For fun: first impressions of colleges based on tours...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These are all very funny. It makes me feel a bit better, because we were recently in Pittsburgh and my 16 yo DS declared it “too flat” for him to consider for college.

Too funny. You should have encouraged him to walk from the Cathedral of Learning to Trees Pool. It is referred to a “cardiac hill”!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mount Holyoke: Classic New England with a gothic vibe and an incredibly chatty tour guide

Columbia: Dark and shadowy in a way I cannot explain - like didn't get sunlight

Conn College: Preptown and small

Skidmore: Not polished -- seemed like a small progressive high school

Never been there, but that is my impression from campus pics!

I interviewed there for my firm a couple of times, and it’s true. Once we were in the most prison-like room I’ve ever been in. One small, high window with bars that looked out onto a dark service alley.

[Anonymous]

We lived in SoCal a few years ago. My DH and I absolutely adored the distinct nature of all 5 Claremont Colleges, but our child found called them and the surrounding area a ghost town and did not want to apply after visiting. To be fair to him, it was very quiet. He much preferred the energy and urban atmosphere of USC/UCLA.

He was expecting to like Stanford more than he actually did. He said the vibe felt "unsettling" and didn't elaborate any further. We found the campus to be a world of itself and could understand the Stanford bubble notion. It was grand, sweeping, and pristine. Meanwhile, he loved the environment at UC Berkeley. We thought the central parts of the campus were beautiful, but many of the other parts felt in need of renovation.

The out of state schools we visited were:

1) Yale. All of us loved it. A spectacular campus that doesn't shy from its stateliness or extravagance. We also found New Haven to be a city filled with character, and loved the way Yale blended into it. The students here felt truly kindhearted, intellectual, and genuine. Dream school.

2) Princeton. Architecturally, it felt similar to Yale, but more subdued, modern, and quaint. The students came across as more outright impressive and articulate, which made him feel like it was there was a slightly competitive vibe there.

3) Brown. Quaint, idyllic campus at the surface, but filled with creative spaces if you looked closely. The students here felt very similar to those at Yale.

4) Harvard. It honestly looked like Brown's campus, just with deeper red bricks instead.

5) University of Chicago. Right away he didn't like the vibe- too academic and stiff in his opinion. But I found it to be remarkable. There are a lot of unique architectural styles here that shape up this campus. We visited the Museum of Science/Industry close by and were stunned by how beautiful that area was.

6) Georgetown and Johns Hopkins. Georgetown's main building was truly spectacular, but the rest of the campus was so lackluster and there were parts that were truly an eye-sore. Johns Hopkins was much smaller than any of us had imagined, but it was quaint. Much more tranquil than we were expecting given its academic reputation.

7) Rice. A huge surprise. The beautiful campus honestly felt like a Goldilocks campus with its size and walkability. The trees and green areas felt like they were placed with purpose. We drove around and saw the busy urban nature of the Houston Medical Center, which borders the campus. But once we were in, it was so quiet and peaceful that you couldn't really sense the city. The students here were so friendly, and there was this infectious love for the place and its unique atmosphere that spread to all of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brandeis -- loved the tour guide. Not a pretty campus. Some buildings seem to be falling apart.

BC -- these kids (on tour) are just biding time until they can get to Lululemon for some serious shopping. Panel was the WORST (student rep talked about cutting class and failing b/c it was too early). But the Wizard of Oz hall is way cool

Harvard -- loved it

Yale -- a bit austere, like the idea of colleges

Brown -- love the adirondack chairs

Middlebury -- beautiful but far out. Is there no ice cream shop in town? (it was summer)

Dartmouth -- loved it. Guy in the booth was so friendly.

Williams -- serene. Great thai food!

Vassar -- loved it. So beautiful (ignored the grotty town)

Muehlenberg - so welcoming! Friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. Great student reps.

My kid dismissed Middlebury as "too Christmas-y" thought it looked like the set of a Christmas movie. It was likely beyond our budget so I didn't push but inside I was screaming 'this is my all-time vision of the most idyllic college and I've raised my kid to have no taste.'
We both liked the co-operative farm though so I guess DC isn't entirely without taste.

Hahahahaha! It does look like the setting for a Hallmark movie, A very lefty Hallmark movie!

