Spring 2019 college visits with D20/S20: Where are you headed?

College Search & Selection
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@silverpurple, we have very positive impressions of all of the schools we visited. I’m not sure how helpful our takes are to others, because everybody’s got different criteria/wish lists.

For the most part, what didn’t suit my kid(s) has always been pretty idiosyncratic. Happy to have more detailed conversations about that kind of thing via PM, though!

For a thread like this, I’d rather call out one particular college we already liked, which rose even higher after our visit: Oberlin. We knew a lot about the school already, and had had a pretty positive visit with one of our older two. But it did feel to us as if they’ve upped their game even further. Exco is a pretty genuine differentiator, for one thing. And if you look good on a freezing cold, dreary March day, you are very definitely looking good.

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After a revisit this week, S20 has a clear favorite: UofSC. It’s a match school when you factor in Honors College and merit money, so I’m encouraging S to not narrow his focus too much. It sure is a great fit for him, though.

The third time through this now, it’s more and more clear to me that fit trumps prestige.

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@ShrimpBurrito That is great. What do you think is most important for fit? I feel like S20 likes everything, his fave is always the last one he thought about. We’re about to go on a big tour - and I’d appreciate any ideas about things to look out for or pay attention to that may not be obvious? What was it that made it so appealing? I also fear that what appeals to him now won’t seem as important by the time he actually goes!

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@NYC2018nyc
My S is pretty focused and has a good idea of what he wants to do career-wise, so that makes the “fit” thing easier to identify.

He wants to major in Exercise Science, then go on to med school, PT school, or get a masters in Athletic Training. UofSC has the highest ranked Sports Science program in the nation (by at least one metric). S got to talk to a current student in the program and S really likes what he heard.

UofSC has a good reputation, but is not generally known for grade deflation, which is an issue for pre-med students.

S loves the SEC sports culture. He also feels very comfortable in the relaxed, friendly, environment of a southern school.

He likes the compact, walkable campus. He has spent time at UGA and Bama, which have massive campuses where buses are necessary to get around quickly. He would prefer to bypass the buses and walk 5-15 minutes to class. He also likes the great variety of meal plan options and proximity of cafs/restaurants to the dorms at UofSC.

UofSC has an excellent Honors College. With his current stats, S falls right at the 50% mark, so we are all hopeful that he will be accepted. It seems to have the blend of elite academics and close, fun community that he wants.

There is easy access to Columbia’s airport with multiple airlines that serve our home airport. The urbanness of the UofSC campus is just right for him. He has visited his sister at McGill and found the city overwhelming, yet other schools he has visited in smaller cities feel too isolated.

The “Carolina Core,” along with his major requirements, match up well with the HS courses he has taken and the direction he wants to go. For example, he will have taken 5 years of German with an excellent teacher, and he does not want to continue with foreign language in college. UofSC will allow him to take a placement test and potentially test out of further FL classes. Some colleges on his list will still require him to take FL classes.

And then there are the intangibles. As we were waking around campus, S said that he can’t put his finger on why, but UofSC just felt like home. Those gut instincts are usually right.

Best wishes to you on your tour. I’m finding that this is the point where it really starts to get real, and more stressful.

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@NYC2018nyc my S18 liked whatever college he visited last as well! Since he was undecided on major, we went for large enough to have plenty of options coupled with best price.

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We are very excited for a visit to Hendrix this weekend!

D20 is interested in STEM and would like to continue studying Chinese (maybe a minor, study abroad or just classes, not for her major). We are trying to explore the LACs who will offer merit$ as schools with generous financial aid will not benefit us.

We have formally visited Bryn Mawr and Smith twice. Next month we will see Clark for the second time.

Last summer we toured and did info sessions at University of New England, Dickinson, F&M and Lafayette.

Last year we toured and did info sessions at Rollins, Florida Southern, Mount Holyoke, WPI, Roger Williams, and Wheaton.

Some schools high on the list we have yet to see include Oberlin, St. Mary’s of MD, Lynchburg, Occidental, Trinity U (TX), and Florida Tech

I’m Interested to hear if anyone has been to those we haven’t, and might be able to make comparisons and share impressions. I am happy to do the same for those schools we have visited.

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I just found out about a college fair, April 9th here in New York City. Are any of you going to a college fair? They seemed to have a lot of schools represented but I wasn’t sure how informative it would be? Do you think signing in at a booth will count as demonstrating interest, or they won’t keep track?? What do you think?

