<p>Our Ohio trip went off without a hitch. Six school tours in 4 days - it really felt exactly right in terms of having enough to do without being overwhelmed or exhausted. The driving was kept to approximately 2 1/2 hours between locations. The longest stretch was from our home to the first school, Penn State, 3 1/2 hours away, so it felt very manageable. And we saw such a nice cross-section of schools. As anticipated, s vetoed the small LACs. Not that he didn't think they were nice, he just didn't want to go there for college. His comment at Wooster was "If this was a boarding school, I would totally leave [his high school] to come here." He says he wants the "big school experience". Not surprisingly, he gave high marks to Ohio State and Penn State. The fact that one was in a large city and the other rural didn't seem to make any difference to him, since the campuses of both were so large they are practically cities unto themselves (complete with their own zip codes.) He also liked Pitt. In fact, he was given a choice to buy a hoodie (his outerwear of choice) at one of the 6 schools and he chose Pitt. He also did not rule out Miami. I loved the smaller schools and will keep them in my back pocket for my other kids, who are very different from each other. Even though it is the summer and the student body was not there, the tours were very helpful. He could easily see the difference between the LACs and the state schools, as well as the differences between being in a rural or urban environment (although this was not very important to him, it might be to another kid.) I would say if it came down to a choice between two schools that were very similar on paper, it would be important to take an additional visit while school was in session, or even better to spend a night at the school and attend a class or two. Then you could really see the subtle differences in the school's vibe. At any rate we had a great time, saw a part of the country I have never seen before, and I believe it energized him going into junior year in September. Thanks to all who helped with information and suggestions!</p>
<p>That sounds like a great trip! Now you are a seasoned college tour parent, ready to share lessons learned.</p>
<p>Your story is the reason why I think college tours are so essential.</p>
<p>Wonderful! I hesitate to take D on any visits this summer because students are gone but i am rethinking a little bit.</p>
<p>What LACs did you see besides Wooster?</p>
<p>Hail to Pitt!</p>
<p>Our Lacs were Wooster and OWU. Both are in the “colleges that change lives” book. Very similar feeling - friendly, warm. The names of the visiting students were displayed on flat screens in the admissions office. There were only two kids on the Wooster tour, four on the OWU tour. The campuses were charming particularly Wooster’s, and the tour guides were enthusiastic and seemed to genuinely love their schools. But everything that they talked about as being a positive, was a drawback in my son’s mind. So I guess that’s it for small schools.<br>
I was surprised how much he liked Pitt considering it doesnt have a big traditional campus. He really seemed to like the idea that as a student he could come and go in the city of Pittsburgh very easily. I fell in love with the historic buildings - all the marble and oak of the admissions building and of course the cathedral of learning. I think Pitt is a place where my son could really mature and thrive. Can’t say I really see him at Miami but it is not vetoed yet. One interesting thing is our Miami tour guide was by far the most annoying of all of them: one of those hyper- enthusiastic, corny joke telling people who never stopped talking. She must have mentioned her mother 15 times. She was a total nerd - as she told us again and again- she would sort of remind you of Zoe on the tv show Nurse Jackie, if you’ve ever seen it. But oddly, she actually improved my perception of the school. She raved about how happy she was and wished she could live there forever. I think she was being genuine- she seemed incapable of telling a lie, and I thought if this girl is happy at Miami, then all those stereotypes about Miami students being uniformly good looking, preppy, and snobby are obviously not true. But this was one of those schools where you’d have to go back and visit when the students were there.</p>
<p>Thanks for reporting back. I’m glad he found a few he liked. He offers geographic diversity. Does he offer any other diversity/hooks?</p>
<p>I found Pitt one of the most interesting campuses our family visited. D chose not to apply but I was weighing the pros and cons of the school from my perspective after the visit. I liked to go to football games when I was in college
and was contemplating how I would feel about having to take a bus to see home football games. A minor point from an academic perspective, however, something that stuck with me. Good luck and we look forward to hearing in several months where he chooses to attend.</p>
