Try to pin them down on something (geographic area/size/major/urban or rural?). Then visit a few schools and help them recognize what turns them off and what they find appealing.
Plus, you know your child. What circumstances help them thrive versus recoil?

My own child had no interest in cliques or heavy drinking...so she decided early on not to go somewhere with there was a big greek presence. No one should argue with me about that, but it is an example of how kids start narrowing down their options. She wanted a school where she could continue her study of a certain language and play a certain intramural sport. She decided towards the end of high school that she had had it with MoCo's competitive nature, so she was drawn to small supportive colleges.

This is a time when it would serve teens well to pay attention to their personal needs and comfort zones (and resist following their friends or caring what they think).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, college has been in session a couple of weeks now. Did your college meet/exceed your expectations or is it not what it seemed?

My daughter choose Colby in Maine over a number of schools. She's super happy there. Kids are nice and smart; classes challenging. The new Davidson Center is already setting up an internship for her. Having a fabulous time.

Others?

Colby dropped from #12 to #18 in US News. Quite a drop.

BIG drop.

NP here. Hey, first PP - you know if you and your kids were smart enough to get into Colby, you wouldn't be trying to pee on OP. Grow up and stop announcing to the world what a miserable twat you are.

Anonymous wrote:How do you match a school with the child's personality? How do you decide that this setting is better for him or her?

You don't decide...your child does.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, college has been in session a couple of weeks now. Did your college meet/exceed your expectations or is it not what it seemed?

My daughter choose Colby in Maine over a number of schools. She's super happy there. Kids are nice and smart; classes challenging. The new Davidson Center is already setting up an internship for her. Having a fabulous time.

Others?

Colby dropped from #12 to #18 in US News. Quite a drop.

BIG drop.

How do you match a school with the child's personality? How do you decide that this setting is better for him or her?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS doesn't text us and we only get a weekly Facetime so how would we know!!

Yes, us too! Oh well. He told my DH last week he was getting food from the cafeteria and just bringing it back to his room to eat, so that was kind of depressing. I won’t name the school because it isnt a national university or SLAC so it wouldnt matter to anyone on DCUM.

Sorry to hear this. Don’t give up hope. I was miserable for the first few months (after winter break actually) and then I met the right people and it all changed.

I work at a university and those first weeks/months of college are often really difficult/lonely for a good portion students. Take heart though that ones with "slower social starts" often find their social niche after they've established decent study habits/daily routines, so there's fewer examples of exhilaration and then crash/burn when the workload kicks in more. Also, sometimes kids can be too quick to solidify a social scene-- they close themselves off from other possibilities/friend groups. The slower ones get a better lay of the land. But it's probably good to keep an eye out for signs of depression too just in case.

My DD is a senior for real this year. She’s been listed as having senior standing for two years now. She just met with advisers to clarify she is on track for dual degrees and she’s applying to grad schools. She said she loved school first year, hated it second year, and now she’s blissfully happy again. What helped her the most was allowing herself to take spring semester off and work internships away from school. A change of scenery and pace while learning great skills and meeting people in the field really put school in perspective. I would encourage you all to offer your kids other opportunities if any of them hit a rough patch. Good luck to all of your kids. It is such an amazing time for them

Our daughter has loved the first 3 weeks of her freshman year at MBU. She has a group of friends, and is still texting and facetiming mom and dad!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, college has been in session a couple of weeks now. Did your college meet/exceed your expectations or is it not what it seemed?

My daughter choose Colby in Maine over a number of schools. She's super happy there. Kids are nice and smart; classes challenging. The new Davidson Center is already setting up an internship for her. Having a fabulous time.

Others?

Colby dropped from #12 to #18 in US News. Quite a drop.

Why are there people like you in the world? Last I checked Penn and Columbia have the highest suicide rates. Not all people care about numbers.

Full disclosure my DD was denied at Columbia. That said, when we toured, I told her that through my eyes you could see the stress on the students faces. As a parent, it gave me pause. Loved Morningside Heights and my DD would have enjoyed being in the city but the stress level on the kids was clearly evident.

Anonymous wrote:My DS did not get into his dream school and got wait listed from his second choice. The school he ended up attending is one I thought would be the best fit for him and strongly urged him to apply to. He did make the final decision to attend this school on his own. He absolutely LOVES it there. He was very nervous when we dropped him off and he even cried. But three weeks in, he told me he LOVES it. He admitted to me that he wasn't really excited about the school three weeks ago. But once he got there and started meeting people, and going to classes, he said he realized that this is where he belongs.

I honestly believe this is true anywhere you go, except for ironically, the top schools and ivies, where the constant pressure to feel smart and show why you are there (similar in high school) is hard to let go.

College is a clean slate, a fresh start. Some find that daunting, but most find it so refreshing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, college has been in session a couple of weeks now. Did your college meet/exceed your expectations or is it not what it seemed?

My daughter choose Colby in Maine over a number of schools. She's super happy there. Kids are nice and smart; classes challenging. The new Davidson Center is already setting up an internship for her. Having a fabulous time.

Others?

Colby dropped from #12 to #18 in US News. Quite a drop.

Why are there people like you in the world? Last I checked Penn and Columbia have the highest suicide rates. Not all people care about numbers.

DS is a freshman at VA Tech and is loving is it. He's really thrown himself into college life which is good to see as he wasn't much of a joiner in high school. He had a lot of acceptances to choose between and ended up going with the school he felt was best for him vs. what may have been the "best" school. So far, so good.

UChicago.

Not really. But GPA, while okay, is too low to transfer anywhere better, so it is what it is.

Saw what you did there, PP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, more please if you all are willing to share! I am interested in the “colleges that change lives”

DC is a sophomore at Denison and super happy.

I am very impressed with the school.

I too have a sophomore at Denison and it really has been a great experience so far.

DC is at UNC-Chapel Hill.

She had a very rough first week. She didn’t click with the girls on her floor or people in her orientation group, so she was feeling pretty lonely. I fielded quite a few tearful phone calls! But now that she’s actually in the routine of going to classes and has had the opportunity to join some things, things are looking up and she says she’s really enjoying it. Forward!