[Anonymous]

Rice struck us as a slightly prettier version of Carnegie Mellon, with architecture that seemed like it belonged in Florida.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brandeis -- loved the tour guide. Not a pretty campus. Some buildings seem to be falling apart.

BC -- these kids (on tour) are just biding time until they can get to Lululemon for some serious shopping. Panel was the WORST (student rep talked about cutting class and failing b/c it was too early). But the Wizard of Oz hall is way cool

Harvard -- loved it

Yale -- a bit austere, like the idea of colleges

Brown -- love the adirondack chairs

Middlebury -- beautiful but far out. Is there no ice cream shop in town? (it was summer)

Dartmouth -- loved it. Guy in the booth was so friendly.

Williams -- serene. Great thai food!

Vassar -- loved it. So beautiful (ignored the grotty town)

Muehlenberg - so welcoming! Friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. Great student reps.

Agree re Dartmouth booth guy. Was he the retired Sidwell grad from DC?

Don't know, but he was Dartmouth grad w/ his Dartmouth cap. I want to say class of '57? Super cute!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We lived in SoCal a few years ago. My DH and I absolutely adored the distinct nature of all 5 Claremont Colleges, but our child found called them and the surrounding area a ghost town and did not want to apply after visiting. To be fair to him, it was very quiet. He much preferred the energy and urban atmosphere of USC/UCLA.

He was expecting to like Stanford more than he actually did. He said the vibe felt "unsettling" and didn't elaborate any further. We found the campus to be a world of itself and could understand the Stanford bubble notion. It was grand, sweeping, and pristine. Meanwhile, he loved the environment at UC Berkeley. We thought the central parts of the campus were beautiful, but many of the other parts felt in need of renovation.

The out of state schools we visited were:

1) Yale. All of us loved it. A spectacular campus that doesn't shy from its stateliness or extravagance. We also found New Haven to be a city filled with character, and loved the way Yale blended into it. The students here felt truly kindhearted, intellectual, and genuine. Dream school.

2) Princeton. Architecturally, it felt similar to Yale, but more subdued, modern, and quaint. The students came across as more outright impressive and articulate, which made him feel like it was there was a slightly competitive vibe there.

3) Brown. Quaint, idyllic campus at the surface, but filled with creative spaces if you looked closely. The students here felt very similar to those at Yale.

4) Harvard. It honestly looked like Brown's campus, just with deeper red bricks instead.

5) University of Chicago. Right away he didn't like the vibe- too academic and stiff in his opinion. But I found it to be remarkable. There are a lot of unique architectural styles here that shape up this campus. We visited the Museum of Science/Industry close by and were stunned by how beautiful that area was.

6) Georgetown and Johns Hopkins. Georgetown's main building was truly spectacular, but the rest of the campus was so lackluster and there were parts that were truly an eye-sore. Johns Hopkins was much smaller than any of us had imagined, but it was quaint. Much more tranquil than we were expecting given its academic reputation.

7) Rice. A huge surprise. The beautiful campus honestly felt like a Goldilocks campus with its size and walkability. The trees and green areas felt like they were placed with purpose. We drove around and saw the busy urban nature of the Houston Medical Center, which borders the campus. But once we were in, it was so quiet and peaceful that you couldn't really sense the city. The students here were so friendly, and there was this infectious love for the place and its unique atmosphere that spread to all of us.

Some of y'all need to brush up on what "quaint" and "austere" mean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard: Bland and a little drab, too touristy.

Yale: Stunningly gorgeous in every way. A+

Princeton: Also beautiful but felt like it lacked patina/character and felt a little too pretentious.

Columbia: LOVED this campus. Gritty, beautiful, classic. NYC.

Northwestern: Another favorite - great mix of modern and classic, and absolutely stunning location on the lake.

UChicago: So classically beautiful. Felt almost European, or stately, but felt extremely gloomy and gray, even though we visited same day as NU.

Cornell: Another great one - stunning location. Friendly, collegial.

I loved Northwestern. Daughter ended of choosing UPenn because her friends went there. She has regretted not choosing NU ever since, and she's already graduated.

[Anonymous]

Boston University: “needs to get over itself.”