<p>No unfortunately. He is a pretty typical white suburban kid from a good high school. His grades are decent but not stellar and we don’t know about his test scores yet. The most interesting part of his application will be his extracurricular s; he is heavily into scouts and will surely be an Eagle Scout before be applies, and has lots of experience through scouting in leadership, service, and outdoor skills and appreciation. But it seems only the small lacs (which he doesn’t want) are interested in that stuff. The larger state schools seem to go just by the numbers. The admissions rep at Penn State basically told us as much; he said they weren’t going to read 70,000 essays so don’t bother with one. Ohio State seemed a little more encouraging in terms of looking at factors other than grades. I know they are both reaches for him. In the meantime, I would like to begin setting up November break and spring break tours. I am thinking of Clemson, U colorado (Boulder), Michigan State, Indiana, and Mizzou. Any other suggestions?</p>
<p>I was thinking the exact same thing about Pitt. I went to Georgetown back in the Patrick Ewing era of total Hoya basketball domination and I remember what a pain it was to take a bus to see them play a home game (in Maryland .) my son is huge into football (to watch, not play) and I mentioned the bus to the stadium thing at Pitt. He was unfazed. At least they have a team that the students care about. He thought it was such a great deal that students get season tickets for $35 !<br>
In terms of comparisons, the two small lacs were very similar, the two behemoths seemed very similar (despite a different geography ) and the two mid size (Pitt and Miami) seemed like polar opposites.</p>
<p>We have 2 wonderful state schools in Iowa…Iowa State U and U Iowa. Both have the exact same admissions criteria for OOS students and are pretty easy admits, no essays, LOR, etc. You can plug your numbers in here, and know immediately if you will be admitted…</p>
<p>[Admission</a> to Iowa’s Regent Universities: Regent Admission Index](<a href=“http://www.regents.iowa.gov/RAI/index.html]Admission”>Regent Admission Index | Board of Regents State of Iowa)</p>
<p>Iowa State will give you a decision in 48 hours once you apply.</p>
<p>U Iowa’s largest majors are business, psychology, comm studies, English, and biological sciences. They also have very strong programs in the arts and humanities. U Iowa is in a small city with a metro population of about 130,000. It has a very urban feel. 60% instate/40% OOS.</p>
<p>Iowa State’s largest majors are engineering, business, and assorted agricultural and science majors such as animal science, ecology, etc. ISU is in a small college town, 55,000 people where the city of Ames is basically there because of ISU. Ames and ISU have more of a ‘science nerd’ feel than u Iowa. My son will be a frosh there this fall. 70% instate/30% OOS. </p>
<p>Depending on grades and test scores, ISU would be between $22,000-$28,000 per year for room/board/tuition/fees. U Iowa would be between $31,000 - $35,000 per year.</p>
<p>Mizzou is actively recruiting OOS students and encouraging them to come to Mizzou, pay OOS first year, gain residency, then start paying instate tuition in year 2.</p>
<p>[Guide</a> to establishing Missouri residency | Undergraduate Admissions | University of Missouri](<a href=“http://admissions.missouri.edu/costs-and-aid/residency-requirements/documents-and-steps.php]Guide”>http://admissions.missouri.edu/costs-and-aid/residency-requirements/documents-and-steps.php)</p>
<p>Kansas U should also be looked at in the Midwest as an easy admit but a good school in a great college town.</p>
<p>Football is huge at both Iowa State and U Iowa.</p>
<p>freshman bball season tickets sold out in 6 minutes at ISU. Hilton Magic!!!</p>
<p>Sign up and take an ACT and an SAT ASAP. Based on GPA, these schools are all reaches. You need to look at safety schools, too, but you won’t know where to look unless you have your scores.</p>
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<p>Columbia/Barnard students do it. Or the subway. I don’t get the sense that many students go, however.</p>
<p>When we looked at Haverford I was struck by how in-the-middle the sports fields were. I’d think kids would be naturally hanging around the area on nice days, probably brings a lot of passive fans.</p>
<p>My daughter just graduated from Pitt. The bus to the games os just part of the game day activities. The stadium is fabulous. How many college teams get to play in their city’s professional team’s stadium? And Heinz Field has these giant ketchup bottles that fill the Jumbotron with electronic ketchup when the Panthers get into the redzone. Americana. Football is fun in Pittsburgh.</p>
<p>Basketball is big at Pitt. [OAKLAND</a> ZOO!!! (What?? Can?t Hear You) | 225 Years | University of Pittsburgh](<a href=“http://www.225.pitt.edu/story/oakland-zoo-what-can’t-hear-you]OAKLAND”>http://www.225.pitt.edu/story/oakland-zoo-what-can’t-hear-you)</p>
<p>The Petersen Events Center is on campus. [Petersen</a> Events Center Reviews, Pittsburgh Panthers | Stadium Journey](<a href=“http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/petersen-events-center-s741/]Petersen”>http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/petersen-events-center-s741/)</p>
<p>Thank you haystack, I will check out Iowa, Iowa State , Kansas and Missouri!</p>
<p>I am a Miami of Ohio graduate. I absolutely loved it there but I agree 100% that if you are going to consider it - you MUST go back when the students are there! Oxford is really a ghost town in the summer and it is totally a different vibe during the school year.</p>
<p>Yes, it is smart to start your college tours by visiting a small college, a large university, a rural institution and an urban institution. That will often help narrow down a student’s preferences.</p>