Schools you toured that you were surprised you liked or didn’t like?

[Anonymous]

Thought UVA wasn't as pretty as I was expecting and Villanova was bland. Both are terrific schools, so no knock on them otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t like as much as we thought we would: Penn. Compared to other tours/admissions presentations we attended, the vibe was not at all welcoming or personal. Instead of telling you about the school, and letting you ask questions, they seemed to assume that you are dying to go there and the admissions talk was mostly about what you should do to position yourself to get in. Total turn off

Unexpectedly loved: Mount Holyoke, and Smith, both of which we thought would feel too small

I’m in higher education & have visited well over 100 campuses. Penn is one of my least favorite. The architecture, the layout, the neighborhood, the city…none of it seemed appealing.

I went to grad school at Penn. While West Philly is better than it used to be, it's still the pits. I do like Center City, though . . . great restaurants and museums, and it is steeped in history.

It is much better than it used to be but it was terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also disliked Colby
Was surprised to dislike Oxy and Loyola
Loved loved loved UCLA

Why did people dislike Colby? We liked it but we went over the summer so we couldn't get the vibe of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thought UVA wasn't as pretty as I was expecting and Villanova was bland. Both are terrific schools, so no knock on them otherwise.

UVA is only a World UNESCO site. Try harder next time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought UVA wasn't as pretty as I was expecting and Villanova was bland. Both are terrific schools, so no knock on them otherwise.

UVA is only a World UNESCO site. Try harder next time

Not anymore.

I’m a sucker for gothic so I also found UVA underwhelming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought UVA wasn't as pretty as I was expecting and Villanova was bland. Both are terrific schools, so no knock on them otherwise.

UVA is only a World UNESCO site. Try harder next time

Not anymore.

I’m a sucker for gothic so I also found UVA underwhelming.

Yes, the most important factor in college choice - The VIBE. The architectural style of the school buildings as a factor in school choice - you do deserve the stress of college admissions. Wishing you more.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t think we’d like Penn State, but we loved the Honors College. The problem was the skimpy aid even with acceptance to the Honors College.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought UVA wasn't as pretty as I was expecting and Villanova was bland. Both are terrific schools, so no knock on them otherwise.

UVA is only a World UNESCO site. Try harder next time

Not anymore.

I’m a sucker for gothic so I also found UVA underwhelming.

Yes, the most important factor in college choice - The VIBE. The architectural style of the school buildings as a factor in school choice - you do deserve the stress of college admissions. Wishing you more.

You seem confused. This thread is about campus tours/architecture/vibe. Not academics or other factors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought UVA wasn't as pretty as I was expecting and Villanova was bland. Both are terrific schools, so no knock on them otherwise.

UVA is only a World UNESCO site. Try harder next time

I hate when people trot out this line. You should try harder to make a decent argument. Being a World UNESCO site refers to "cultural and natural heritage", not whether or not the location is physically attractive. And in the case of UVA that would really only apply to the Lawn/original Grounds anyway. The majority of the University is not at all pleasing to look at. I didn't like it when I was a student there, and I don't like it now (and neither did my kids).

I did like VT a lot more than I expected. It still wasn't what DC was looking for, but we were both pleasantly surprised that we didn't hate it or find it dull.

[Anonymous]

I may have posted in this thread earlier. Can’t remember. For me, my expectations going in influenced my impressions when visiting. WM exceeded the picture/idea in my mind. UVA & Villanova are two that fell short. At the end of this, not sure how important the tour/initial impression will be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought UVA wasn't as pretty as I was expecting and Villanova was bland. Both are terrific schools, so no knock on them otherwise.

UVA is only a World UNESCO site. Try harder next time

Not anymore.

I’m a sucker for gothic so I also found UVA underwhelming.

Yes, the most important factor in college choice - The VIBE. The architectural style of the school buildings as a factor in school choice - you do deserve the stress of college admissions. Wishing you more.

I think vibe is super important

[Anonymous]

Not that it’s relevant to this thread, but UVA is no longer a World UNESCO site.

[Anonymous]

My kid ultimately attended the school where we had the worst tour for particular sport athletes.

Smallest campus. Nothing to see. They even imported "catering" for the kids where they somehow put the condiments ahead of the sandwiches in the "line" and then didn't have enough food for everyone so parents were just getting out of line altogether to let the kids eat. And nowhere else to get food.

The projector malfunctioned in the auditorium part.

I said to my kid, "looking more like Y or Z school all the time"

Then during the field portion I was getting out of my car while the kids were already running laps and the old guy who pulled up behind me and saw my bumper sticker announced that he was a major college alum and who was my son and he said "I've heard of him!" He was also a graduate off the prep school. And we talked about the prep school and the college.

And my kid got an offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought UVA wasn't as pretty as I was expecting and Villanova was bland. Both are terrific schools, so no knock on them otherwise.

UVA is only a World UNESCO site. Try harder next time

Not anymore.

I’m a sucker for gothic so I also found UVA underwhelming.

Yes, the most important factor in college choice - The VIBE. The architectural style of the school buildings as a factor in school choice - you do deserve the stress of college admissions. Wishing you more.

Academics is great, sure. But I would personally have been unhappy living on a campus I disliked for 4 years. There was just something special about my Alma mater when I stepped onto the campus. I felt so lucky to be able to be there for 4 years of my life. My friends and I share this feeling - pictures that the school posts bring back sense memories. For example, we can remember the sights and smells of a particular spot on campus just by seeing a pic. We got to attend a well regarded school academically with a lovely campus (frequently named one of the most beautiful) and lots of school spirit for 4 years. It was a special experience that I look back on very fondly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought UVA wasn't as pretty as I was expecting and Villanova was bland. Both are terrific schools, so no knock on them otherwise.

UVA is only a World UNESCO site. Try harder next time

Not anymore.

I’m a sucker for gothic so I also found UVA underwhelming.

Yes, the most important factor in college choice - The VIBE. The architectural style of the school buildings as a factor in school choice - you do deserve the stress of college admissions. Wishing you more.

Architecture is actually important, just as the lack of green space can be for people as well.

If the school’s architecture is alienating, that can be a problem. I would have had to work hard to deal with a gothic one.