What school dropped off the list because of your visit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Villanova - admittedly it was a cold and grey day when we went, but the campus felt really uninviting.

Harvard - we didn't do a tour, and DD wasn't really interested in applying, but we popped over to Cambridge when visiting Boston. It felt like a tourist trap!

Duke - the main, historic part of the campus was beautiful, but it felt a bit too manicured - like a Disney world type place. And the rest of the campus was mediocre.

Surprised by all the William & Mary comments - we had the opposite experience! DD loved W&M even more after the tour.

Definitely appeals to different types of kids... my son hated it but my daughter loved it!

Agree - I had one hate it and one love it. I felt like the Colonial Williamsburg aspect can be a real turn off for some kids, even though my DS who attends there considers that a non-issue. I had a friend who's DD saw a Thomas Jefferson walking around the town and said "forget it." My nephew from NC got on the cypher postcards indicating likely admission and I am figuring out with my sister the best time to visit to make him love it!

Haha that could be my DC! She had the exact same reaction LOL so she stayed at the hotel and my son and I did the haunted Williamsburg tour which he loved, and being a history nut, woudl actually probably want to get a job in Colonial Williamsburg at some point during his time there, if he went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Villanova - admittedly it was a cold and grey day when we went, but the campus felt really uninviting.

Harvard - we didn't do a tour, and DD wasn't really interested in applying, but we popped over to Cambridge when visiting Boston. It felt like a tourist trap!

Duke - the main, historic part of the campus was beautiful, but it felt a bit too manicured - like a Disney world type place. And the rest of the campus was mediocre.

Surprised by all the William & Mary comments - we had the opposite experience! DD loved W&M even more after the tour.

Definitely appeals to different types of kids... my son hated it but my daughter loved it!

Agree - I had one hate it and one love it. I felt like the Colonial Williamsburg aspect can be a real turn off for some kids, even though my DS who attends there considers that a non-issue. I had a friend who's DD saw a Thomas Jefferson walking around the town and said "forget it." My nephew from NC got on the cypher postcards indicating likely admission and I am figuring out with my sister the best time to visit to make him love it!

Haha that could be my DC! She had the exact same reaction LOL so she stayed at the hotel and my son and I did the haunted Williamsburg tour which he loved, and being a history nut, woudl actually probably want to get a job in Colonial Williamsburg at some point during his time there, if he went.

Oh my goodness, thank you for mentioning this! It sounds tailor-made for my American history and all-things-creepy loving 9 year old DD!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The overwhelming majority of posts on this thread is ridiculous. The reasons given by parents and students alike for writing off schools are silly.

I am sorry you are not enjoying this thread - I sure am. I love the multiple takes on different campuses, some of which I have never been to, and am laughing at the funny things kids see or don't see in a visit. Good perspective, all with a grain of salt.

Agree! Pp who’s FIL loved the Princeton eating clubs here. I told DH about the eating club hate on this thread and he lol because his dad talks incessantly about how great they were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally different list from most here (DC wanted a LAC or SLAC and was interested in going outside this region). Visits made a huge difference and I'm sorry that so many students last year and this year probably won't get to visit campuses before applying or even after applying in some cases, depending on the virus.

DC was very interested in Sarah Lawrence College on paper and because a friend was already there and loved it. The visit was well coordinated (we went on a prospective students' day when they had full-day panels, specialized tours, meals, etc., and were very impressed with how it was all put together), yet DC came away immediately saying, "I like it...until I don't. I can't say exactly why but it doesn't feel right for me." DH and I felt the same way and we think it was a gut reaction to the tiny campus that feels like a prep school. Not dissing the college's academics at all here, and DC's friend is still very happy there, but DC didn't have that strong a gut reaction against anywhere else. Didn't apply.

