<p>I would be surprised if a student who liked GTown also liked Brown. To me, Tufts felt weird. The town felt very odd. It was like no other town I have visited. I got the "small town" feel, which was surprising and turned me off. Of course, my son's perception is what matters and he liked it enough to decide to apply if ED doesn't work out. I didn't like Tufts at all. I didin't like the adcom who led the session, the students led the tour seemed bored and annoyed with it, the campus felt weird and the town was just strange to me. But, again, it's not me going and I keep my opinion to myself unless it matches my son's. </p>
<p>Our Brown info session was fun. The tour guide was the best of any of the colleges we've visited. I missed 90% of the tour because my 6 yr old D injured her foot as the tour began and we had to go to the car for the first aid kit. My son came away with a sure feeling of liking it and placing it at #2. </p>
<p>Georgetown, he hated it. I thought he was willing to reconsider but he's adamant. part of it has to do with it being Catholic (as we are). But, during the tour they kept emphasizing this and that about what special perks Catholics get (can be burried in the graveyard, can be married in the chapel) and son launched into his "see, they're separating the catholics and non-catholics", which is not PC...that was the end of that. Plus, the students seemed very uptight and not friendly (unhappy?). </p>
<p>But, a visit a few blocks away to GWU was a different story. He loved it. They're on the "getting an app" list. </p>
<p>Others visited:
Yale got a nod when we visited but was later axed simply for being part of HYP.<br>
Harvard: wouldn't visit (even when we overnighted in Cambridge on the campus) - same reasons as above. Princeton, visited and toyed with his cell phone and text messaged his friends all throughout the info session. At some point early in the tour he just started to walk away.......and I followed asking what was up. He said "I CANNOT go here!" as he kept walking towards the car and I trotted behind him to catch up....I think they were explaining the dining clubs when he walked off. It was then that I realized that no matter how much of a shot he had, he was not going to consider HYP. </p>
<p>Swarthmore: We visietd over Easter break...wrong time. This was also the FIRST school he ever visited. He said it was too quiet and he was imagining all of the students locked in their rooms banging on the windows for help as we walked around. We didin't see one soul on campus, other than the tour people. But, there was no point in revisiitng because he soon realized that he wanted a larger school with a more social armosphere. </p>
<p>Wesleyan: He liked it when we visited. I got a weird feeling from it. It wasn't what I expected in terms of campus. He would have fit in well as he's quite PC and definitely marches to his own beat. But, I would really like to see him mainstream a little more (uh, wanna try wearing something other than sandals WITH socks in the winter?) . So, I was ok with it when he decided not to apply. But, he did like it. They win for best info session room. Just georgeous!!</p>
<p>Amherst: too remote, too small...decided not to apply. Really beautiful campus, though. Great school, obviously.</p>
<p>And, the grand prize winner of them all: PENN. It fired on all cylinders of his main criteria.....
Large city-urban; close to home-allows his to build on existing cultural, civic, employment, political and family relationships; more moderate climate than New England schools; larger school - over 5k students; affiliation with and in close proximity to major museums; social opportunities (oppty to party-let's call a spade ad spade); opportunity to pledge a same frat chapter (not just same frat, but same chapter) as grandpop did, which makes grandpop especially proud (is there a legacy clause for such things in frats??) ; and decent chance of getting in ED so that he won't have to think about any of this after Dec 10 (yes, this was part of his personal "reason's why".</p>
<p>There are three sight-unseen schools that will get apps if ED doesn't work out and two sight-unseen safeties that have already gotten apps.</p>
<p>Calidan, what did you think of Penn and Haverford?</p>