My kids are very happy at their schools but they don’t wear school logo stuff. It just isn’t there style to wear logos at all, school name or otherwise.
We toured a research university in NY last month and stopped by the University library to check out some artifacts in the Rare Books and Special Collections department, to view some items totally unrelated to my kid’s intended major. We were treated like royalty, they pulled covers off of display cases, brought stuff out of their vault, white gloves and everything. It was thrilling. They talked enthusiastically about other research projects they are planning, what’s getting funded, etc. It was two hours well spent, and I’d like to think it gave us an authentic behind-the-scenes look at where the University’s monies/priorities might be, always a consideration. Anyway our formal campus tour the next day was rather lackluster, but my kid had fallen in love with the University by then. We are planning to tour some east coast LACs over spring break, and have a few planned appointments at several Special Collections departments. Anyway it’s off the beaten path for most campus tours, especially as these departments are not usually not open on weekends, but it is worth the effort. Also will make for good fodder for college-specific essays and interviews.
@doschicos But, are there other kids on the campus who wear swag? Of course, not everyone will, but I tend to agree that it’s nice to see lots of kids wearing their school’s gear. From a visiting parent/applicant point of view.
I just think some schools are more swag oriented than others, @2muchquan. Doesn’t make the schools any less loved by their students, but if someone is looking for a “rah rah go team” atmosphere, yeah those schools probably have more swag. My guess is you’ll see more swag at a Notre Dame type school for example than a Swarthmore type school.
^ Yeah, you may be right. I’d totally wear a Phoenix shirt, though.
@doschicos: No, plenty of kids don’t wear the school shirts, it wasn’t a requirement, but my D thought it was an indication. No school has everybody wearing the school logo. And an absence of shirts wasn’t a sign the kids didn’t like the school. There’s lots of little things to notice to see if the students are happy there. This is just one observation from one kid.
For my daughter it wasn’t so much whether anyone was wearing the logos of the schools we were visiting, but whether students were wearing sweatshirts from **other/b schools.
We chose our D’s three top colleges to visit. Because of the distances involved, we had to fly to cover all three in one week. We tried to arrive the day before our scheduled to tour and walked around the campuses on our own in the late afternoon or in once case early in the morning before our scheduled tour to get our own impressions of the campuses.
During the tours, I made a point of asking the student tour guide, “If there’s one thing you could change about the campus, what would it be?” since directly asking “What don’t you like about your college?” might not get an answer. Surprisingly, the tour guides we spoke with were surprisingly candid in talking about what they thought needed improvement at their colleges.
At one of the colleges, we requested and were granted an office call with the Dean of Admissions. It was well worth the time and helped our D make her decision. At another college, we arrived early at the admissions office and the Director of Admissions came out and had an “informal” discussion with us. Both of these gave us valuable insights we didn’t get in the mass briefing or guided tour, especially about the admission processes.
I infer a level of comfort at being who one is/where one is in the wearing of sweats and t’s from other colleges and universities when I see such a tendency among the students on a campus. Generally, there is a mix of the prestigious with the upper-tier with what I assume to be much loved regional/locals - both private and public.
These kids all have their backpacks and coffee cups, and are busy about their lives where they are. I really don’t read bumper sticker aspirations into it too much.
Actually, I consistently ask tour guides and admissions counselors and so on what they most don’t like about their college, and often get candid-seeming answers. (I also tell them they can feel free to balance it out with their favorite thing about the college.)
@dfbdfb & @ARTCC Those are is the BEST questions. I used @dfbdfb’ myself when I was college-hunting for myself, and use it (or @ARTCC’s) now with my kid. It puts just a tiny crack in the veneer, which can reveal a useful detail that might actually matter.
The school paper shows the cracks, too. Sometimes you can find them online, or pick it up on campus. My goal was always to get past the marketing veneer.
Like @dfbdfb, one of my kids always paired the “What would you change?” question with “What would you fight to not change, to keep the same about your school?” The two asked together were often very telling.
There always seems to be that one parent who asks how the genders are separated in the dorms.
We heard too many parent questions about the size and quality of mattresses.
Ok, so the dean of my school is a super cranky older woman (I’m a cranky middle-aged woman, just for perspective). My first semester at the school, I had to battle her tooth and nail to get the classes I wanted. She was NOT interested in cowtowing to me, at all. But, the department and the profs within the department have been really good, and very dedicated.
For the fall semester, I went and talked to two professors so I could decide which class (and which concentration) I wanted to look at. The textiles teacher was doing stuff I did with my kids for arts and crafts when they were toddlers; the ceramics teacher is doing all sorts of crazy new tech stuff that’s just really interesting.
Guess which class I signed up for in the fall? So, what I’m saying is, drill down and talk to the professors.