What school dropped off the list because of your visit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard. One of the most unimpressive, inarticulate tour guides we had anywhere. The overall event felt like they were phoning it in and didn't care what people thought.

Lol. Well, they don't care because Harvard doesn't need to sell itself through campus tours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard. One of the most unimpressive, inarticulate tour guides we had anywhere. The overall event felt like they were phoning it in and didn't care what people thought.

Interesting- I expected to hate this tour/info session and to my surprise was really impressed by ours. It’s not like Harvard needs to put a big effort in to these tours, but I thought they did a great job. Only thing I didn’t like is the crowd size, probably at least 800 people so it really did feel like the tourist activity that it is. My dd didn’t end up applying there in the end but we both came away with a more favorable view of Harvard than we expected to.

Harvard and Cambridge are incredible. And who decides on a school based on the tour guide? I’m surprised so many people are swayed by that instead of the feel and look of the campus.

This is stupid. I went to MIT and Cambridge is meh, nothing special. Harvard square gets boring after you have been there 3 times. I could never live in Boston. Too small, too white, racist, too cold. Summer is nice though.

Cambridge is definitely not "meh." Charming, world-class city a river away from another one.

Cambridge is definitely not the "meh" place it once was 25-30 years ago. However, it's a bit of a stretch to call it both "charming" and "world class"...

[Anonymous]

Well, then I suggest you live or tour New York City.

It is truly a world-class city with so many remarkable places and opportunities. Prices do not have to be expensive. many reasonable options and opportunities. Museums are magnificent.

Columbia University and Morningside Heights are very stimulating.

[Anonymous]

I went to Arizona State University (in the 1990's), and it looks and feels like a beautiful resort complete with palm trees lining the sidewalks.

So I have to keep quiet when visiting pretty much all colleges with my DD, as most of them are a disappointment in my eyes (even though they look fine to her).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, then I suggest you live or tour New York City.

It is truly a world-class city with so many remarkable places and opportunities. Prices do not have to be expensive. many reasonable options and opportunities. Museums are magnificent.

Columbia University and Morningside Heights are very stimulating.

Which is why residents are leaving in droves to Florida.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, then I suggest you live or tour New York City.

It is truly a world-class city with so many remarkable places and opportunities. Prices do not have to be expensive. many reasonable options and opportunities. Museums are magnificent.

Columbia University and Morningside Heights are very stimulating.

Which is why residents are leaving in droves to Florida.

Residents as in the Trump family? Ha

[Anonymous]

Cornell (too crunchy for DD) and Williams (too snobby for DD).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, then I suggest you live or tour New York City.

It is truly a world-class city with so many remarkable places and opportunities. Prices do not have to be expensive. many reasonable options and opportunities. Museums are magnificent.

Columbia University and Morningside Heights are very stimulating.

Which is why residents are leaving in droves to Florida.

Residents as in the Trump family? Ha

https://dailycaller.com/2020/12/15/new-york-city-unacast-rich-leaving-income-pandemic/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just did spring break with DD (which is more like self guided wandering around during COVID). But she came away with strong feelings. Introvert into humanities and music, which colored her view.

No to:

Tufts: I agree with PP the campus was weird and off putting. And it’s hard to described, but it felt more Greek that the numbers let on. Beer pong out of second story windows, etc.

Hamilton: nixed for the same reason as Kenyon. Just too rural for her. If you don’t have a car, literally nothing off campus is walkable. Greek system also a negative. Kids setting beers outside dorm windows on ledges to chill also made a bad impression. It feel like that with a school that rural with a Greek system alcohol and parties will make up a big piece of social life. And that’s not her thing.

Colby: it’s obvious that Colby right now is sinking a lot of money into athletic facilities. And the number and quality of athletic facilities for a small school really stood out. And did kids walking around campus with LAX sticks and Conby swim and dive shirts. And there was,UCs less emphasis on fine arts. It’s a mismatch for my kid.

Mixed feeling on Northeastern. It’s a new, sprung up in the middle of Boston campus. The metro station is a nice bonus, but we heard “it doesn’t feel like a real college campus”. She probably won’t consider GW for the same reason. Mostly, she’s undecided on the co-op program. Really likes it in theory but isn’t sure about friends constantly leaving and returning for being away 4-6 months. And isn’t sure whether taking 5 years to graduate is better than doing a gap year between college and grad school. I like the focus of giving kids skills for employment.

OTOH, really lived Brown (we’ve been clear that with a 34 ACT and a few Bs on her transcript and no curing of cancer, it’s a high reach), Boston College, Bates. Bowdoin to a lesser extent.

Loved Vassar, which makes sense. She also loves Oberlin. Likes Vasser was an hour train ride from New York, relatively large for for a SLAC ADAs a cute, walkable downtown.

Hope this helps. Not trying to put down any schools. Place like Hamilton have great academics and are great for some kids. Just maybe not my kid.

You have the most distinct writing/communication style of any poster EVER!! I recognized you immediately from this thread. Amirite? https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/952518.page#19361030

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Princeton, you would have needed the jaws of life to pry the stick out of the guide’s ass

We had an awful Princeton tour also. The focus of the tour was our guide to pointing out all the gargoyles on campus (he said he found them all because he liked to talk to them), complaining about the eating clubs, and in response to a question about what it was like academically, he said, "Why do you care? None of you are going to get in anyway." I did see Paul Krugman locking up his bike, so the day wasn't a complete loss.

Also, Wake Forest (our guide just talked about partying the whole time), UNC (ugly campus, unpleasant guide), Oberlin (but we did like Kenyon), Pitzer (the student giving the presentation was a complete moron - he might have been high - many people walked out in the middle of it)

This is hilarious.

[Anonymous]

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.

And this, right here, is the reason why most schools need to increase their percentages of first-generation students to 99.9%. Just to lock your snowflake's entitled ass out. It was raining at the best public university in the country and your precious Larlo decided it was good enough for him?

BTW, it's not 'John's Hopkins', it's Johns Hopkins, you idiot.

[Anonymous]

Villanova.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:William and Mary for my daughter, that sample dorm room they show you on the tour.... ugh not homey at all. Was a shame because if they hadn't shown the dorm room it would have climbed to do the top of the list. Loved the campus and the vibe though my daughter noticed not alot of cute boys lol.

Also Georgetown, not that we were going to get in, but we went a few times just to explore and the last time we were there almost stepped on a dead rat in the middle of the walkway. That was enough to scare my son away once he read that rats and roaches are a big problem there. I'm sure that happens everywhere but it was a turnoff lol

Why they don't put more money into their dorms, I have no idea. If they did, they would completely increase their applicant pool and rankings. Just look at Columbia...

[Anonymous]

Syracuse

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tulane. School is beautiful but could not get over how unsafe we felt in New Orleans at 10pm. And I (and DD) are not new to cities. I have worked in DC and Baltimore. But felt relieved to get back to hotel. Definitely crossed off list. But to be fair, it was a reach for DD anyway. Excited to be UVA bound (which was also reach but legacy).

Hmm, in NOLA right now and felt comfortable walking around, you just have to choose where you are walking, like in any big city. I grew up in Baltimore and definitely find it worse than New Orleans as far as safety - whole different vibe to downtown.

We have crossed off a few schools that felt too urban / ugly. Seton Hall being one, La Salle was another. The area around Tulane - St Charles Ave - was lovely.