For fun: first impressions of colleges based on tours...

[Anonymous]

We’ve visited about 10, maybe 12. Here are DS impressions

Fav. Campus - Northwestern
Fav. In-State - UVA
Biggest disappointment - W&M (boring)
Nicest students - Bucknell
Biggest + surprise - Wooster

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard: Bland and a little drab, too touristy.

Yale: Stunningly gorgeous in every way. A+

Princeton: Also beautiful but felt like it lacked patina/character and felt a little too pretentious.

Columbia: LOVED this campus. Gritty, beautiful, classic. NYC.

Northwestern: Another favorite - great mix of modern and classic, and absolutely stunning location on the lake.

UChicago: So classically beautiful. Felt almost European, or stately, but felt extremely gloomy and gray, even though we visited same day as NU.

Cornell: Another great one - stunning location. Friendly, collegial.

I loved Northwestern. Daughter ended of choosing UPenn because her friends went there. She has regretted not choosing NU ever since, and she's already graduated.

Aw, my kids LOVED Northwestern and ended up elsewhere, too. Would have been thrilled to send at least one of them there if they got in! But things happen for a reason.

Best friend attended Northwestern and, while they overall liked the school, they were put off by the school’s over-the-top pre-professional vibe (compared to other schools where students were more intellectual and interested in learning for the sake of learning).

Good! That leaves less competition for someone who REALLY wants to be at NU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard: Bland and a little drab, too touristy.

Yale: Stunningly gorgeous in every way. A+

Princeton: Also beautiful but felt like it lacked patina/character and felt a little too pretentious.

Columbia: LOVED this campus. Gritty, beautiful, classic. NYC.

Northwestern: Another favorite - great mix of modern and classic, and absolutely stunning location on the lake.

UChicago: So classically beautiful. Felt almost European, or stately, but felt extremely gloomy and gray, even though we visited same day as NU.

Cornell: Another great one - stunning location. Friendly, collegial.

I loved Northwestern. Daughter ended of choosing UPenn because her friends went there. She has regretted not choosing NU ever since, and she's already graduated.

Aw, my kids LOVED Northwestern and ended up elsewhere, too. Would have been thrilled to send at least one of them there if they got in! But things happen for a reason.

Best friend attended Northwestern and, while they overall liked the school, they were put off by the school’s over-the-top pre-professional vibe (compared to other schools where students were more intellectual and interested in learning for the sake of learning).

Good! That leaves less competition for someone who REALLY wants to be at NU.

Not really since the comment was from a Northwestern grad!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’ve visited about 10, maybe 12. Here are DS impressions

Fav. Campus - Northwestern
Fav. In-State - UVA
Biggest disappointment - W&M (boring)
Nicest students - Bucknell
Biggest + surprise - Wooster

Wow, if he thought W&M was boring, I'm surprised he liked Wooster--it's so remote and tiny and not much to do there. I thought Wooster was lovely (and liked their merit aid package!) but DS wouldn't even consider (and my DS liked W&M!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard: Bland and a little drab, too touristy.

Yale: Stunningly gorgeous in every way. A+

Princeton: Also beautiful but felt like it lacked patina/character and felt a little too pretentious.

Columbia: LOVED this campus. Gritty, beautiful, classic. NYC.

Northwestern: Another favorite - great mix of modern and classic, and absolutely stunning location on the lake.

UChicago: So classically beautiful. Felt almost European, or stately, but felt extremely gloomy and gray, even though we visited same day as NU.

Cornell: Another great one - stunning location. Friendly, collegial.

I loved Northwestern. Daughter ended of choosing UPenn because her friends went there. She has regretted not choosing NU ever since, and she's already graduated.

Aw, my kids LOVED Northwestern and ended up elsewhere, too. Would have been thrilled to send at least one of them there if they got in! But things happen for a reason.

Best friend attended Northwestern and, while they overall liked the school, they were put off by the school’s over-the-top pre-professional vibe (compared to other schools where students were more intellectual and interested in learning for the sake of learning).

Good! That leaves less competition for someone who REALLY wants to be at NU.

Not really since the comment was from a Northwestern grad!

The comment can resonate with those looking presently at NU who wouldn't be put off by the 'pre-professional vibe.' Such a bougie comment.

