I am vehemently anti-loan. Law school is expensive and a career in law is not always lucrative. Loans and mental health are inversely proportional and this is not just limited to college education. Just my $0.02.
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Sure!
Schools she has been accepted to, visited, are affordable and are still at least a little bit under consideration: UCSD, UC Davis, Cal Poly SLO
Schools she has been accepted to, visited, are not affordable unless our request for more aid comes through (unlikely), but that she would be thrilled to attend: Occidental (#1 choice ā absolutely loved everything about it), Scripps
Schools that she has been accepted to and doesnāt want to even visit but that we, her parents, would have liked to have her visit based on her liking both Oxy and Scripps a lot: Lewis & Clark (same price as a UC given academic and music merit + free voice lessons all four years), University of Puget Sound (not as much merit but definitely still affordable, just a bit more than a UC), Oberlin (a little more expensive than UPS but still a lot of merit aid, in the ballpark of what we can afford given itās a great school for a kid who is undecided what she wants to study plus very much a musician (singer) so access to the Conservatory is a bonus). So if you ask her? These schools are not under consideration. If you ask me, Iām not ready to let them go. Maybe Ohio is too far a stretch, but Lewis & Clark still has an admitted student day that we could force her to go to on 3/24. Probably not worth pushing Puget Sound. Similar to L & C which is a better city for her plus less expensive.
Schools she is accepted to and visited but has now crossed off the list: UCSC, UC Irvine, CSU Long Beach, SDSU.
We never went to visit U of Oregon, Clark Honors College, but as an OOS student itās too expensive anyway.
If I had to guess, sheās going to end up at UCSD and be able to get in and out of San Diego very easily plus get herself up to LA via Amtrak. But part of me wishes that I could at least make her visit Lewis & Clark.
This is a kid who doesnāt really know what she wants to study. Probably something social sciences (sociology? anthropology?) but really she could go a number of other directions. Also very into film and indie music. Which is partly why I feel like she needs an exploratory experience. The question is whether or not she can create that for herself at a UC. Fortunately the college she was admitted to there (Sixth) is a good fit ā Culture, Arts, & Technology.
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We visited L&C in February with D24 and really liked it! Highly recommend a visit. Gorgeous campus, friendly and smart kids. Portland is a fun city. Many California kids on our tour, too. More diverse than some other LACs (but probably not as racially diverse as Scripps and Oxy).
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We much preferred L&C to Reed, too. No contest.
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Iām ready.
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Truer words . . .
Also from the PNW.
Did she love her visit to UCSD? It looks like most (if not all) majors in the social sciences are uncapped, and itās easy to change between uncapped majors. She could explore her interests there, if sheās excited about going there.
Lewis & Clark might turn out to be a great fit too, but itās a tough situation if she doesnāt want to visit.
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Admitted day at Syracuse. He didnāt say much. Just gave nods and seemed to be taking it all in.
He did ask me to buy more merch but still would not definitively say āthis is the school!ā
Our tour guide knew a ton about the school (his mother works there) and my son smiled at most of his jokes. My son listened in to the University Singers rehearsing and he said they were amazing. He took video of their main performance hall which is a historic space. I thought he would hate it because it was old but he seemed to think it was neat (or cool or whatever term is popular at the moment).
He is having some anxiety about being a music major. So talking with admissions and finding about about possible double majors or minors seemed to make him happy.
The only thing giving him pause is the weather. He really loved the sun and sand in Jacksonville. But as his dad said, when you are in school there is not as much time for the beach.
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At UMass Amherst our tour guide kept catching themselves and commenting on how they are not allowed to walk backwards. 
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Thatās so great. Honestly there are some kids who never get that - our daughter is one of them. But she still felt her school has an overall friendly and welcoming vibe so thank goodness for that.
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Presumably the university has liability if the tour guide trips and falls
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I can already tell that I should NOT click on that link or send it to my spouse. Maybe later. 
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My student is also most likely UCSD for the academics along with the proximity to the beach and the city. Concerts/music scene were a pull and also being in the social science department with the ability to change majors is a plus. UC Davis and SLO are on the final list, really liked the small college town vibe but ultimately feeling like they may feel too small after a while. We are from the LA area and wants something different but not too different.
We live about 10 blocks from Reed, and I concur on the reputation for intensity (and burnout) and the high numbers of students who go on to earn Phds. (It was not a consideration for my S23, even if it were not in the neighborhood; but we know current students and a professor.)
Itās a great campus to walk through though, I do love the trails through Reed Canyon 
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I think Pittās pretty well-known and respected in NYC where I work!
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Just my opinion, but asking her to visit seems fair. As long as there are no specific expectations, I think itās reasonable to ask her to keep an open mind and go see. Concerts come to Portland. LOL. Maybe not the same things she would like to see. Lewis & Clark is known as an excellent school!
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Just curious - everyone talks about it as if itās an academic behemoth. But US News (and I know rank isnāt that important) says #72.
Whatās the disconnect?
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She did really like UCSD on our visit. And Iām sure she would thrive there. So maybe we just let that be what happens! Itās nice that the school is very generous with AP credit and that Sixth College doesnāt require some Gen Ed areas that sheād really rather avoid (she hopes NOT to have to take foreign language, for example ā last year she really had no Spanish teacher, just a long term sub, so she learned little and would never pass a FL test to get out of that requirement at some other schools!). Cal Poly was the other surprise highlight of our trip over Spring Break. We all really loved it. But it might be better for a kid who really knows what they want to study, and SLO is a little more remote from a ārealā city. Plus she thought it felt less diverse (which I think is true). But itās not off the list yet.
Itās funny when they have a lot of options what arbitrary things they come up with to cross a school off the list. At some point itās just too much to pick from! Iām sure you had that happen with your son who had even more schools to decide between. Mine ruled out UCSC because she didnāt like having to cross too many roads with cars on them. And Davis may fall of the list for that reason as well. With our first kid there was just such an obvious, easy first choice, partly because he was waitlisted and rejected at a lot of far reaches (because his list was ridiculous!). Her list was so much smarter, but having more choices and no obvious first-choice affordable school is actually making it harder lol. Iām glad I have one more to do this with in 6 years, but by then the process will probably be totally different. 
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I think Pitt is very well known - but I think amongst publics - maybe I see a lot of Michigan sweatshirts - but Iād say, Bama is the one I can be anywhere - Puerto Rico, Europe (wife and son were last year), Skagway Alaska where I was - the Bama name/logos are far and wide (with Michigan Iād say).
So I think it gets a lot of respect / notoriety that way. Top football and now basketball helps any school in this regard.
Thatās why the coaches make sometimes many multiples of the salary of the people they work for in the athletic department and university administration.
So in that sense, Bama is a better name. But Pitt is a wonderful name.
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Portlander here - I would never go as far to say that the music scene would be the same as L.A. (what would be beyond NYC, Chicagoā¦?), but we have lots of concert venues ranging from stadiums to midsize theaters and clubs, bands that are going to Seattle donāt skip Portland when they head to the NW.
Yes, it rains. Itās also green - if she likes the outdoors at all that is a perk. (And L&C is within walking distance of an old growth forestā¦)
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