Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My takeaway from most of this thread is that tours are unhelpful. Though people like to talk about “fit,” I think it’s largely bogus. A lot of kids - maybe most - get to their school and find good and bad points, but most adapt after finding some friends and especially after they decide on a major. Social and academic structure becomes their friend, memories are made, and degrees are obtained. As many have said, tours artificially influence kids, which may lead to a decision that becomes a mistake. It’s important to understand that for teens (they’re really not adults) this is a big emotional decision, as much as an academic one. That means many are looking for comfort, which they may find on a tour but later regret using as an over-weighted criterion.

Do you have kids in college or beyond? Just curious how necessary it is to travel all over the country looking at schools. I understand popping onto campus when nearby on a trip but to purposely go all over to look at these school?

I have a senior who will attend UVA in the fall. Though he has visited the campus and is fine with it, the campus tour was never a deciding factor. For us, it was a great school, close enough to home, and the right price. I assume he’ll find his place on campus and come to love/like it, regardless of his first impressions.

I’m the poster of the first and third comment. I think too many parents hype college tours to their teens as if they were choosing a pageant dress for a coming-of-age party. To me, that over-emphasizes the emotional side of a college choice and makes it seem synonymous with one’s identity. This leads to a bloated search for “the right one,” as if the perfect school can be found and it will transform their lives. How many adults thought the same thing about their career or spouse and later became disillusioned. I’m not trying to be a jerk, or suggest that one shouldn’t be happy/excited about one’s choice. But, I am suggesting that a student’s academic record, family finances, potential major, etc. should be sufficient to narrow one’s search to a handful of options. Apply, see where your student is accepted, then visit schools, if even necessary.

Right. Like if your kid gets into Yale, would they really not go because New Haven is a dump? Anyway, a kid who is smart enough to get into Yale should be smart enough to google the school/area and determine the environs without a visit. If that’s a sufficient turnoff, why even apply? It’s not that hard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The negative vibes on my lengthy visits post are upsetting. These are my kids impressions of their campus tours and remember they were seventeen or so. My comments followed. The Wahoo who responded so negatively may not have read that my son who did attend law school at UVA loved it as I duly noted. His jab at the chip on my shoulder about W&M maybe did not catch that three out of four of my children were not impressed with their visit. The Duke responders should register that I was still in favor of them applying . This thread was about visits to colleges..not the schools themselves. Everyone kindly sip your wine and back the fork off.

I wouldn’t sweat the nutty parents on DCUM, particularly those that crawl out of the woodwork anytime UVA comes up. I commented once that my kid wanted a west coast SLAC, so didn’t apply to UVA, and a dozen UVA alums jumped in to say variations of « sorry your kid didn’t get in ». I think most people who go to UVA are lovely people, but there are alums on DCUM doing the school a real disservice by being so nutty.

you do realize that most of those people are in fact UVA haters, just looking to stir up trouble and give UVA a bad name. Most of the time, the haters are the ones that bring up UVA at all, doesn't take a genius to see what's going on here.

So you are saying they bring UVA up just to get people ticked off at UVA? Perhaps. Tough to say.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My takeaway from most of this thread is that tours are unhelpful. Though people like to talk about “fit,” I think it’s largely bogus. A lot of kids - maybe most - get to their school and find good and bad points, but most adapt after finding some friends and especially after they decide on a major. Social and academic structure becomes their friend, memories are made, and degrees are obtained. As many have said, tours artificially influence kids, which may lead to a decision that becomes a mistake. It’s important to understand that for teens (they’re really not adults) this is a big emotional decision, as much as an academic one. That means many are looking for comfort, which they may find on a tour but later regret using as an over-weighted criterion.

Do you have kids in college or beyond? Just curious how necessary it is to travel all over the country looking at schools. I understand popping onto campus when nearby on a trip but to purposely go all over to look at these school?

I have a senior who will attend UVA in the fall. Though he has visited the campus and is fine with it, the campus tour was never a deciding factor. For us, it was a great school, close enough to home, and the right price. I assume he’ll find his place on campus and come to love/like it, regardless of his first impressions.

I’m the poster of the first and third comment. I think too many parents hype college tours to their teens as if they were choosing a pageant dress for a coming-of-age party. To me, that over-emphasizes the emotional side of a college choice and makes it seem synonymous with one’s identity. This leads to a bloated search for “the right one,” as if the perfect school can be found and it will transform their lives. How many adults thought the same thing about their career or spouse and later became disillusioned. I’m not trying to be a jerk, or suggest that one shouldn’t be happy/excited about one’s choice. But, I am suggesting that a student’s academic record, family finances, potential major, etc. should be sufficient to narrow one’s search to a handful of options. Apply, see where your student is accepted, then visit schools, if even necessary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My takeaway from most of this thread is that tours are unhelpful. Though people like to talk about “fit,” I think it’s largely bogus. A lot of kids - maybe most - get to their school and find good and bad points, but most adapt after finding some friends and especially after they decide on a major. Social and academic structure becomes their friend, memories are made, and degrees are obtained. As many have said, tours artificially influence kids, which may lead to a decision that becomes a mistake. It’s important to understand that for teens (they’re really not adults) this is a big emotional decision, as much as an academic one. That means many are looking for comfort, which they may find on a tour but later regret using as an over-weighted criterion.

Do you have kids in college or beyond? Just curious how necessary it is to travel all over the country looking at schools. I understand popping onto campus when nearby on a trip but to purposely go all over to look at these school?

