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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought I would love Wake Forest but found it to be kind of bland and very white and found the “we do lots of community service in the local community” very white savior vibes. Also way too much Greek life influence with little to nothing else to do. Daughter liked it fine but didn’t love, I’d rather she not apply.

My public school kid kept saying these are all private school kids. I couldn't tell the difference.

It’s pretty easy to tell. Boys from private schools aren’t wearing jeans.

Both of my prep school alums wear jeans in college….after years of khakis and polos. They wouldn’t go to schools like UVA or Wake because they couldn’t stand the Patagonia vest, polo culture. They are at an Ivy and T20 in an urban environment with a more urban-European aesthetic and much more variety in dress

[Anonymous]

Loved Amherst, Smith, Mt. Holyoke in Western MA five-college area.
Was expecting to love: Bryn Mawr and Haverford, but something about the area reminded me of an old woman's tea parlor or Harry Potter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought I would love Wake Forest but found it to be kind of bland and very white and found the “we do lots of community service in the local community” very white savior vibes. Also way too much Greek life influence with little to nothing else to do. Daughter liked it fine but didn’t love, I’d rather she not apply.

I am generally not thrilled with how most top schools have leaned too far into diversity for the sake of diversity - I want diversity, but many have gone overboard. That being said, I was shocked at how white Wake was. I don't think I saw a minority non-athlete. It was kind of creepy. And agree it is too fratty. Campus is pretty and kids were nice but it was just off.

Did you walk around and ask every non-white person if they were an athlete?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Williams was DD’s dream school but the students were incredibly pretentious. Our guide bragged about grade’s being less inflated than peer schools and said that Williams students were “just better” for anything you want to do. A lot of #1 LAC talking points, little substance.

Swat was a really bad fit. Sweat culture is real.

Haverford ended up being the perfect place with a tiny, humble student body and a great physics department tour. We adored it and it originally wast on our radar.

Our tour guide was the opposite of this PP's experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boo I'm disappointed to read all this about Northwestern. I went to the U of Chicago in the 1980s and at that time Northwestern was considered the fun, social school on Lake Michigan. Does it give Georgetown vibes, would anyone venture to say? rich, preppy, private school kids?

Dp Northwestern is gorgeous but the student vibe is very self aware and not in a good way. I was surprised by how annoying the tour guides seemed.

[Anonymous]

Did not like Swarthmore. We went one day before the 2024 elections and the campus was dead. In comparison, Penn on the same day was buzzing with activity.

[Anonymous]

Surprisingly, did not like:
Georgetown, took a tour and found the campus to be dilapidated. Also didn’t feel a cohesive sense of community there
Tufts, campus layout did not make sense. Campus is so spread out and also half the campus is on top of a big hill. And my kid was turned off that you would have to move off campus at some point because of housing shortage
Columbia, turned off by the feeling of concrete/brick jungle for a campus, and also found it depressing how you have to go through security to get onto campus

Pleasantly surprised by:
Dartmouth, beautiful campus and loved that students seem to take advantage of the quarter system. Hanover is tiny but quaint, with good restaurants and shops within a 5 min walk from campus. Also after hearing so much about the animal house culture there, we found it to be more balanced socially than people have described
Claremont colleges, there are still some brutalist architecture, but other parts of the campus are almost idyllic (Pomona and Scripps) with a East Coast old college vibe mixed with a California vibe that is hard to explain but very lovely
Bowdoin, glad we drove the extra distance to see the campus for ourselves. The campus is not very big, but they emphasize community and belonging. Also they have a working outdoor facilities that make the outdoor learning accessible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Loved UChicago and Northwestern. Two beautiful campuses with Chicago in the middle...now just the weather...UChicago was a mini Oxford and NU just felt like they had it together, Miro sculpture in the Theater impressed my husband All around impressed with Chicagoland.

Just imagine how nice the area would be if the Mayor of Chicago was even slightly competent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams was DD’s dream school but the students were incredibly pretentious. Our guide bragged about grade’s being less inflated than peer schools and said that Williams students were “just better” for anything you want to do. A lot of #1 LAC talking points, little substance.

Swat was a really bad fit. Sweat culture is real.

Haverford ended up being the perfect place with a tiny, humble student body and a great physics department tour. We adored it and it originally wast on our radar.

Our tour guide was the opposite of this PP's experience.

There were 3 colleges mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Loved UChicago and Northwestern. Two beautiful campuses with Chicago in the middle...now just the weather...UChicago was a mini Oxford and NU just felt like they had it together, Miro sculpture in the Theater impressed my husband All around impressed with Chicagoland.

Just imagine how nice the area would be if the Mayor of Chicago was even slightly competent.

Hyde park is better nice and overtly academic. You must sweat in Fairfax if Hyde park makes you nervous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought I would love Wake Forest but found it to be kind of bland and very white and found the “we do lots of community service in the local community” very white savior vibes. Also way too much Greek life influence with little to nothing else to do. Daughter liked it fine but didn’t love, I’d rather she not apply.

I am generally not thrilled with how most top schools have leaned too far into diversity for the sake of diversity - I want diversity, but many have gone overboard. That being said, I was shocked at how white Wake was. I don't think I saw a minority non-athlete. It was kind of creepy. And agree it is too fratty. Campus is pretty and kids were nice but it was just off.

Uh, Wake is happy to tell you that it has 38% ethnic diversity. https://admissions.wfu.edu/facts/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did not like Swarthmore. We went one day before the 2024 elections and the campus was dead. In comparison, Penn on the same day was buzzing with activity.

Penn is an open campus in the middle of west Philly and connects well with Drexel. This comparison is a bit strange.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We loved Virginia Tech. The campus is cohesive and contained, even for a larger school - very walkable and beautiful.

Interesting. I didn't like it much. The bus station ruined it for me.

Way to judge a school! I didn't care for the T or the bus station (Boston) while at Harvard, but, thank heavens, I survived.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA was the #1 choice before starting campus visits and then we didn't even apply.

Well, your DC probably learned the statistics needed to get in from SCHEV. Why waste an application? My kid didn't care for UVA on the first tour (summer, hot and humid) but we returned for a second tour that fall and fell in love.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA was the #1 choice before starting campus visits and then we didn't even apply.

Well, your DC probably learned the statistics needed to get in from SCHEV. Why waste an application? My kid didn't care for UVA on the first tour (summer, hot and humid) but we returned for a second tour that fall and fell in love.