Surprises (positive and negative) at your child's college vs. expectations (name the school)

Parents Forum
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Like most highly selective private colleges and universities, there is a strong skew toward students from wealthy backgrounds. For future college students and parents, this should generally be expected in highly selective private colleges and universities.

University of Notre Dame demographics from https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=all&id=152080 :

38% no financial aid grants or scholarships
10% Pell grant

69% white
10% Hispanic or Latino
7% nonresident alien
5% two or more
5% Asian
4% black

US Catholic demographics for comparison, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/09/14/a-closer-look-at-catholic-america/ and http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/10/11/how-income-varies-among-u-s-religious-groups/ :

19% family income >= $100,000 in 2016 (similar to all US adults)
55% family income < $50,000 in 2016 (similar to all US adults)

59% white
34% Hispanic or Latino
3% black
3% Asian
2% other

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Loving this thread. Please keep it going!

63

UCSB
Disappointments: Just a minor thing, but I wish that there was a program for Regents scholars like UCSD has that hooks them up with a professor freshman year and a stronger Regents community, but admittedly some/much of the latter is on our son. That’s minor though compared to the financial benefits, scheduling priority, and housing priority. Also, the student health center apparently isn’t open for walk-ins on weekends (like if you have the flu) which would give us a little more peace of mind.

Positives/Surprises:
The school,hired a young rockstar ME design professor that changed a few of the classes to provide a much better hands-on experience starting freshman year. Our son was the first class to benefit from that. The Freshman Summer Start Program (FSSP) wasn’t a surprise, but it met or exceeded all expectations in providing a great start and making friends that have lasted all 4 years. CLAS (free tutoring for students) was very helpful the first year for classes such as Math, Physics, and Chemistry. They like to say CLAS isn’t for remedial help, it’s where A and B students go. Not surprises, but the dining commons and guaranteed housing for 4 years are great benefits there too.

UCLA
Disappointments:
None

Positives/Surprises:
We had no idea the ASME club had a structured program for freshmen called FADE (Fabrication And Design Essentials) that is great for some hands-on work, meeting other students in the major, and otherwise feeling more a part of the major than they would while taking foundational classes. Highly, highly recommend that for any ME majors entering UCLA. Although a larger school than someplace like UCSB, freshman classes such as Chem and Physics can be smaller because they don’t have as big of lecture halls. The dining commons food is every bit as good as advertised. The on campus health center is convenient, the 3 year housing guarantee near excellent, and the school spirit is something even our non-sports kid notices and appreciates. Totally happy with the experience there so far.

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Harvey Mudd:

Disappointments - No standard FERPA waiver form. It was a nightmare to get a FERPA waiver in place. But that is about it.

Positives - The academic supports for students (tutoring, professors willing to help with questions. study sessions with other students, older students in dorms helping, extra half credit classes for students needing extra help) were amazing. It is an incredibly cooperative environment, in spite of the very rigorous academics.

I was also impressed at the bonds my kid formed with some of her profs, especially her research PIs. They were instrumental in helping her build academic skills & confidence, and also in helping her apply to grad schools. She still gets together with one of them when they are in the same city or traveling nearby.

Dickinson:

Harder to remember since it has been a while, and kid was the type to thrive anywhere. I think my favorite surprise was at graduation, when I was looking lost and a prof in full regalia asked me who my student was. I told him, and he burst out with a genuine, “Oh, I LOVE Intkid!!” No negatives come to mind.

65

A billion years ago we referred to Wawa as CheWa
made it seem fancier. :slight_smile:

66

I’ll add a school that doesn’t get a lot of love on CC: McGill. My son is a second year and we are huge fans of the school. Strong, strong culture
not for everyone.

Positives:

  • Academic rigor. My son came from an extremely rigorous high school and the rigor at McGill is real. He is learning a tremendous amount from each course.
  • Frosh (orientation). McGill does a fantastic job building community in a large school
and Frosh is a big part of this. It’s a bit frightening to watch from afar (drinking age in Quebec is 18)
but by the end of Frosh the kids are happy and ready for classes.
  • International student body - over 25% of the student body is international
about half of that is U.S. and the rest is global. My son’s friend group is from five continents (North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, South America). Moreover, his world view has expanded tremendously.
  • Montreal - what a fantastic city. Restaurants, clubs, shops, museums, concerts. The student body is very social and takes advantage of the city.
  • Campus location - the edge of downtown but backs up to Mt. Royal. Super unique
pretty spectacular actually.
  • Adulting - my favorite thing about the school. No coddling like the US schools. They expect the kids to step up. The interesting thing is that the kids expect it, too
of each other. The kid who came home in April is vastly more mature than the one I dropped off in August.
  • Adulting - All students move off campus after their first year. This has been great
we save money, my son and his roommates cook together, and they seem to still have strong ties to friends.

