Doesn’t it feel like you’ve been Unfriended, or at the very least dropped from the Christmas card list? No post cards, no emails, no little gifts? WUSTL dropped us like a red headed step child.
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I still miss Wake Forest’s lovely parent emails. I even reached out to the woman who posted them telling her how much I appreciated what she included and her style of writing.
It’s been two years since S21 graduated and I still think of WF!!!
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She chose something totally unexpected at around 9 pm May 1 after going through her top choices again and again. Rowan.
She realized it had a a school especially for environmental science which offered a variety of majors, it was significantly cheaper than her other choices, and the weather and surrounding environment was what she wanted.
With the other colleges that had her preferred majors, there were other things she didn’t like. And the schools that she liked overall didn’t offer the exact majors she was interested in.
I made her apply there because a sibling attended there and had a great experience. She felt it was too close and too familiar, but it the end it has what she wants at the right price. Not too big but not too small. She can bike or skateboard. There are some shops and restaurants nearby, and Philly is not very far at all. As soon as the decision was made, alll the stress she had been feeling dissipated.
But what a surprise.
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Exactly! I know my child ended it but it still felt very severe 
Definitely St. Olaf. Warmest vibe of any school we have visited over a couple of children. From admissions to faculty to students - seems to be a school that really tries to build community, and succeeds.
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What a lovely school. My DD was very interested but it just was not the perfect fit. That was the school that gave the most personal attention. They were open, warm and friendly. She felt very loved by them and really wanted it to be the one, but just did not click with the kids and the campus when we visited after admission. Truly a wonderful and under appreciated school. And what a beautiful campus!!!
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Hard to say it is a hidden gem, when it is so widely appreciated, and in CtCL, but my goodness, what a school. Like so many of the schools in the middle of America - if folks only knew what was there …
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For me it’s Purdue, I’m guessing for my spouse as well. We know other kids attending there, which adds to the fondness. Our son chose Syracuse. But if he’d chosen Purdue, I know the whole family would feel like Syracuse was the One that Got Away. Now, spouse and sibling are just really sad they won’t make it to freshman move-in.
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I don’t have one from the schools my D was accepted to - she ended up picking the one that I liked the most. However, I was sad when she decided not to apply to Swarthmore. I loved their emails.
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Pomona. My D loved it, too, but loved another more. I’m glad we visited - it seems like quite a special place.
If I allow myself to name more than one, I will probably name six others, so I’m sticking to the one.
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I would say Clark. I absolutely loved the warmth and friendliness from the admissions team and everyone else we met. It felt like a school where they wouldn’t let you fall through the cracks.
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Yes! Clark is the school that got away from my son’s search as well. We loved it.
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The folks at UMAINE were wonderful, particularly in the marine science department.
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The hard thing about making sure you love every school you apply to is that you are going to be sad to turn them down! My daughter got into her ‘dream school’ which is the best, but we were both sad to close the book on Barnard, Clark, Northeastern, and Pitt.
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I have warm feelings about each of the schools S23 was accepted at and quickly boned up on each after acceptances. The one that was really hard to see go was Bowdoin. I think S23 would have thrived there and had a great experience, as did his seven year older brother. Due to acceptance dates, it was top of the list for a while and we were getting invested in it all over again until it was displaced. Still not sure I’m over it, though S23 is totally happy with his outcome and his mom is too (since its closer).
For purely personal reasons having grown up in California, it was also hard to see Berkeley go, though it wouldn’t have outranked Bowdoin for S23 or his mom anyway.
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Bryn Mawr College, Wellesley and Bowdoin.
All three based mostly on where I would have enjoyed visiting.
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Back in the day, Ga Tech was older s’s safe school (times have changed!) and he got in by Dec. But also got into his first choice school, so went there instead. And it wasn’t because he wanted to get farther from home!
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MiamiOH. D19 went there and really loved it in the end. I liked it a lot. To me Oxford, OH is the perfect college town. After 4 years we knew all the tricks of the trade as they say when it came to the school and town. Heck I even made friends with owner of the most popular bar in town.
D23 applied and basically got the same deal as D19, but it wasn’t to be as a much better deal came along. So we are stuck learning all about a new school and city.
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Although that is half the fun. Our kids expand our worlds in ways we don’t expect. 
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Mine was Washington & Lee. Visited at the end of a long Spring Break trip and was just ready to be home. Everyone I’ve met who went there raves about it. I’m hoping D24 end up there so I can remedy the mistake.
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