<p>S2 sorely misses having access to a real kitchen. Some dorms have them – his dorm has a kitchenette which is not really functional. He came home for Spring Break, walked straight into the kitchen and started cooking. </p>
<p>As a parent, having kids at school w/direct flights via Southwest make the logistics of coming home a lot easier.</p>
<p>Profs that live close to campus and engage with the student. Neither of my boys gave that an iota’s thought as high school seniors and if you ask my “will be a graduate in three weeks son”…he’ll tell you it was the relationships with some of the profs that “made” the school great for him. Number one best thing (now) in his mind.</p>
<p>I think Pizza might have been to Madison a few times and seen the many student dominated neighborhoods around the campus. In a way it’s not that different than dorms in that you have 100’s of students per block so you see them all the time either coming and going to classes or just hanging out on their front porches. You get invited to parties at the private homes so you don’t have to worry about the RAs or campus cops breaking up the party or you can have a BBQ or a dinner party just like real adults. I went to a dorm party or two–LAME. One of my best memories was my first year in our place and having a big Thanksgiving dinner party for people who stayed in town over the holiday. We made a turkey and had all the trimmings. Great time and you can’t do that in a dorm easily or privately. It was wonderful and the best memories for most UW students did not happen in the dorms. First thing you asked anyone new who was not a freshmen was, “where do you live?”</p>
<p>@momofthreeboys. I think that is an excellent point and one that I didn’t think of right away and now worry a bit about because m S’s school is in a big city where that is not the case. Having professors living nearby is one of the benefits of the LAC that seems to be ‘in the middle of nowhere,’ and facilitates developing those important relationships. Not the only way, but helps. </p>
<p>Something I put more weight on than has proved necessary is distance. We live in the suburbs of the city where my son is a freshman. We all throught it was too close, and that was a main factor in the ‘minus’ column while he was making his choice. He went anyway and has been able (with our great resolve!) to put up the wall sufficiently to be independent. He could be 500 miles away. My d is going to a school next year that is “only” 90 minutes away by car, but also feels very clearly to be somewhere else. Any concern that it is too close has disappeared.</p>
<p>School/community policies with regards to drugs and alcohol. And dropping classes.</p>
<p>This might really fall into the category “Who would have thought?”</p>
<p>Allergies. D never had them here in the MW, but in SC Texas, oh,boy! We asked lots of ? everyhwhere, but none about allergies. The trees she has allergies to do not grow around here.</p>
<p>How many classes are a full load?</p>
<p>Ease and cost of transportation as well as whether dorms are open during breaks.</p>
<p>Being able to get a single as a freshman at a college where there are lots and lots of singles. This is a big selling point for my D who worries that she will get too distracted with a roommate.</p>
<p>Also wanted to add to the discussion about living off/on campus, that some of my most cherished early adult memories are of the houses that I lived in as an undergrad. As a parent though, I’d probably prefer that my D live on campus all 4 year— loco parentis and all that!</p>
<p>Another thing is how difficult sports tickets are to get for students. For example, one of the main attractions at Duke is the basketball team, but then you find out they have a small arena and students have to camp out for a week (or so) to get tickets.</p>
<p>“I see zero appeal to the idea of an apartment when they are students.”</p>
<p>Amen to that, Pizzagirl. Finally we agree on something. I started my junior year living in an on-campus apartment. I quickly realized I preferred dorm life and dorm food when I noticed that my roommate (hairy guy from NJ) who did most of the cooking never washed his hands after going to the bathroom (#1 OR #2). Call me weird, but there’s something about a hamburger pattie made by a guy who doesn’t wash his hands…</p>
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<p>Yes, I’ve been to Madison a few times, but believe it or not, it’s really not all about Madison. The UW-Madison didn’t even enter my head when I came to this conclusion!</p>
<p>Talking about living off campus/cooking reminds me - D stayed this year over spring break; dorms are open but the dining hall is closed. She complained how she had to microwave her own frozen meals and how inconvenient it was.</p>
<p>Well,</p>
<p>Though it didn’t start out to be, in the end the opportunity to easily live off campus as a Senior did play a role in D’s final choice. She lived in dorms for 4 years in hs.</p>
<p>So, 2 years in dorms, then 1 year abroad in apts. in 2 different countries, 1 year in apt. in uni city. She learned to be a pretty good cook in hs in the dorm kitchens.</p>
<p>From a parent perspective I would say spend time investigating the % of students who graduate in 4 years and the % of students who come back for their 2nd year (retention rate). With the cost of education today we wanted to make sure kids can graduate on time and liked school after 1st year and wanted to come back. From a student perspective the “walkability” played a key role for son. He also liked that self contained campus feel even if school was a big school.</p>
<p>Discovering whether there is a lot of red tape or helpful faculty/staff that work toward solving problems with students who seek their help.</p>
<p>Another thing to look is judicial board policies and how underage drinking is handled. There is a happy median between a free for all campus and a police state. Some campuses in an attempt to reign in underage drinking are perhaps becoming overly punitive. Not that this should be a deal breaker on a school choice, but your child needs to know the school policy like you may also be busted if your roommates are playing beer pong in your room while you are there even if you arent drinking, or that opening your door when the campus police knocks means that they can search your room. What happens if your kid is written up and/or put on probation? Will they be k</p>
<p>Although you want your kids to be safe and know someone is watching out for them, policies can give one a sense of how the administration views its undergrads. You wont get this information from a website, but your son or daughter may pick this up during an overnight visit. Have them ask their hosts about the campus police. Are they viewed as friends or foe?</p>
<p>early on in her search, D1 knew she only wanted to consider schools where the majority of students lived on campus for all 4 years. I realize that might not be for everyone. She is nearing the end of her first year and still feels strongly about that.</p>
<p>What she didn’t realize would be important for her was the dining situation. Her school has one dining hall, that is open most of the day. She loves that everyone eats in the same place. Great community feeling. She complains about the food, itself, but it very happy that her social/community needs are being met.</p>
<p>I would agree about the transportation–and IF the college provides ample transportation to the airport before/after breaks. My S has an $85 cab ride each way to his LAC an hour away, because the college does NOT offer transportation. Yet, all those many, many shiny vans and buses around campus stay parked…this has REALLY irked me all 4 years! By contrast S2’s school has zillions of buses for $10-20 to and from the airport. You just have to make a reservation.</p>
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<p>Cost. Off campus housing has been a heck of a lot cheaper…</p>
<p>And in S’s case (he has Asperger’s), the independent living skills and cooperative skills that he has gained from living with multiple roommates (5+ every yr after freshman yr) has helped him mature and develop self confidence - grow up - in ways that would not have been possible living in a traditional dorm setting (and which I am convinced carries over to his academic performance which in the past has been hampered by time management and organizational issues). Overall, living off campus has definitely helped prepare him for when he enters THE REAL WORLD (in just a few weeks :)).</p>