Negatives:

  • Academic Rigor. The school is intense. Lots of exams and papers. And mega grade deflation
profs grade many courses so the middle of the curve is a B-/C+.
    -Quebec Bureaucracy. Figuring out the paperwork to study in Quebec is confusing.
  • Health Services. Bureaucratic. They need to work on it.
  • Large classes first year. My son didn’t mind, actually, and got to know some profs. But again, it is McGill and they expect the kids to step up.

The positives by far outweigh any of the negatives.

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UGA (Honors Program):

Positives —
Priority course registration is a huge perk. Honors students register before everyone else except graduate students.

Mandatory advising every semester.

The national scholarships office is amazing. They will hold your student’s hand through any major scholarship application process until they feel the application and essays are as close to perfect as they will get.

I love how accessible information is on their website and how easy their website is to navigate. You can access major/minor plans, syllabi, historical and prospective schedules, event calendars, etc., very easily.

Scholarship stacking.

Flexibility and support for students and their goals. My D will graduate with 3 majors (2 degrees), a minor, multiple certificates, and a masters degree all within 4 years. While they may suggest alternatives, they won’t discourage students and will encourage and provide support for any “crazy” plans they make.

With maybe 1 exception, my D has really enjoyed her profs. They are very accessible outside of class, even the ones that teach the larger classes. And speaking of larger classes, she has only had a couple. Her classes in general have been quite small, with a couple in single digits.

The football and school spirit! :slight_smile:

Too many others to name. We’re very happy with the education and overall experience.

Negatives —
The Arabic department turned out to be weaker than expected. But on the positive side, the profs in the department bent over backwards to accommodate my D by providing her with one-on-one, outside of class weekly conversation practice with one prof and reading and writing practice with another.

The bus system and schedule can be confusing and getting to the rec center during the evenings has been difficult for my D because of the bus hours and parking restrictions.

The honors dorm doesn’t have TV lounges.

Study abroad process for non-UGA programs is onerous, so you have to start early.

Major residency requirements. I’m not sure it applies to all majors, but the Arabic major residency requirement is going to necessitate that my D retake courses she took abroad.

1 Like
68

Oberlin College - overall a fantastic choice!

Positive surprises:

Not a whiff of the PC excesses covered by the media. Yes, the kids are earnest, kind, liberal do-gooders; that was one of the attractions. But reports that have been silly (General Tso’s chicken) or worrisome (anti-semitic social media commentary by Prof. Karega, since dismissed) have not been evident. President Ambar, appointed in 2017, sets a positive tone. In addition to the free spirits for which Oberlin is well-known, my child has met lots of “normal” fellow travelers and has a diverse friend group from athletes to actors, to writers, STEM majors, community activists, and musicians.

The freshman orientation was very well conceived. Students are placed in peer groups that correspond to their freshman writing seminar selection and have access to a student peer advisor throughout the first year. The inaugural concert performed by conservatory faculty and students was one of the best musical performances I have ever seen. This year’s orientation included a trip to Cleveland and the college is working to improve articulation with the city of Cleveland starting in Spring 2019 with transportation provided by the college.

I expected the academics to be rigorous and challenging and the professors to be accessible, and they have been. Faculty have ranged from extraordinary (most) to adequate (a very few). None have been awful. What I did not expect were the opportunities for student leadership both academically and extracurricularly. If students demonstrate ability in a particular area, people will notice and will offer opportunities to them, even if they have quiet personalities.

The college does not exaggerate about the quality and quantity of high quality music and theater performances (at zero or very low cost). There are many more activities than there are hours in the day.

There really is no pressure to party and one can have a rich, varied, and active social life without alcohol or drugs. Conversely, if you want to party, that’s readily available too. Live and let live.

Negative surprises (very minor):

Freshman dorm room was 1960s era institutional, if not grim, although spacious enough and reasonably well maintained. This is luck of the draw as the dorms are variable and at least one freshman dorm (Kahn) is modern and attractive. Others are older and possess quirky charm. Sophomore housing has been much nicer.

Move-in - Clearer instructions and signage about where one could park legally would have been helpful. Available parking was a bit far from the dorm. It took several trips from the car and was more time-consuming than it needed to be.

Registration was challenging for first years. They can select two courses up front and then have a registration window to pick from what remains available. Some gateway/prerequisite courses that have reserved spots for first year students. Still, you don’t know your schedule until a couple of days before classes begin and then have to scramble to get books. From comments upthread, this last-minute chaos seems fairly common at small LACs.

Winter term - there are some options organized by the college but students have to show a fair amount of initiative to put together a plan that is both meaningful and feasible. I had expected more advisement for a required, structured winter term. This may vary according to the student’s major and academic/professional goals, however.

