<p>I’d second BC’s point that Northeastern’s reputation, especially for undergraduate education, has risen. NU has become much more selective (32% acceptance rate) in recent years. Lots of kids in our local high school (I’m in MA), who would have been accepted in the past, are now rejected or wait listed. It’s a very urban campus–the MBTA Green Line trolley runs right next to the campus.</p>
<p>My kids have friends, and my friends have kids, at Drexel. There is definitely a drop-out (or slow-down) danger there, but from what I have seen it comes from kids getting hired permanently by their co-op employers before the kids finish college. It is true that Drexel is not MIT though. Drexel has a much wider range of students, and not all of them are guaranteed to succeed at the majors they want.</p>
<p>One of my children looked at UVM… We were very impressed, Burlington is a great college town.
(Except for the winter winds blowing off Lake Champlain). :)</p>
<p>I would go with Ohio State: strong in most academic areas, Big Ten, good business school.</p>
<p>Based on location, UVM doesn’t seem to fit this mostly-urban list. Does she want a city? There is supposed to be some very nice country around Burlington. I know folks who have been successful there, as well as at Pitt.</p>
<p>Does she express any interest in large vs small? Urban vs college town? It seems that would be the best way to whittle down the list. The list is all over with a big variety in types of schools. (Not a knock- my D’s list is the same). At this point, however D has very strong opinions on school size and setting. The bigger the better for her. </p>
<p>I would start there.</p>
<p>I would not be concern about not being selected for the Honors College at Pitt. We just attended the admitted students for the honors college and we were not impress with the new Dean. You can read about it on the Pitt board. The only benefit would be the honors housing but there was an impression given that non-honors students could also apply to live there. Older DS attended Pitt and he had minimal contact with the Honors College (he only took 2 honors courses). He enjoyed his time there and found students who shared his interests including doing well in classes.</p>
<p>
Her criteria for applying was urban (or at least near an adequate mall), and she preferred the schools which were on the order of 15-20,000 undergrads. St. Joe’s made the list because she liked the vibe there, the campus is really nice, it’s in a city, and not TOO small (i.e. <4000). Ohio made the list because of the large number of potential majors (turfgrass management? really?) and urban location. UVM was a concession to H, who was lobbying for several that didn’t make the list. It’s my understanding that there IS a mall within reach and that Burlington is a fun college town.</p>
<p>If shopping is a priority, I would put Northeastern at the top of the list. She’d be in walking distance to Newbury St. and a mall.</p>
<p>I think that Boston would be hard to beat in that list when it comes to high-end shopping. Copley Place, Downtown Crossing and the Prudential Center are within walking distance though Downtown Crossing and Prudential Center would be long walks but they can be reached via the subway pretty easily.</p>
<p>I will make sure not to put my daughter at walking distance of any Mall once in college or it will be my ruin.</p>
<p>I was thinking the same thing, wegotin!</p>
<p>I too would much prefer to send offspring to an Honors program at universities such as these. Currently have a niece in Honors at OSU and she is having a wonderful college experience. Honors, service, and spirituality circles have given her a very tight-knit group of friends/experiences within the much larger campus. Also, had a wonderful study abroad experience in Australia this past semester. Her HS junior sibling is now seriously considering OSU as a result. Also, my math has you looking at saving $30,000 to $50,000 over the course of the four years, minimum. Hard to turn down? Certainly I would opt for OSU over Pitt without Honors, anyway…</p>
<p>I live 10 miles from Burlington. It’s a beautiful little city and a great college town. Though the population is small (fewer than 50,000), it is the only city in VT, so it has more and better offerings for shopping and entertainment than might be expected. It is known as a great college town and the many students I’ve known who have gone there have been very satisfied. And no, there are no ugly parts of VT, at least none I’ve seen in about 30 years of living here.</p>
<p>My D had a similar set of criteria (large, urban, “fun” city) and was a business major. Northeastern was the school she ultimately turned down and the only school she ever thought “what if?”</p>
