<p>I chose the first university I visited. The community college honor society took a field trip to USC. I fell in LOVE with the old buildings, trees and plants. I had no clue about the area, the tuition, the reputation, the football-nothing. I applied to no other college, if I didn't get it I would continue working as a secretary. A few years later, I also applied to only USC school of pharmacy, if I didn't get in I would take the second interview for stewdardess. Who knows what would have happened if the field trip had been to UCLA.</p>
<p>I applied to Pomona (in part) because when I visited the Jacaranda trees were in bloom. I had never seen such gorgeous trees!</p>
<p>I ended up at Rice, which has gorgeous (live oak) trees of its own.</p>
<p>Wow--I love these stories! In the dark ages of 1968, I only applied to ONE school and that was early decidion--why? Because my mother told me they had a good Spanish department (how she knew this, I never thought to ask), there were lots of Jewish kids, and there was nonstop airplane service from our city. I received my acceptance letter the afternoon I came home from taking the SAT for the second time. I also never saw the campus until I arrived for orientation--and moved into my then 50 year old UNAIRCONDITIONED dorm in the deep South.</p>
<p>I think I have one to top them all:</p>
<p>Back in '74, I applied to Alfred University because it was the alma mater of Robert Klein, a comedian I adore(d).</p>
<p>I had a choice of 6 state schools in a midwestern state. My mother eliminated 2 of them because they were "party schools". 1 other was too big. 1 was too far away. 1 was too close and too many kids from my high school went there. Voila! My choice was made--there was only one left! (and I seriously don't remember any essays, recommendations, and I certainly didn't have any AP's). I think it was a 2-page application that I filled out with an ink pen.</p>
<p>I eliminated a school because there were a lot of nuns pictured in the brochure.</p>
<p>Husband chose his alma mater (U of Penn) based on academics alone. Never even visited the school before enrolling. However, when visiting colleges and making decisions with our son now almost 35 years later, he wanted son to choose a school in California based on weather! When we visited Pasadena, it was absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful weather, beautiful people, etc. He thought son would be out of his mind not to go to school in Pasadena. HA! Funny how your perspective changes as you age!!!</p>
<p>I chose my grad school because they did not require a masters thesis.
I chose my undergrad transfer school because it was the closest college to where I was living.</p>
<p>My hurdler brother chose Macalester college back in 1969 because of it's Tartan track. "Tartan" was a synthetic, bouncy material created by 3M.</p>
<p>He loved Macalester.</p>
<p>My son used to tell me I should have gone to UNC, because I would have been there at the same time as Michael Jordan (like anyone knew who MJ was back in the day). Now he's decided I should have gone to William & Mary so I could have been friends with Jon Stewart.</p>
<p>One of my daughter's friends doesn't want to go to a otherwise perfect school because they are called the "Jumbos". Personally, I would consider that a plus. Then again, I'm an Aggie.</p>
<p>An acquaintance of mine had to choose between UChicago and Johns Hopkins. While doing an overnight at Johns Hopkins, he slept with a girl and thought he contracted an STD. Needless to say, he picked UChicago.</p>
<p>I went to the University of Michigan because when I was 12 years old, I watched their underdog football team beat the heavily favored Ohio State Buckeyes!! Oh, since we lived in Michigan, my parents told me that I could choose any public school in Michigan because those were the days that parents did not go heavily into debt to finance their children's education.</p>
<p>I chose Colgate because I wanted to stalk one of my crushes... :) He did end up being my formal date! It took a lot of guts for me to ask him...</p>
<p>That'd be the most ridiculous reason my list of reasons why I wanted to go to Colgate.</p>
<p>Probably about 50% of my decision to attend Penn had to do with being in a hardcore marching band through high school... What? Scramble band? You practice twice a week for 2 hours? You make fun of things? Where do I sign up!</p>
<p>(Which cracked my parents up, since I'd told them for about 18 years that anywhere they went to college must be pretty lame and I wouldn't even look at it)</p>
<p>I applied to only one undergrad school because it had the word "Western" in its name, and I liked the sound of it. I never visited, looked at a course catalog, or talked to anyone from the school. I had never seen a dormitory, or been on a college campus other than a small community college. I did know one woman who attended and she was nice, so that sealed it.</p>
<p>i'd narrowed down my grad school options to two places, and each had such different but equal pros and cons that it finally came down to some very minor stuff:</p>
<ul>
<li>proximity to trader joe's (I kid you not)</li>
<li>that the public interest loan repayment program would give me more money if i had a kid than the other school's would (it's worse, though, if i decide to clerk for a year...i was actually sitting there thinking, "is it more likely that i'll clerk, or have a baby?")</li>
<li>whether exams were given before or after xmas break (i didn't want to study over vacation!)</li>
</ul>
<p>at that point, either school was going to be good. I went with my gut and am happy where I ended up.</p>
<p>I love reading this thread! I especially like the ruling out the school because of the nuns in the brochure, and the contracting the STD on the overnight visit. Yep, either of those would have crossed those schools off my list!!!</p>
<p>I chose to apply to one that was near the brand new shopping mall. Seniors were allowed a day off of high school to tour any college campus within driving distance. A friend and I went to the college in the morning, interviewed with the admissions director (had to have a signed form to get the absence excused), then visited a couple friends at the college. Then we spent the afternoon at the mall. There were a few other factors influencing my decision to enroll- it was recommended by my favorite biology teacher, our friends liked it, and it was my reach school. But seriously, the main reason we even visited it and not one of the other many schools in the L.A. area, was it's proximity to the mall. Turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made (to enroll- not the shopping.)</p>
<p>I refused absolutely to apply to Illinois because of the location. Too much corn for me, end of the analysis. This decision might have kept me from starting at a 4-year college at all, since all of my "safeties" initially rejected me, and Illinois had pretty relaxed admissions for in-state liberal arts majors back then.</p>