While this should change as of Spring 2019, it is currently very difficult to access Cleveland without a car. There is no public transportation and Uber is expensive. However, the airport shuttles provided by the college during peak travel times are frequent and reasonably priced.

There is no Wawa within walking distance. :wink:

69

They expect honors students to be reading and having intellectual discussions with each other rather than watching TV?

Could she take more advanced courses or in-major electives instead?

70

My D2 doesn’t really watch TV, except as a bonding experience with me when she is home. :wink: She watches shows on her computer.

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@ucbalumnus

In my D’s dorm last year there was a serial pooper in the men’s room that left gifts in the middle of the floor.

72

They assume honors students are watching shows on their computers and have the wherewithal to know how to bypass those pesky blocks that sites put up to make you pay $$. :smiley:

73

@ucbalumnus Ha! I don’t know what they were thinking. Students generally had nice TV setups in their rooms for movie nights. But those require both students to loft their beds and my D found the bed height uncomfortable so no TV for her and roommate. As the rooms are small, lounges with TVs would have been nice. There were plenty of intellectual discussions, but movie nights are nice social, bonding activities.

As for Arabic, no. They require certain upper level courses for the major be taken on campus. No exceptions. I believe it’s to keep the the faculty in a small department busy. Many serious Arabic students do 1 or more study abroad programs so I do understand the requirement. It’s just annoying for my D. She’ll end up honors optioning the repeat classes and working outside of class with the profs so she’ll still be progressing.

74

I love this thread - hope it becomes a perennial and gets added to over the years.

Early days for us, as I have two freshmen(both very happy so far), but here goes:

Vassar -
Positive surprises: Per my son, a positive surprise was that almost all the students are what he considers “normal” as opposed to avant-garde artistes or radical leftist activists or whatever else his dad had led him to expect. :slight_smile:
He also appreciates the socioeconomic diversity of the college population. He says there are plenty of other positives but they weren’t a surprise!

Negative surprises (per me):
This may be positive for some, but the tone to parents at drop-off events seemed almost too coddling and protective of their tender little freshman babies. I assume that was just to make nervous parents feel better.
A kid down the hall from my son likes to aggressively smoke weed in the hallway, apparently just to bug everyone, and no one has the cojones to do anything about it (including my son), because there are no RAs or other authorities, just timid “house fellows.” It is supposed to be a smoke-free campus.

Penn -
Positive surprises: How our daughter is thriving in this whirl of constant activity and naked ambition. :slight_smile: The high level of the constant activity, thanks to nationally and internationally important visitors and professors, was a bit of a surprise to me. The small class sizes for my freshman were a surprise as well, although I assume that varies quite a bit depending on one’s choices.

Negative surprises: 1) Food and housing problems. Our daughter’s dorm is fine but has no air conditioning (it will finally be added next summer, leaving only one other dorm without). The oldest dorms have had a terrible problem with mold recently, and some other issues. The dining halls are open only limited hours and no available food plan covers all meals (contrast with Vassar’s 7am to 1am unlimited plan at lower cost). That means extra (unbudgeted) expense, and probably some hungry students. 2) The drinking culture, with (per my daughter) immense amounts of alcohol at most events. 3) The social expectation (and this includes an expectation by the university - see comment on food plan) that everyone has plenty of pocket money (and the university itself has a thought divide between “1st gen low income” students and everyone else, as if there aren’t plenty of people in the “everyone else” category who have to worry about money). 4) The competitive clubs: Students can’t just try clubs out and join what they want. They have to apply for clubs and go through an interview process. The competition is most extreme with the business and consulting clubs, but it is not limited to them.

Although the negative paragraph is much longer, in reality the positives (mostly unlisted) are huge and the negatives are small and of much less impact.

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The competitive club process is real at many school and is something people rarely talk about. It’s the same at UGA and many universities, especially the ones with business schools.

76

I had never heard of competitive clubs (other than things like fraternities or having to try out to get into acapella) before about a week ago on another thread on here. Very bizarre.

77

Analogous to frats, there is also an initiation process for the new members, even for the artsy club my daughter joined (it sounded like fun, though!).

78

Georgetown has a couple clubs where it is extremely competitive to get into.

79

Susquehanna

Positive surprises:

Since it’s not a “top” school, I wondered how much D would learn and grow. But every time she comes home, her dad and I are very impressed at what she’s learned and how much better she expresses herself.

An amazing art history professor (trained at UT Austin) who helped my daughter blossom. The woman couldn’t have been more supportive and encouraging.

Negative surprises:

That same wonderful professor has been denied tenure so this will be her last year at SU. D is devastated. :frowning: The teacher didn’t do enough research, apparently.

The food quality is not very good.

80

“The competition is most extreme with the business and consulting clubs, but it is not limited to them.”

I have also found this to be the case at many schools, again esp the consulting clubs.