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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought I'd like Trinity College Dublin more than I did. It's pretty, for sure, but smaller with a lot of "oh, this is it?" in places like the basement cafeteria etc.

I thought it would be more like a mini-Oxford.

same

[Anonymous]

We did a lot of tours. We liked these schools less after the tour, mostly because the vibe and campus was different than imagined:

Wisconsin-Madison
Virginia Tech
Northeastern
Washington & Lee

We liked more:
UCLA
Boston College
Northwestern
UVA
William & Mary

[Anonymous]

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

You should look at Barnard. I assume your kid is open to urban since you looked at Penn. Barnard is a good medium btw Smith/MH and Penn vibes.

Why? My kid loved Smith and liked MHC; didn't like Barnard at all.

[Anonymous]

Susquehanna campus was beautiful and the town was tiny but adorable. Everyone we met was friendly. There was meaningful academic and intellectual energy. The tour guide was well spoken and warm. Not a selective school, but underrated, I think, for what it offers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did a lot of tours. We liked these schools less after the tour, mostly because the vibe and campus was different than imagined:

Wisconsin-Madison
Virginia Tech
Northeastern
Washington & Lee

We liked more:
UCLA
Boston College
Northwestern
UVA
William & Mary

Oh could you expand on this, specifically for Boston College, William & Mary, and Wisconsin-Madison? Very interested in BC and W&M for my daughter. Also curious as I know so many kids headed to Wisconsin-Madison, which five years ago was not a popular school in our area at all.

[Anonymous]

UVA- all of us did not like it.
Pretty campus- but vibe all wrong and students didn’t seem that intellectual on a whole. The latter really surprised us. We had been to several admitted days from other schools so had a lot to compare.

[Anonymous]

Thought Mt Holyoke and Smith might be too rural; found the area bustling and charming and the students engaged and enthusiastic. Assumed Barnard would be fabulous but it didn't feel NYC-ish; sort of gloomy and foreboding vibes.

[Anonymous]

Honestly really hated Columbia. Pretty cramped campus though the buildings looked nice. Vibe was way off - everyone looked like they were dressed for a fashion show and had a stick up their a**. Also a whole group of kids smoking cigarettes and vaping outside of the main library. It just seemed like they were trying to force themselves to be edgy despite being from some suburb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly really hated Columbia. Pretty cramped campus though the buildings looked nice. Vibe was way off - everyone looked like they were dressed for a fashion show and had a stick up their a**. Also a whole group of kids smoking cigarettes and vaping outside of the main library. It just seemed like they were trying to force themselves to be edgy despite being from some suburb.

Same. Did not like Columbia at all. I don't know how a school manages to be both snooty and derelict at the same time, but somehow Columbia manages it. And as a former smoker myself, it was like walking into a bad dream from the 90s. So much smoking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did a lot of tours. We liked these schools less after the tour, mostly because the vibe and campus was different than imagined:

Wisconsin-Madison
Virginia Tech
Northeastern
Washington & Lee

We liked more:
UCLA
Boston College
Northwestern
UVA
William & Mary

Oh could you expand on this, specifically for Boston College, William & Mary, and Wisconsin-Madison? Very interested in BC and W&M for my daughter. Also curious as I know so many kids headed to Wisconsin-Madison, which five years ago was not a popular school in our area at all.

Sure, Wisconsin was much larger, more spread out and more urban than expected. I admit, I was misinformed going in. That’s why I think tours are so helpful. My DC was looking for a self contained campus. It felt overwhelming with no real center. I know it’s popular so my views aren’t representative by any means. We loved William & Mary. Lovely campus, nice kids, lots of care put into everything. Boston College was my DC’s favorite. They liked the vibe best, beautiful campus, nice mix of kids. It’s all so personal and subjective!!

[Anonymous]

Less:

Boston college
UVA

More:

Pitt
AU
BU
Wisconsin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA- all of us did not like it.
Pretty campus- but vibe all wrong and students didn’t seem that intellectual on a whole. The latter really surprised us. We had been to several admitted days from other schools so had a lot to compare.

UVA looks like a red brick prison. Square dull buildings. Very Dreary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought I'd like Trinity College Dublin more than I did. It's pretty, for sure, but smaller with a lot of "oh, this is it?" in places like the basement cafeteria etc.

I thought it would be more like a mini-Oxford.

Britain has an empire. Ireland did not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern and Stanford use to have amazing vibes but now they've been taken over by scared intense grinders who just want to compare resumes and steamroll their way into clubs.

You surmised all that from a tour?

I'm a Stanford grad and I live 5 mins from campus now. I'm on campus quite a bit. My nephew is at Northwestern now as an undergrad student and his mom (my sister) went there a generation ago.

I'm speaking from experience.

What major? We know several current students there who absolutely love it. (Greek and non-Greek).

[Anonymous]

Loved Northwestern, Wake Forest and UNC.
Underwhelmed by Vandy and Grinnell.