A visit to Vassar, which was not even on DC's list, ended up with DC applying to and now attending there. Vassar was located near a couple of other colleges DC wanted to visit in NY, so we added in a casual stop with a walking tour and the usual admissions talk. I think it made a big difference that DC also visited two of the departments solo, after e-mailing them in advance and asking if she could stop in briefly. Both departments were very welcoming and treated her, a random HS senior, fantastically. Those were supposed to be short visits and she ended up being taken around both departments and attending a class as well, so we were there the whole day. DC came away with the college at the top of the list. And we hadn't even originally planned to stop there. It's why I think visits can make a big difference IF the student can do them.

Interesting. We’re doing both schools spring break, which is more wandering around campus. DD did the virtual info sessions and tours. SL seemed like a great safety... until it was off. I really looked at number with DD. There small and then there under 400 kids. Endowment is $100M. My older kid’s SLAC drew down theirs $32M to get kids in campus and in person classes for COVID. Singles without jacking housing prices. All the plexiglass, COVID testing, reserved quarantined and infection suites, increased need based aid etc., etc. But, they have a $1B endowment and can. Not every year. But if you are going to draw down on the endowment, COVID is when you should be doing it. SL’s campus still has no kids in residence, even for full remote. Only 80% first year retention pre-COVID. And we talked about how with declining enrollment and why retention was important and what having no real cash reserves they can’t. College is a business decision as well as a hear decision and this helped get us talking about the financial piece.

Vasser looks like a much stronger contender, and checks all the boxes, so we’ll see. I would be a nice fit— on paper. Well look at SL to compare. But, unless I’m missing something, it’s hard to see how they stay afloat without a merger or some such. It’s sad to watch great schools like Earlham and SL falter. I guess it’s been predicted for a while it would happen. It makes we angry we can’t find a better way to finance higher education.

TL. No one cares.

I care. this was a more useful post then most. I have vassar on my list of potnetial good fits for DC but we need to visit before DC is willing to consider it for her list.

[Anonymous]

Re Tulane — I spent a lot of my life in NOLA. Tulane is already a very Greek party school and when you add Marci Gras to that you get a school that can really be too much socially for some kids. But extroverted, very socially comfortable kids can go there and love it. I have found when it comes to New Orleans people either love it or hate it with nothing in between.

[Anonymous]

Pitt pp's 13:09, 14:07, 14:12 - hope you're still coming back to this thread. It would be so helpful if you can elaborate a little more about Pitt. I'm curious about the pp with one kid who loved it, and one who didn't.

Would appreciate anyone's feedback. It wasn't safe for a visit over holiday break when they spiked. Mid winter break weather made it impossible to travel. DS senior has a few acceptances, but he virtually loves the Pitt students because they're active on Reddit, answer all questions, and they're incredibly friendly. He's exhausted all virtual options. Pittsburgh is farther than he planned, but he's intrigued that Oakland is called the innovation district, and a city within the city. Thanks for this thread. Love the honesty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The overwhelming majority of posts on this thread is ridiculous. The reasons given by parents and students alike for writing off schools are silly.

I am sorry you are not enjoying this thread - I sure am. I love the multiple takes on different campuses, some of which I have never been to, and am laughing at the funny things kids see or don't see in a visit. Good perspective, all with a grain of salt.

Agree! Pp who’s FIL loved the Princeton eating clubs here. I told DH about the eating club hate on this thread and he lol because his dad talks incessantly about how great they were.

I still do NOT understand what is meant by an “eating club.” Could someone please explain?
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The overwhelming majority of posts on this thread is ridiculous. The reasons given by parents and students alike for writing off schools are silly.

I am sorry you are not enjoying this thread - I sure am. I love the multiple takes on different campuses, some of which I have never been to, and am laughing at the funny things kids see or don't see in a visit. Good perspective, all with a grain of salt.

Agree! Pp who’s FIL loved the Princeton eating clubs here. I told DH about the eating club hate on this thread and he lol because his dad talks incessantly about how great they were.