<p>She/we loved the internship possibilities and the network of alumni in the Boston area. She loved the idea of going to school in Boston. The only reason she chose another school over NEU was that the “other school” was closer to home.</p>
<p>She was also accepted to and looked at UVM and OSU. OSU was too rah-rah sports (I know, I know - to each his own)…</p>
<p>These are all good schools, but it’s hard to beat OSU. They have so many opportunities, and the cost savings is something to consider. The campus is pretty, they have transportation within the city, as well as to the airport, and Columbus has a lot to offer. Plus, they have a great football team! ;)</p>
<p>Now a new situation has arisen. H decided to take a day off work and drive D to UVM to tour, etc. (the only one on the list she hasn’t visited). She came home tonight and said she has decided UVM is too expensive and has other negatives (small city, cold, far) which outweigh the positives. She would prefer to focus on the others on the list. H hit the ceiling, said we were being stupid, and that she HAS to go tour there.</p>
<p>So now she has to waste 2-3 days of what little time she has left to make visits and decide going on a road trip 400 miles each way for a school she doesn’t think she wants to go to anyways. There is no way around this, but I feel extremely stressed about it and also have a concern that if H really likes the place he will try to force her to go there (he can be a control freak, and was very disappointed she didn’t apply to the 3 OTHER schools on his potential list). He is starting to wave the “we’re paying for it” banner. </p>
<p>Call me “stressed in suburbia”.</p>
<p>Mayday. May Day. May Day.</p>
<p>Is it possible Dad is having empty nest panic, a little early? He sounds very anxious and foolish.
Encourage him to see that at this stage of the game it is an * advantage* for her to weed out her list.
Maybe show him some threads written by students who were pushed into a school by their parents, and are now transferring, but without merit aid.</p>
<p>Isn’t that the school Dad “made” her apply to in the first place? He has some kind of issue with UVM. You need to figure out what it is now, before this situation gets worse.</p>
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<p>My guess is that it’s a control issue. Talk to him about it. Does he really want to put your D through a wasteful 2-3 days just to satisfy him? What happens if she rejects UVM after the visit? How will he feel then?</p>
<p>Wow, that’s a shame it has come to that Sylvan. This should be an exciting time for her. And since you said all of her choices are affordable, it seems she should play the major part in the decision. </p>
<p>We have visited Burlington several times - one to visit Champlain College, next to UVM and other times for vacation. It is a very nice city. But two things that kept my S from applying were the distance from home (5 hours) and the winters. Even though he grew up in northern NJ and we get lots of cold and snow, northern Vermont usually gets a whole lot more a whole lot earlier. He is not really a fan of it. If you are a winter sports person, it would be perfect! I saw one of their brochures with a picture of snow piled over six feet high next to a sidewalk and I knew then that he might have a problem with the weather. Now his cousin went there and loved it. But he is a skier, hockey player, etc.</p>
<p>Your D has a lot of great choices on her list with a variety of types. Since I am partial to Jesuit schools, I would have to give a plug to St. Joe’s. But any way you look at it, your D is the one who will be going there for 4 years and barring any glaring problems with academics between the schools, her input should be most important.</p>
<p>Hopefully, you can convince your H to see that.</p>
<p>Your husband really is behaving inappropriately. At this point, as long as all choices are affordable, the choice should be your daughter’s. The trip to Vermont is a waste of energy and stress jf your daughter is not interested. He needs to remember that his relationship with his daughter is more important than whether or not she goes to UVM.</p>
<p>I think that being in an honors program is an important factor. Northeastern even has magnificent new dorms for honors students (I am not sure how I feel about this, but…). Honors programs offer a smaller community within the larger universitities that she is interested in.</p>
<p>If career preparation and internships are important to your daughter, then I think that is an important criterion. I know students who have done well out of UVM, but the choices and connections may be better in bigger cities.</p>
<p>I think your daughter should, at this point, pick two schools out of her list that are her favorites. Visit them both, on accepted students’ day or at some other time. As an accepted student, she can visit classes and dorms and has a lot more access to the campus and academic experience.</p>