Outside of academics, what factors to look for in terms of fit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's what I did not factor in...and it caused me to transfer.

I went to a state flagship with a great football team in a rural area. A big school. It was thought of as a wholesome and fun school. The campus was lovely and it had 150+ majors. My aunt and uncle had gone there. I thought it would be great.

When I attended, I quickly figured out that the Liberal Arts college was the least prestigious/least rigorous college among the set. I couldn't find classmates interested enough in their coursework to discuss it. Everyone around me was more interested in just getting a degree vs. getting an education.

The other thing that really was a downer was the amount of regular alcohol abuse going on. I don't drink much and don't really care to, and hanging around with excitable wasted, vomit-prone people in loud environments is not how I make friends. It was way too prevalent. My dorm security was compromised due to this as well.

I took a year of straight A's and GTFO'd to the then less prestigious rival urban school where Greeks and NCAA athlete culture were less dominant. And city amenities abounded. And I could get a single room so no messed up roommate to deal with either.

So, I'd definitely advise checking out the true social vibe if possible. My sibling and their spouse were both offered drugs at their Ivy admit weekends. It left them questioning whether the school was a good fit (mainly because breaking the law in front of random underage seniors you don't really know is a bit gauche as well as legally risky). But at least they knew what to expect. I had only been on a 1 hour campus tour and walked around for a couple hours at the school I chose. I relied on other people's perceptions of what is "fun" and that was a big mistake. One of the biggest I've made in life so far.

Penn State to Pitt, huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's what I did not factor in...and it caused me to transfer.

I went to a state flagship with a great football team in a rural area. A big school. It was thought of as a wholesome and fun school. The campus was lovely and it had 150+ majors. My aunt and uncle had gone there. I thought it would be great.

When I attended, I quickly figured out that the Liberal Arts college was the least prestigious/least rigorous college among the set. I couldn't find classmates interested enough in their coursework to discuss it. Everyone around me was more interested in just getting a degree vs. getting an education.

The other thing that really was a downer was the amount of regular alcohol abuse going on. I don't drink much and don't really care to, and hanging around with excitable wasted, vomit-prone people in loud environments is not how I make friends. It was way too prevalent. My dorm security was compromised due to this as well.

I took a year of straight A's and GTFO'd to the then less prestigious rival urban school where Greeks and NCAA athlete culture were less dominant. And city amenities abounded. And I could get a single room so no messed up roommate to deal with either.

So, I'd definitely advise checking out the true social vibe if possible. My sibling and their spouse were both offered drugs at their Ivy admit weekends. It left them questioning whether the school was a good fit (mainly because breaking the law in front of random underage seniors you don't really know is a bit gauche as well as legally risky). But at least they knew what to expect. I had only been on a 1 hour campus tour and walked around for a couple hours at the school I chose. I relied on other people's perceptions of what is "fun" and that was a big mistake. One of the biggest I've made in life so far.

Penn State to Pitt, huh?

Or Ohio State to Ohio University

[Anonymous]

Visit and observe the student body

- Are they in shape, fit
- hygenic
- Well rested
- What’s the outcomes-to-schoolwork ratio

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking for advice from families who have older kids in college…

My DS has his list narrowed down to a few very similar schools. With academics and cost being very comparable, I’m curious about some of the smaller day-to-day things that enhanced your kid’s college experience…also looking for negatives that they may not have considered when making their decision. Thanks!

We have 3 kids who looked for different things. One wanted a D1 school. Loved going to football and basketball games, still cheers on his teams. One wanted a big city with lots to do outside of the school. Did interesting internships that lead to interesting job. Also heavily involved in activities on campus. The third wanted a more rural environment. Is heavily involved in Greek life and service.

Visiting schools prior to making their choices was important. I still remember one school we visited for child #1, was D1, met the academic criteria, in an area of the country they liked, etc. When we arrived, we hadn't been on campus 5 minutes when they said, "I'm not going here - I'm not going to apply." We still listened to the talk, went on the tour and ate in the cafeteria, but child remained steadfast and did not apply. It was a gut feel that they did not like that particular school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things that swayed my kids one way or another...

Variety of housing options
Quality and variety of the food
Extracurricular activities -- could they continue specific ECs, how competitive is it to join clubs
Rec centers - does it have good equipment, how crowded is it (can you actually get in to use it when you want to)
Extended visits where they could meet with several students and get a sense of the "vibe"
Surrounding area - does it have places they want to go, how hard is it to get around
Academically - how many required general ed classes are there, how flexible is the curriculum, what kind of supporting research centers or other facilities do they have to support experiential learning.

Vibe is a key factor for my kids. As you walk campus, talk to students and tour guides, does your kid "feel at home" and see themselves fitting in. Some campuses, my kid really saw it, others it helped them to see, while the academics are great and it's an amazing school, they will do better at the other choices

+1 DD had a clear take on the "vibe" at schools that to me seemed pretty darn similar. In the end she picked the place where she felt at home. IMO, you don't argue with the vibe assessment.

At the school my kid ultimately picked, they just felt at home from the first tour. Ironically, each tour we did (2) they had multiple guides and you could pick one. So they had an engineering major (STEM), a premed (but humanities major), humanities/social sciences (not premed), etc. Well my kid picked the engineering major both times, and got not just an engineering major, but a Chem E major (my kid's chosen major) both times. So it really helped to see that the tour guides were interesting, engaging kids that are similar to my "non geeky" engineering kid.