I still do NOT understand what is meant by an “eating club.” Could someone please explain?
DP

Princeton's version of frats, but snootier and more exclusive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The overwhelming majority of posts on this thread is ridiculous. The reasons given by parents and students alike for writing off schools are silly.

I am sorry you are not enjoying this thread - I sure am. I love the multiple takes on different campuses, some of which I have never been to, and am laughing at the funny things kids see or don't see in a visit. Good perspective, all with a grain of salt.

Agree! Pp who’s FIL loved the Princeton eating clubs here. I told DH about the eating club hate on this thread and he lol because his dad talks incessantly about how great they were.

I still do NOT understand what is meant by an “eating club.” Could someone please explain?
DP

Princeton's version of frats, but snootier and more exclusive.

Is that even possible?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The overwhelming majority of posts on this thread is ridiculous. The reasons given by parents and students alike for writing off schools are silly.

I am sorry you are not enjoying this thread - I sure am. I love the multiple takes on different campuses, some of which I have never been to, and am laughing at the funny things kids see or don't see in a visit. Good perspective, all with a grain of salt.

Agree! Pp who’s FIL loved the Princeton eating clubs here. I told DH about the eating club hate on this thread and he lol because his dad talks incessantly about how great they were.

Your FIL is in his 80s. His experience has zero relevance here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The overwhelming majority of posts on this thread is ridiculous. The reasons given by parents and students alike for writing off schools are silly.

I am sorry you are not enjoying this thread - I sure am. I love the multiple takes on different campuses, some of which I have never been to, and am laughing at the funny things kids see or don't see in a visit. Good perspective, all with a grain of salt.

Agree! Pp who’s FIL loved the Princeton eating clubs here. I told DH about the eating club hate on this thread and he lol because his dad talks incessantly about how great they were.

I still do NOT understand what is meant by an “eating club.” Could someone please explain?
DP

I think they are social clubs.

How Princeton's are described:
The eating clubs at Princeton University are private institutions resembling both dining halls and social houses, where the majority of Princeton upperclassmen eat their meals. Princeton's eating clubs are the primary setting in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1920 debut novel, This Side of Paradise, and the clubs appeared prominently in the 2004 novel The Rule of Four. Princeton undergraduates have their choice of eleven eating clubs. Seven clubs—Cannon Club, Cap and Gown Club, Princeton Tower Club, The Ivy Club, Charter Club, Tiger Inn and University Cottage Club—choose their members through a selective process called "bicker", involving an interview process, though the actual deliberations are secret. Four clubs— Cloister Inn, Colonial Club, Quadrangle Club, and Terrace Club—are non-selective "sign-in" clubs, with members chosen through a lottery process. While many upperclassmen (third- and fourth-year students) at Princeton take their meals at the eating clubs, the clubs are private institutions and are not officially affiliated with Princeton University.

Davidson has something similar, but they seem less exclusive:
Eating Houses are a unique Davidson tradition centered around social gatherings and shared meals. Eating houses undergo a self-selection process, where students rank houses in order of preference and an algorithm assigns them an eating house affiliation—removing the pressures of rush from the process.

[Anonymous]

I should have said social clubs where students eat.

[Anonymous]

God, this is all just so bizarre. What if I just want to eat wherever I want? So glad I went to a school that didn’t have this nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God, this is all just so bizarre. What if I just want to eat wherever I want? So glad I went to a school that didn’t have this nonsense.

^^Lol!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re Tulane — I spent a lot of my life in NOLA. Tulane is already a very Greek party school and when you add Marci Gras to that you get a school that can really be too much socially for some kids. But extroverted, very socially comfortable kids can go there and love it. I have found when it comes to New Orleans people either love it or hate it with nothing in between.

I have never been to a city that was more DRENCHED in alcohol. And I mean for adults visiting for business, not even college students.

Not my idea of a great place to send a kid living on their own for the first time. .. while I am paying for them to learn.

But luckily, my kid never had any interest in it/the south.