Review your spring break college visits / tours

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While not on the lists of 99% of DCUM, Coastal Carolina was a solid 2 hours of walking around campus. Really did a good job.

Lasting impression? Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We hit upstate NY and visited Ithaca, Cornell and Syracuse. My DC won't get into Cornell, but wanted to see it, and did really love it. Also really liked Syracuse, and will consider Ithaca as a safety. Considering some sort of media-related major.

Any more details on the Syracuse and Ithaca campuses and impressions from tours?

[Anonymous]

Hudson University was disappointing. It seemed very unsafe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We hit upstate NY and visited Ithaca, Cornell and Syracuse. My DC won't get into Cornell, but wanted to see it, and did really love it. Also really liked Syracuse, and will consider Ithaca as a safety. Considering some sort of media-related major.

Any more details on the Syracuse and Ithaca campuses and impressions from tours?

Syracuse is beautiful -- kind of a quintessential college with beautiful buildings. We focused on the Newhouse school, which is top-notch, but the university as a whole seemed great. Lots of friendly kids. Pretty diverse student body. Dorms are scattered around the outer edge of campus. They were a little dated, but not terrible. Greek houses were beautiful, though I'm not sure my DC will go that route. We had delicious pizza off campus after the tour.

Ithaca isn't as pretty architecturally, but you have gorgeous views of one of the Finger Lakes. Their communications school is tiny by comparison, but seemed to have good internship possibilities and opportunities for connection. It has more of an artsy vibe than Syracuse. Was trying to get a sense of whether non-music majors can participate in performance groups, and I'm not sure -- there are so many kids who are highly focused on that. But we liked it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While not on the lists of 99% of DCUM, Coastal Carolina was a solid 2 hours of walking around campus. Really did a good job.

Lasting impression? Thoughts?

Mom and dad really liked it. Imaging Mrtyle Beach in Jan/Feb. Kid was turned off by lack of Greek Housing. At least we know her priorities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hudson University was disappointing. It seemed very unsafe.

Thanks for the smile

[Anonymous]

We did UNC-Wilmington over break since we were down in that general area. It was a good info session, not too salesy and a good length. Tours were about 20-25 people per tour with student tour guides. It was basic but good. Liked the two years on campus requirement. Also all freshman dorms are on one "quad" area which was nice. The one academic area (can't remember what it was called) kind of reminded me of the Hunger Games capital: four giant identical buildings on the four corners of a quad like area. Very flat campus with lots of skateboarders and bicycles. 15 min from the beach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get that but it’s very close to 50/50. And the average aid package is enormous, like 65k. So half are paying 85 and half 20. It’s very 1990 barbell of them.

You have an incredibly poor understanding of the concept of "average"

[Anonymous]

DC and I went out West to visit schools over spring break. DC wants small, suburban, and warm. Loved the 5Cs, especially Claremont KcKenna College. We were both incredibly impressed by the resources for students and, honestly, the huge emphasis on viewpoint diversity and freedom of speech. DC is pretty liberal, but is quite disenchanted with the group-think at current school; DC wants to debate and discuss issues and be challenged. CMC invites a wide range of speakers from different fields and across the ideological spectrum for formal dinners four nights/week, and the students are exposed to some of the brightest minds in the world. Being a part of the Claremont Consortium is a big plus too. I attended HYPSM for undergraduate and graduate school and have no regrets. But the 5Cs are really special if your child is interested in small liberal arts colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swat made a BIG deal about how the copies were FREE* there! Mentioned many many times!

*once you pay them 85k

Same with Kenyon, 😂 (a few other schools talked about the “free unlimited copies” as well).

[Anonymous]

I might think colleges would tout their free laundry (machines) vs copies. All kids will use the formers and almost none will use the latter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC and I went out West to visit schools over spring break. DC wants small, suburban, and warm. Loved the 5Cs, especially Claremont KcKenna College. We were both incredibly impressed by the resources for students and, honestly, the huge emphasis on viewpoint diversity and freedom of speech. DC is pretty liberal, but is quite disenchanted with the group-think at current school; DC wants to debate and discuss issues and be challenged. CMC invites a wide range of speakers from different fields and across the ideological spectrum for formal dinners four nights/week, and the students are exposed to some of the brightest minds in the world. Being a part of the Claremont Consortium is a big plus too. I attended HYPSM for undergraduate and graduate school and have no regrets. But the 5Cs are really special if your child is interested in small liberal arts colleges.

As an alum of one of the colleges, I wholeheartedly agree. They're amazing.

[Anonymous]

Boston University has an indoor lazy river!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boston University has an indoor lazy river!

That's cool (and I don't say it sarcastically) - but for $95k, you would expect certain amenities like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swat made a BIG deal about how the copies were FREE* there! Mentioned many many times!

*once you pay them 85k

I went on tours with a family member whose parent couldn't, a long time ago, and this came up on every tour. It's like if really fancy expensive restaurants advertised that the napkins were free. Or if the Four Seasons came out with an advertising campaign that the toilet paper was included!

We joked that there were three things that were said on every tour.

The free paper.

This campus is so safe! It's very safe. Here's a blue light so you can call security. But you won't need security! It's very safe. But if you use the blue light security comes very quickly! Here's a story about a freshman from a big city who saw a deer and called security and they came very quickly! Ha Ha! Oh, don't worry no one laughed at the freshman. Security drove him home! They're so nice. They're like our best friends!

If you (touch, cross, sit on, etc . . . ) this (arch, seal, rock etc . . . you won't graduate, so let's all carefully walk around.