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We are 2 days in to a 5 day spring break tour. So far on this trip we’ve seen NYU and Wesleyan. NYU was a yes, I think it’s moved into 2nd place just behind Reed (one may think, wow, they are very different size-wise but other than that they seem to both hit a lot of the same buttons). Wes was a nice school but D20 didn’t see herself there. Tomorrow is Vassar, then U Rochester and finally CWRU.

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Let us know what your D thinks of the the others, @washugrad - we’ve already been to some of those and going to some later this month.

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@washugrad
We toured Reed last summer, didn’t tour NYU but I really thought students who like Reed would not really like NYU. Interesting to hear you/your DD’s take on the “buttons” both schools share.

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And yes, interested in hearing about CWRU too.

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@makemesmart D20 is a likely math or math/cs major but wants a liberal arts background rather than a STEM-only school, and LGBT friendly. Also likes an urban environment although that isn’t a must-have. Also has been turned off by schools where a sports culture has a larger presence, or at least, where sports seems to be a big deal if it’s a smaller school.

(Wes might honestly be fine but we were running late and ended up in the tour group with the Lax Bro guide rather than the theater major. But it’s all good, there are too many schools on her list now as it is.)
Also - OMG, I knew the info sessions started to sound alike after you’ve heard a few but I literally heard exactly the same anecdote at NYU and Wesleyan back to back about proofreading your essays. (‘Write about yourself… it’s fine to talk about someone you admire but we aren’t here to admit your Grandma’ and then 'make sure to proofread your essay… spellcheck doesn’t catch everything. We had an essay about ‘tutoring 3rd graders’ that actually said they were ‘torturing 3rd graders’. )

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@washugrad
Lol. We might not be at the NYU info session but have heard the stock line of “not admitting your grandma”, guess the AOs have boilerplates too.
DS is learning majoring in math too, and possible doubling in music. But he wants sports and Reed’s intramural sports only does not suit him.

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Not really a tour, but we went to an information session for Trinity College Dublin. It was really interesting, Dublin is doing so well with tech companies, especially with Brexit fears, and Trinity is capitalizing on all that. The school is about $20 K a year, which is much better than most of the things we’re looking at. S20 is concerned about the lack of sports, (March Madness isn’t international!) but other than that it looked good.
One funny thing was they have this very old scholarship and if you win it, in addition to free school & room & Board, you can carry your sword on campus, graze your livestock on campus, and order a guinness during exams. hahahaha

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@travelfamily , the sophomore from NJ I know at Stonehill has been doing amazing research. The junior from MA I know is currently having a blast on study abroad in Scotland.

The commitment and dedication from faculty is amazing. Both these current students could have attended higher ranked schools, but the community at Stonehill just spoke to them.

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@ScooterDee

I toured Trinity San Antonio with my oldest. I loved all the people we met. The “best dorms” were good, but didn’t live up to the hype. Not only did the school offer a nice scholarship, they also have a low interest loan program. The school is not in walking distance to Riverwalk.

Occidental - I really loved this campus. In a very nice, ethnically mixed neighborhood. They did not hide the fact they are need aware ( this was several years ago).

University of Lynchburg has been the most personal school out of 32 I have visited with my kids. My daughter and I attended a local event. She went half hearted. She left just knowing it is where she belongs. She then visited and was so taken that many of the Administration remembered her. The campus feels enclosed while also sitting right in a neighborhood. Not in walking distance to the downtown area and James River. As much as our family loves this school and as generous as they have been, I don’t think it would appeal to a student who likes Bryn Mawr and is competitive at Bryn Mawr.

I would also suggest if you are searching for merit and your student tests well, take a look at Ursinus

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@Longhaul Thank you for that information. We have visits to Stonehill, Wheaton and Mt. Holyoke coming up in the next 2 weeks so I will definitely report back!

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@travelfamily , please let me know if you would like me to get you in touch with the Bio/Environmental Science major we know at Stonehill.

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DS recently had an overnight at Reed. Although he enjoyed the snowfall, offices for thesis prep, and canyon in the middle of campus, he noticed the many smokers. Him being from Cali, generally a non-smoking state, this is a possible deal breaker.

The room he stayed in is designated for guests. The resident shares it like an air BNB. He gets a larger room but has strangers as guests. The dining hall recycles food for those in need.

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@Longhaul Thank you! I will let you know!