[Anonymous]

Is everyone's child a genius?! These are all amazing schools! Congrats, parents!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We lived in SoCal a few years ago. My DH and I absolutely adored the distinct nature of all 5 Claremont Colleges, but our child found called them and the surrounding area a ghost town and did not want to apply after visiting. To be fair to him, it was very quiet. He much preferred the energy and urban atmosphere of USC/UCLA.

He was expecting to like Stanford more than he actually did. He said the vibe felt "unsettling" and didn't elaborate any further. We found the campus to be a world of itself and could understand the Stanford bubble notion. It was grand, sweeping, and pristine. Meanwhile, he loved the environment at UC Berkeley. We thought the central parts of the campus were beautiful, but many of the other parts felt in need of renovation.

The out of state schools we visited were:

1) Yale. All of us loved it. A spectacular campus that doesn't shy from its stateliness or extravagance. We also found New Haven to be a city filled with character, and loved the way Yale blended into it. The students here felt truly kindhearted, intellectual, and genuine. Dream school.

2) Princeton. Architecturally, it felt similar to Yale, but more subdued, modern, and quaint. The students came across as more outright impressive and articulate, which made him feel like it was there was a slightly competitive vibe there.

3) Brown. Quaint, idyllic campus at the surface, but filled with creative spaces if you looked closely. The students here felt very similar to those at Yale.

4) Harvard. It honestly looked like Brown's campus, just with deeper red bricks instead.

5) University of Chicago. Right away he didn't like the vibe- too academic and stiff in his opinion. But I found it to be remarkable. There are a lot of unique architectural styles here that shape up this campus. We visited the Museum of Science/Industry close by and were stunned by how beautiful that area was.

6) Georgetown and Johns Hopkins. Georgetown's main building was truly spectacular, but the rest of the campus was so lackluster and there were parts that were truly an eye-sore. Johns Hopkins was much smaller than any of us had imagined, but it was quaint. Much more tranquil than we were expecting given its academic reputation.

7) Rice. A huge surprise. The beautiful campus honestly felt like a Goldilocks campus with its size and walkability. The trees and green areas felt like they were placed with purpose. We drove around and saw the busy urban nature of the Houston Medical Center, which borders the campus. But once we were in, it was so quiet and peaceful that you couldn't really sense the city. The students here were so friendly, and there was this infectious love for the place and its unique atmosphere that spread to all of us.

Some of y'all need to brush up on what "quaint" and "austere" mean.

And this is all you got out of this poster's point of view? I'm sure his/her opinion resonates more than yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is everyone's child a genius?! These are all amazing schools! Congrats, parents!

well, they are where kids visited not where they got in .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We toured a lot of colleges with our kid. Almost all were immediately and often illogically hated and these are the reasons why. This was in spring and fall of 2019.

JMU: the highway and bus system
VT: hokie this and hokie that all day long
CNU: The walmart down the road had the kitchen knife sets locked behind glass
UVA: hated the campus
URochester: yellow jacket mascot
Lafayette: tour guide referenced Harry Potter and a quidditch team
Marist: tour guide mentioned free tutoring too much
Cornell: everyone was walking and eating alone with airpods in
Ithaca: lots of blue and burgundy hair and black clothes, decided to skip the tour completely
Skidmore: there was some festival in town and lots of guys wearing skirts
UVM: too many beanies for a 60 degree day
Colgate:we literally had to stop the car because a bear was in the road
Villanova:kid misheard the tour guide and spent the whole tour thinking the school had 60,000 students, so had already dismissed it

Ok but seems a little harsh for CNU to be judged based on a Wal-Mart’s display decision.

My kid refused to get out of the car at Roanoke College because the buildings seemed old, after we had driven all that way. I was so annoyed.

this is so deja vu PP. Our dc said the same in the parking lot "I want to go home". We thought it was nerves but forced him on (it was close to having to turn around and drive back home!). They did do an amazing admissions tour, and he said "it was a lot better than I thought it would be". Your post just had me chuckling.

[Anonymous]

After a self guided walking tour around THE Ohio State, and seeing all the anti Michigan stuff: “They are a little culty”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is everyone's child a genius?! These are all amazing schools! Congrats, parents!

well, they are where kids visited not where they got in .

+1