes it. Campus is gorgeous and classes have been plenty rigorous. She was a good student in HS but she finds her classes challenging. PM me if you have more questions. Also, there are no classes on Monday so campus may be a bit quiet.
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Sunny in Pgh?! Did you seal the deal?
Our midwest visits this week saw snow, hail, 50 mph gusts blowing sideways, turbulent flights, as well as 70 degrees on the other side of the front. So it goes 
I’m almost grateful for realistic expectations.
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My son is just finishing his freshman year at Elon and absolutely loves it! It is a perfect fit for him. Just wanted to mention that Monday is a holiday so the students aren’t in classes. Campus is likely to be a bit quieter than usual. Good luck!
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I like Pittsburgh too! I have close friends there and encouraged my D22 to consider CMU but she wasn’t as interested.
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Thanks for the heads-up. I was surprised they were offering tours to be honest.
US News rankings were very important in my son’s application process. That first and then value. I find that most parents don’t care about rankings. Just familiarity, location, fit and cost.
Hey we get 160 sunny days a year……lol PM me if you have any Pittsburgh in general questions
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So, is your son closer to a making a decision? Hopefully this trip sealed the deal!
Congrats on your daughter picking Puget Sound … my S22 has also chosen it for similar reasons (combo of good merit aid, great music program, and we loved the location). I was really impressed by their well-organized admitted student day. Go, Loggers!
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Do many OOS universities accept dual credit? This was a discussion last night with nephew 23. He’s considering SE colleges (Clemson, Wake and UGa) from Texas.
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