<p>With so many schools out there, things considered to be frivolous can help you make the difficult final decision of what college to attend! What trivial factors did you or your child use to narrow down the list?</p>
<p>Mine are...
-Greek life. My mom had such a great experience in her sorority, so I've always known that going Greek is for me.
-Division 1 football team. It's so much fun to be able to root for a team that's known nationally.
-Air-conditioned dorms. I've grown accustomed to a climate controlled environment. As silly as it sounds, I don't want to go through 4 years without it.
-Outside of my home state. It's very rare for people from my high school to leave the state. However, I can't imagine staying here.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t classify those things as trivial; I might call them non-academic. But those are the kinds of things that make a difference in a student’s college experience, and that’s pretty important. :)</p>
<p>My D’s list included:
Far away from home
Small college, which meant LAC
No Greek presence
Opportunities to dance without majoring</p>
<p>Oh, and it’s also important to me that I have the opportunity to join an A Capella group (or at least a choir) in college without majoring in music.</p>
<p>When hen - my D was happy when touring Bryn Mawr and seeing caffeine-free Diet Pepsi (her drug of choice) in the cafeteria and vending machines.</p>
<p>My son was turned off by a certain Ivy league school that still had overhead projectors (with acetates) and not smart boards. He asked how technologically advanced could they be when his high school had better facilities??? Not trivial, but I didn’t even pick up on it.</p>
<p>My DD always wants to look in a bathroom in a dorm when we visit campuses. She thinks she prefers a suite-style dorm where she would only share with three or so others, but she likes the idea of having someone else clean the bathroom every day (as long as it is kept really clean).</p>
<p>Also, there was a certain Southern school where a ridiculous percentage of girls wore the same style boots during our visit. It was spring, but it was not raining. Is fashion really that conformist there?</p>
<p>S2 has NO desire to attend our state flagship. Yet if other schools are football rivals of the said flagship, he won’t even consider looking at them. For example, Northwestern never got a split second of consideration based on this rivalry alone.</p>
<p>My D wanted a school with a pool for recreational swimming. She also wanted a meal plan with some sort of variety built in, and a school located somewhat close to the outdoor activities she enjoys. She got all three but found the small town stultifying after living in a large city for a decade. She’s hoping to transfer to such a city and will give up the pool and dorm but still live close to activities.</p>
<p>Younger D wants a school close to a church in her denomination, close to soul food, with recreational dance opportunities, and in a city. It also has to be far from home. She figures it’s the perfect time to explore other venues.</p>
<p>Off topic but what is the relationship to soda & the southern states?
My Ds BF is from Alabama and as far as I can tell he drinks it at every meal, even breakfast.</p>
<p>Ds wanted to see a Starbucks on/near campus. (Hardly cut down any colleges off the list.) DD wants NIH funded stem cell research on campus and a store selling kimchee within walking distance. Her list is short.</p>
<p>There’s a poster asking on a number of college forums (Brown and Harvard for two) whether there is a Chipotle nearby. Apparently his son cannot live with a Chipotle.</p>