What school dropped off the list because of your visit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pre-COVID:

John's Hopkins - he thought it was a fun city school
Georgetown - too close to home and the tour guide was condescending
UVA - it was raining. Literally, that was his complaint

Lesson learned - 18 years are going to act like 18 year olds and they may pick a very superficial reason during a visit not to like a school. Just go with it.

You didn't know where Georgetown was before you visited?

Lord some of these responses are just nonsense.

Of course I knew. DS just realized exactly how short the drive would be between us. My bad - I guess I thought this thread was about what *kids* thought after a visit - and some of the random things that can influence their impression of a school. You must be one of the parents that makes your child's decisions for them - carry on with your no-nonsense college advice!

The question was "what school did they think they'd love but then were turned off after a visit?" That Georgetown ended up being too close to home has nothing to do with the visit itself. Just the car trip. Such an unhelpful and useless comment.

And the answer was Georgetown - where his Dad went and loved so he thought he would love it - but then during his visit (yes, including the trip there) he decided too close to home and condescending tour guide. I am sorry if you found this so unhelpful that you commented on it twice. I apologize if I hit a nerve. Hoya? Or just condescending?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any poster who (or whose kid) writes a school off because the student tour guide didn't sit well with them is just plain silly.

Almost as silly as writing off a school because of the architecture of the buildings. For goodness sake. You've got to be kidding me.

[Anonymous]

A few people have mentioned their/their DC’s dislike for the Princeton eating clubs - my FIL graduated from Princeton in the 60’s and one thing he always, always talks about when he talks about his time at Princeton, are the eating clubs. He thought they were great. It might be a bit old fashioned, but I think the eating clubs really helped with creating a sense of community. He goes to his Princeton reunion every year, and is still in touch with people he met there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few people have mentioned their/their DC’s dislike for the Princeton eating clubs - my FIL graduated from Princeton in the 60’s and one thing he always, always talks about when he talks about his time at Princeton, are the eating clubs. He thought they were great. It might be a bit old fashioned, but I think the eating clubs really helped with creating a sense of community. He goes to his Princeton reunion every year, and is still in touch with people he met there.

My sense is that the eating clubs are great if you get into one you want, esp. the “prestigious” ones. But if you don’t, it’s not so great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:William & Mary. Campus seemed to lack energy and students seemed miserable.

+2 Great way to describe what my kid felt. Absolutely HATED the feel of W&M.

Our daughter reacted that way to UVA. Huge campus of kids all walking alone and frowning at their phones is what she saw. The fabled lawn was a gross mud pit and she was puzzled by the most sought after rooms not having bathrooms. The downtown mall seemed too far away from campus

GMU was an overwhelming number of people in a very small space. Students were asleep in chairs all over the place. The dorm we toured smelled awful. There were just too many people and not enough room. People seemed to be talking at each other not to each other. Our daughter said she felt anxious just visiting.

When we went to WM, the kids were walking together in big clumps and talking to each other. More than once, one group found a second group and continued on their way. Kids were wearing WM sweatshirts, t-shirts, etc. More than one group of students said hello to our tour guide and the students in the group. There were also a lot of dogs getting walks on campus (this was a big selling point). She also liked that she could walk or run in relative peace around the lake and in CW - and that there were good, cheap eats, coffee, and boba tea within a block of campus. We never gave a second thought to the mock dorm room - that dorm isn’t even a freshman dorm. Our daughter fell in love on her first visit.

These are all such bizarre observations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter looked primarily at lower-tier Virginia schools (i.e, not UVA, W&M, Tech). After touring, she hated:

JMU--central campus is gray and dismal looking, campus split by a highway. Just didn't feel as warm as other campuses.

Longwood. We were hoping this was a hidden gem, but alas their Open House was amatuerish and the students we met seemed very provincial.

Mixed feelings about VCU School for the Arts. She (and I) didn't like that the arts program was scattered among several buildings at the edge of the campus. I worried about her safety traveling around at night; she was expecting more cutting-edge facilities and equipment. But she loved the vibe of the art students and the main part of the campus.

Pro Tip: If there's a school you really want your kid to love, don't go on dismal day. It's amazing how much weather affects their opinion.

Um, these aren’t “lower-tier” schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Duke. The fratty vibes, the pretense; we just did not mesh well with the atmosphere, and we had also heard while there that there is somewhat of a long tradition of sexual assault and racist incidents at the school.

I don't know if it's changed but when I visited Duke (as an already admitted student vying for the Angier B. Duke Scholarship) the frats were given space in some of the gothic dorms close to the center of campus.

I inadvertently walked on a sidewalk outside one of the frats and some bro leaned out, yelled an obscenity at me, and dumped a beer within a few feet of where I was walking.

Turning Duke down a few months later gave me a great deal of pleasure. It seemed like a facade - Ivy exteriors and State U. behaviors.

Oh, sweetie. You must be unaware of all the partying and fratting that goes on within the Ivy’s hallowed walls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wake Forest
St Joe's (Philly)

Took two of my kids and they both HATED these schools and wanted to leave before the tour was complete!

