<p>Really the title says it all.
Any suggestions on what I should keep an eye on? How can I tell if a campus is good or not?</p>
<p>It is where your child feels comfortable and fits in. “Good” is in the eyes of the beholder…</p>
<p>It depends on what is important to you/your child. Big/small? City/country? Liberal/conservative? Sports/academics? There is a kind of school for everyone.</p>
<p>I think it’s a combination of the student body and location. Location is important for climate and whether you prefer an urban, surburban or rural campus. Student body is important because you need to assess the type of students the school attracks and if they are a good fit for your personality, beliefs and way of life.</p>
<p>@ Tycho</p>
<p>A good campus can mean many things to students. It’s all about the right and most desirable fit. A student should consider location, geography, climate, academics, safety, housing, extracurricular activities, and off-campus events.</p>
<p>See how many kids are hanging out, outside or in one of the cafeterias, whenever you’re there. See what kinds of kids there are, and who they’re sitting with (i.e. do people who dress the same or are of the same nationality tend to stick together?). How clean and aesthetically-pleasing is the campus? How many students are there on campus on a typical Friday night, and what are they doing?</p>
<p>I think it would be a mistake to set certain criteria for campus quality before making visits; honestly, I think the most important thing is to keep an open mind about the subject. Sometimes, a campus has good vibes and you really want to love it. Other times, you really want to skip the walking tour for a trip to McDonald’s. Really, the impression you get of a campus just by walking around is an absolute essential when deciding which campus is ‘best.’</p>
<p>Yea, it depends on a lot…whether your a person who wants a college town feel or an urban campus in the middle of NYC, a good campus is in the eye of the beholder.</p>
<p>As others have said it really does depend on what you are looking for in a school. I do think the actual facilities are important in telling a story about the finances of a school. Are the labs run down? Have there been new buildings added recently? Are the cafeterias clean? Are the dorms tolerable? You can tell if a college has a decent building and grounds crew by how well put together the campus looks. Of course, there is a difference between an urban campus and a rural campus, but you still want it to look like both the students and the administration take pride in the college.</p>
<p>Hey guys thanks for the replies. I’m a dutch student from the University of Amsterdam and I’m planning to study in the US next fall. Your replies have helped me a lot but I need some more specifics. What’s the difference between a rural and an urban campus? Is it more important to have a ‘nice’ campus with nice people then good teachers, ie. a good academic evironment? I’m a pretty serious guy, I mean, I’m a pretty good student, you don’t get a scholarship to the US very easily here, but I also want to meet some cool people and have parties. So what’s your advice???</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>What is “better” will always depend on YOU. If there is some way for you to do campus visits (say, fly to the US for a week and visit all schools to which you are admitted), I would recommend that, because in my experience, the gestalt of the environment matters more than the individual factors.</p>
<p>A rural campus is likely to have more nature and wildlife and fewer man-made attractions and other people than an urban campus.</p>
<p>I think the academic environment is absolutely more important…</p>
<p>Good campus = many available bathrooms when you need them
Good campus = able to walk or take bus to class in less than 15 minutes
Good campus = easy way to get to restaurants off campus
Good campus = variety of activities going on so that at least one is appealing
Good campus = feeling safe when you walk around because it is small or because there are many safe locations and well lit</p>
<p>agood campus is a place where both academics and activities such as sports have good and confortabble instalations, they have to have all sports availabale, well most of them, if you don’t have like jai alai well doesn’t matter but almost all. the classes should be made to almost be or have a nice view of some kind, and the cafeteria and lunch stores have to be extended and not in some kind of hole. Also it matters if the the campus is unique in the block or something because if it has some kind of big bigger campus you will feel like your cam,pus sucks.</p>
<p>hey kcarls thats because you are like some kind of nerd and you don’t do sports, but you should have a large field or lots for good activities…good sport development helps to leave study stress out…</p>
<p>The answer to youyr question depends on the persons interests. But in general a good campus is conformed by a nice location, a cool staff, interesting activities and most important, the students that attend there.</p>
<p>Things you will come to value over 4 years:</p>
<p>A campus compact enough that you don’t need to take a bus to get from one side to another.</p>
<p>A campus in which the dorms and academic buildings are fairly close.</p>
<p>A campus where the dining hall(s) are in or very close the dorms.</p>
<p>A campus which isn’t overly hilly.</p>
<p>A campus which has some sort of business district within walking range.</p>
<p>A campus which is not adjacent to a dangerous neighborhood.</p>
<p>A campus whose architecture is pleasing and inspiring.</p>
<p>By campus, I think you’re referring to the whole school. In that case, the litmus test should be whether you want to turn out more like the typical student that you perceive to attend the school. Because for better or for worse, you will.</p>