I have a senior who will attend UVA in the fall. Though he has visited the campus and is fine with it, the campus tour was never a deciding factor. For us, it was a great school, close enough to home, and the right price. I assume he’ll find his place on campus and come to love/like it, regardless of his first impressions.

Anonymous wrote:My takeaway from most of this thread is that tours are unhelpful. Though people like to talk about “fit,” I think it’s largely bogus. A lot of kids - maybe most - get to their school and find good and bad points, but most adapt after finding some friends and especially after they decide on a major. Social and academic structure becomes their friend, memories are made, and degrees are obtained. As many have said, tours artificially influence kids, which may lead to a decision that becomes a mistake. It’s important to understand that for teens (they’re really not adults) this is a big emotional decision, as much as an academic one. That means many are looking for comfort, which they may find on a tour but later regret using as an over-weighted criterion.

Do you have kids in college or beyond? Just curious how necessary it is to travel all over the country looking at schools. I understand popping onto campus when nearby on a trip but to purposely go all over to look at these school?

My takeaway from most of this thread is that tours are unhelpful. Though people like to talk about “fit,” I think it’s largely bogus. A lot of kids - maybe most - get to their school and find good and bad points, but most adapt after finding some friends and especially after they decide on a major. Social and academic structure becomes their friend, memories are made, and degrees are obtained. As many have said, tours artificially influence kids, which may lead to a decision that becomes a mistake. It’s important to understand that for teens (they’re really not adults) this is a big emotional decision, as much as an academic one. That means many are looking for comfort, which they may find on a tour but later regret using as an over-weighted criterion.

Getting back to the prompt - we just visited a bunch of schools with our junior DD this past week. Touring during Covid is hard because you just wander around looking at building exteriors, mom and dad are leading the tour, and you really have no contact with anyone from the college. Some schools have walking tour brochures available to pick up near the admissions office or visitor center, but others do not. It is helpful to tour, don't get me wrong, but it can be hard to get the vibes of the community if you are just an observer and don't have conversations with staff or students. We did poke our heads into a few key buildings (student centers, libraries, a few academic buildings) but otherwise it was just exterior views.

Schools that dropped off the list after tour:

UVA - was at top of DD's list going in, but she disliked how spread-out and huge it was, found it intimidating
UMD-CP - another she really liked on paper but the campus was grim-looking once you get off the central historic quad area, lots of construction both on and in front of the campus, the surrounding area on Rt 1 was unappealing, you can hear traffic, too close to the city for her. We did pop into a few buildings and they were kind of blah inside.

(the traffic noise complaint surprised me because she loved JMU despite the highway running down the middle and was not bothered by the truck noise there - but at JMU she had a friend who is a current student show her around and ate a meal in the dining hall there, and that personal contact, good food, and friendly vibe definitely upped her impressions of the place)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kind of opposite of the prompt, but Mason rose significantly after our tour. The student guide was really outstanding and at ease with the students as well as the parents. And funny! I would say both UVA and Tech tours were not great. Felt like you were being herded. I had the song "Welcome to the Machine" going through my head at both places.

Sure. Pick GMU over UVA based on the tour guide. Real smart of you.

and while I am sure you are one of pot stirrers on this board because she didn't say they "chose" UVA over GMU, just that they liked the tour better. I'm gonna guess not too many people turn down UVA for GMU but clearly when you are in the touring part of the college search process, you see lots of different schools, from safeties to reaches.

Anonymous wrote:Kind of opposite of the prompt, but Mason rose significantly after our tour. The student guide was really outstanding and at ease with the students as well as the parents. And funny! I would say both UVA and Tech tours were not great. Felt like you were being herded. I had the song "Welcome to the Machine" going through my head at both places.

Sure. Pick GMU over UVA based on the tour guide. Real smart of you.

Anonymous wrote:Lots of helpful info here.
Someone mentioned that the kids get kind of dressed up for classes at Vanderbilt. Is that true?
What about at William and Mary- are they a little more laid back. My daughter is interested in both but she’s more of a wear sweats to class but get dressed up on the weekends kind of person. Quirky and studious but very social as well. Thanks!

I went to Vanderbilt. I don’t understand the dress-up comments. Not everyone attends class in sweats, but no one attends class in church clothes. So, what does “dressed up” mean? If shorts and a polo shirt qualifies, you might see this.

Has anyone been to Union College to visit or have students there?
Curious about this school and the students there. Thanks!

Lots of helpful info here.
Someone mentioned that the kids get kind of dressed up for classes at Vanderbilt. Is that true?
What about at William and Mary- are they a little more laid back. My daughter is interested in both but she’s more of a wear sweats to class but get dressed up on the weekends kind of person. Quirky and studious but very social as well. Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No chip...the kids got in...just their trip report..

Your kids are just as miserable as you! Awesome, you did well!

I'm sorry...am I missing something here?

PP is the miserable one--just ignore.

I'm impressed you took the time to visit all those schools, can remember what you/kids thought of each one, and posted a helpful response to the question asked. Thanks!

NP

If I were to do it again I would skip the tours and definitely the “sleepover” options. The kids think they are getting the inside story but really it’s just one students opinion.

Kind of opposite of the prompt, but Mason rose significantly after our tour. The student guide was really outstanding and at ease with the students as well as the parents. And funny! I would say both UVA and Tech tours were not great. Felt like you were being herded. I had the song "Welcome to the Machine" going through my head at both places.