What did they hate about St. Joe's? We are looking there.

We went to St Joe's right after Villanova and there was a huge difference in the campuses. Our tour guide was mediocre and dorky (like someone else said, that makes such a difference to a high school junior). The campus was ho hum and some of the buildings seemed rather run down.

Wake Forest did not seem to have well maintained buildings. The dorm they took us in was gross and there was just a vibe there that my kids didn't like. I guess it just wasn't the right fit for them.

[Anonymous]

I thought St. Joe's was nice! TBH, it's not that different from Villanova. Villanova is more competitive and the students seem more polished, but they have a lot in common.

[Anonymous]

Child #1

Dismissed Rutgers, CMU, Drexel, Penn, Tufts, Villanova, Binghamton and Scranton after in person visits.

Child #2

Dismissed Marist, LeMoyne, Siena, several PASSHEs, Hobart and Monrovian after in person visits.

No common theme other than couldn't see themselves there for 4 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Child #1

Dismissed Rutgers, CMU, Drexel, Penn, Tufts, Villanova, Binghamton and Scranton after in person visits.

Child #2

Dismissed Marist, LeMoyne, Siena, several PASSHEs, Hobart and Monrovian after in person visits.

No common theme other than couldn't see themselves there for 4 years.

Where did they wind up? Child #1's list is pretty diverse! I can see why Child #2 might have dismissed those schools, but I know many happy LeMoyne grads ... it's a good school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the people who didn’t like Oberlin elaborate please? We’re waiting to hear from them before a visit.

I didn’t go to school there but I lived in Oberlin.

It is kind a depressing area in Lorain County, Ohio. It’s not close to the lake and the cities of Elyria and Lorain are depressing. Oberlin itself is a dry town (or was when I lived there) and there are no bars or anything for nightlife. And it’s bloody cold in the winter.

My child loved Oberlin even more after her visit and she is so happy as a student there. The town is cute but not a party town so if you’re looking for nightlife like PP you won’t find your vibe. I highly recommend going to visit because people seem to have extreme opinions if Oberlin and we were very pleasantly surprised with how great it was. And the current president is wonderful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Child #1

Dismissed Rutgers, CMU, Drexel, Penn, Tufts, Villanova, Binghamton and Scranton after in person visits.

Child #2

Dismissed Marist, LeMoyne, Siena, several PASSHEs, Hobart and Monrovian after in person visits.

No common theme other than couldn't see themselves there for 4 years.

Where did they wind up? Child #1's list is pretty diverse! I can see why Child #2 might have dismissed those schools, but I know many happy LeMoyne grads ... it's a good school.

Child #1 Fell in love with Pitt and never looked back.
Child #2 chose St. Joes in Philly after being dragged to attend the tour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohio state. Oops, sorry, THE Ohio state. We stopped by for a self-guided tour. Very nice student union, but the joke about Michigan that our family friend dropped in the admissions office as a test drew daggered looks from all 6 people there. Saw similar intensity about hatred of Michigan touring the campus. Just a little too intense of a sports focus for both of our DCs.

Harvard. The campus is just sprawling throughout Cambridge. DC didn't like the scattered dorms, where the athletic facilities were, and the hodgepodge for different parts of the school. Liked the Law School area.

Princeton had a highly desirable program, and the campus was nice enough, but the whole eating clubs and academic plan just weren't what was expected. And then being in the middle of nowhere was not appealing to my DC. 1 hr train to either Philly or NYC wasn't a benefit.

Yale - as previously said, nice campus, surrounding area severely lacking.

UPenn actually rose on the list, but I can see why it would drop off some people's lists. It was more compact and dense than expected, with good access to the city, which was a plus for my DC.

I think there are two main things that can come from a visit - obviously the actual campus and campus feel, but also some nuances about student life and academics that are hard to tell from the website and online tours. Better if you whittle the list before you apply, but sometimes after you have admission offers, the tour ends up being the deciding factor.

LOL didn't like Harvard, Yale or Princeton but liked Penn. Sounds like a realist setting herself up for rejections. Don't blame her.

PP here. Didn’t include results lest I be accused of bragging, but then you had to be typical DCUMer. DC was accepted to Princeton and UPenn, but not the desired program. They picked a different top 20 school- ironically one that other posters indicated their DCs didn’t like. The point is, just because it’s a prestigious school doesn’t mean it’s a good fit for all kids, even if they are qualified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wake Forest
St Joe's (Philly)

Took two of my kids and they both HATED these schools and wanted to leave before the tour was complete!

What did they hate about St. Joe's? We are looking there.

We went to St Joe's right after Villanova and there was a huge difference in the campuses. Our tour guide was mediocre and dorky (like someone else said, that makes such a difference to a high school junior). The campus was ho hum and some of the buildings seemed rather run down.

Wake Forest did not seem to have well maintained buildings. The dorm they took us in was gross and there was just a vibe there that my kids didn't like. I guess it just wasn't the right fit for them.

You and your kid are both shallow and immature. Speak for your own high school junior -- not the rest of them.