[Anonymous]

Duke: Are we at Hogwarts?
UNC- Chapel Hill: Is that seriously a dorm room, or a closet?
Tufts: Hand me the water! I need to take a break before continuing up this hill. And: Huh. I didn’t know the campus was so nice!
Pitt: I want to like it. I want to like it. But… I don’t like it. Bland buildings and kind of ugly except for the chapel.
Carnegie Mellon: This is actually kind of nice! And the area right now is a mini- Georgetown. Very mini. Too mini?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard: Bland and a little drab, too touristy.

Yale: Stunningly gorgeous in every way. A+

Princeton: Also beautiful but felt like it lacked patina/character and felt a little too pretentious.

Columbia: LOVED this campus. Gritty, beautiful, classic. NYC.

Northwestern: Another favorite - great mix of modern and classic, and absolutely stunning location on the lake.

UChicago: So classically beautiful. Felt almost European, or stately, but felt extremely gloomy and gray, even though we visited same day as NU.

Cornell: Another great one - stunning location. Friendly, collegial.

I loved Northwestern. Daughter ended of choosing UPenn because her friends went there. She has regretted not choosing NU ever since, and she's already graduated.

Aw, my kids LOVED Northwestern and ended up elsewhere, too. Would have been thrilled to send at least one of them there if they got in! But things happen for a reason.

Best friend attended Northwestern and, while they overall liked the school, they were put off by the school’s over-the-top pre-professional vibe (compared to other schools where students were more intellectual and interested in learning for the sake of learning).

Good! That leaves less competition for someone who REALLY wants to be at NU.

Not really since my friend has graduated. It doesn't affect who gets admitted this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HS Sophomore at the time:

UVA: "dirty" (I still don't know what this means)

W&L: "too hilly" (98 degrees in July)

My kid also doomed Cornell and Bryn Mahr because they were “too hilly.”

We got "too hilly" at Lehigh. Hilly seems to be a big turn-off! I don't remember any hills at Bryn Mawr!?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA - dirty and muddy everywhere except the “Lawn” — underwhelmed — “too ugly”

W&M — foliage and some bridge where people got engaged, using this as a “hook” on the tour repelled DD

VT - gray buildings, too military-ish

Odd. I live and work there and think it is gorgeous.

[Anonymous]

Tufts was too hilly but somehow Bryn Mawr wasn't for my DC.

W&M - the dorm room they showed was NOT a good idea

BU - not enough campus - too much like GW

Princeton - beautiful outside but somewhat run-down on the inside and they tried to hide the fact that eating clubs exist

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA - dirty and muddy everywhere except the “Lawn” — underwhelmed — “too ugly”

W&M — foliage and some bridge where people got engaged, using this as a “hook” on the tour repelled DD

VT - gray buildings, too military-ish

Are you angry?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tufts was too hilly but somehow Bryn Mawr wasn't for my DC.

W&M - the dorm room they showed was NOT a good idea

BU - not enough campus - too much like GW

Princeton - beautiful outside but somewhat run-down on the inside and they tried to hide the fact that eating clubs exist

I am the PP whose kid also said tufts was hilly. Hilly to me seem pretty. I think my DC is just lazy.

He did actually apply to Tufts though because he thought the campus was very pretty and liked that it was near Boston. His GF wants to go to BU so I think that is part of the draw 😂. We did look at it and I forgot to include those comments.

BU: Too city. Too many kids. Seems to much like a party school

[Anonymous]

If I went on a campus tour I’d definitely check out the cafeteria. If the food sucked it would be a deal breaker for me.

[Anonymous]

Having a hilly campus just means the kids are a little more fit - ask an Wisconsin or Cornell grad.

Plus, the view from the green to downtown Boston is fantastic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Duke: Are we at Hogwarts?
UNC- Chapel Hill: Is that seriously a dorm room, or a closet?
Tufts: Hand me the water! I need to take a break before continuing up this hill. And: Huh. I didn’t know the campus was so nice!
Pitt: I want to like it. I want to like it. But… I don’t like it. Bland buildings and kind of ugly except for the chapel.
Carnegie Mellon: This is actually kind of nice! And the area right now is a mini- Georgetown. Very mini. Too mini?

Nerd alert!