Then the school my kid chose has a unique "core curriculum" where you take courses in all 3 areas: STEM, Humanities and Social Sciences. Your major covers one, and then you take 12 credits in each of the others in the SAME discipline. They want you to focus in depth on something you love. That really appeals to my dancer kid. They will be taking 12 credits of dance and 12 credits of Psychology and their freshman writing course. That is it---no history, no theology, no philosophy, no literature, etc. Instead they do their history with the history of dance along with actual dancing. They don't have to take courses they don't like/don't want to take to just check boxes.

Really from the moment they set foot on campus first time, I could see something different in my kid about the campus. At first I thought it was because the previous day had been two campuses they absolutely did NOT like (Troy NY is not a nice town). They had immediately found the place they really loved and was a Target school (so achievable and not single digit acceptance rates. Thankfully it all worked out

Any chance you are willing to share the school he picked? Sounds like something my son would be interested in. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rochester

RIT or University of Rochester?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rochester

RIT or University of Rochester?

It's University of Rochester.
https://www.rochester.edu/about/curriculum.html

[Anonymous]

Motley Crue said it best: "GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My current senior is very interested in "fit." Some things that rose to the top of her list:

-- Class size
-- Availability of majors, and treatment of her prospective majors. Are you boxed in from the very beginning, can you come in undecided, can you switch later without losing too much time?
-- Friendliness of the student body. This has been extremely important to her
-- Distance from home
-- Balance of students. She goes to a diverse high school, and some schools have seemed a little too white. Some schools are way heavier on girls than boys. You can find these stats online, but sometimes, the real picture on campus is a little different.
-- Access to professors, internships, etc.
-- Fun clubs

This is a major problem at some schools.

What about that makes it a 'major problem'?

[Anonymous]

On top of everything above, consider (1) breadth/quality/availability of backup options in case DC decides to change major because 70% do (tho maybe that falls into the “academic” bucket?) and how easy to transfer between programs/schools at the same university, and (2) any idea what job placement coming out of college looks like? This was important to a friend with STEM kid, who picked Rose-Hulman in part because of its career office’s hustle on behalf of students and great post-grad placement ratings. Sure enough, kid landed a great job right out of college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On top of everything above, consider (1) breadth/quality/availability of backup options in case DC decides to change major because 70% do (tho maybe that falls into the “academic” bucket?) and how easy to transfer between programs/schools at the same university, and (2) any idea what job placement coming out of college looks like? This was important to a friend with STEM kid, who picked Rose-Hulman in part because of its career office’s hustle on behalf of students and great post-grad placement ratings. Sure enough, kid landed a great job right out of college.

I wish there was a ranking of schools by some metric like "Career Services that go above and beyond". I would think Rose would be like that, but also good to hear it confirmed.

Seems like you hear about a bunch of other schools, where the kids are out applying online to 400 different companies with little help from Career Services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My current senior is very interested in "fit." Some things that rose to the top of her list:

-- Class size
-- Availability of majors, and treatment of her prospective majors. Are you boxed in from the very beginning, can you come in undecided, can you switch later without losing too much time?
-- Friendliness of the student body. This has been extremely important to her
-- Distance from home
-- Balance of students. She goes to a diverse high school, and some schools have seemed a little too white. Some schools are way heavier on girls than boys. You can find these stats online, but sometimes, the real picture on campus is a little different.
-- Access to professors, internships, etc.
-- Fun clubs

This is a major problem at some schools.

What about that makes it a 'major problem'?

Having grown up in very diverse areas, my kid specifically wanted to attend a university that was "more diverse" as well. Some of us enjoy living surrounded by diversity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to college in D.C.

However, crime in D.C. is increasing exponentially, and it does not show any sign of changing in the near future.

All the D.C. universities are unfortunately off our list for that reason.

Yeah, Georgetown, Foggy Bottom, and Tenleytown are downright terrifying these days.

I graduated GW in 1999 and still live in the area close enough that doctors and dentists still in Foggy Bottom-it’s much worse and I don’t think I’d want DD going there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On top of everything above, consider (1) breadth/quality/availability of backup options in case DC decides to change major because 70% do (tho maybe that falls into the “academic” bucket?) and how easy to transfer between programs/schools at the same university, and (2) any idea what job placement coming out of college looks like? This was important to a friend with STEM kid, who picked Rose-Hulman in part because of its career office’s hustle on behalf of students and great post-grad placement ratings. Sure enough, kid landed a great job right out of college.

I wish there was a ranking of schools by some metric like "Career Services that go above and beyond". I would think Rose would be like that, but also good to hear it confirmed.

Seems like you hear about a bunch of other schools, where the kids are out applying online to 400 different companies with little help from Career Services.

Here's one list (and Rose Hulman is included) https://www.collegexpress.com/lists/list/the-experts-choice-colleges-with-excellent-career-counseling/271/

[Anonymous]

OP I don't think we are the norm in the DMV for what we're looking for

#1 is quality of education
#2 is going to be location and student body size
#3 is graduation %
#4 is employment prospects / further education

what we don't want is a huge place with meat head sports kids or greek life. We want small, good town, intellectual co-hort.

Which is also why we are actively looking OUTSIDE of the USA