Anonymous wrote:When I took my DS to tour CNU, the part that stuck with us most was when "Miss Linda," the dining hall supervisor, came out to talk to our tour group in the food court area. She was just the loveliest, most genuine person who spoke about "her" kids with such affection. She seemed to really know them all by name.

This was four years ago, and my son chose a different school, but we still talk about Miss Linda with fondness.

Anonymous wrote:I have found the process of college visits and applications to be such a joy. Here are my kids thinking about who they are and what they value, and I get to be their sounding board. Plus we always find a great place to have lunch. It’s just all such a gift.

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Tech and JMU both have beautiful campuses, are surrounded by wonderful outdoor opportunities and have great student life. Students there are very happy

Anonymous wrote:Furman’s campus was beautiful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We stopped at Hood College in Frederick after touring GU, GW, and AU almost as a “scared straight” experience for our prone-to-slacking-off kid. I felt like an elitist snob when I realized that it was truly a beautiful campus with a gorgeous new library, honors college, and a recent multi-million dollar gift for scholarships. It actually went on the safety list.

One of the things I have come to appreciate about the whole college application process is that it has knocked most of the elitist snob tendencies out of me. I am a much kinder and enlightened person than I was four years ago, at least when it comes to education. I just assumed my kid would go to one of a few dozen schools I had heard of, assumed he'd be a great student, assumed that schools I had never heard of were not as good as the ones I had.

But oh, it is a great big world out there! So many paths, so many possibilities, so many "right" places to land.

I had never heard of the school my kid will be going to in the fall until a year or so ago. I now wear the t-shirt proudly.

Anonymous wrote:It’s just me and DS, it’s bittersweet in some ways but I’m so excited and happy for him. He’s got several options to pick from and we are going to tour his top choices over the next few weeks.

So many schools have amazing facilities and offerings and I can’t wait for the moment he clicks with one and makes up his mind.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having been through the process twice so far, I loved how my kids and every one of their friends found a place to go that they were excited about - it was just a pleasure seeing them all land on their feet no matter where they ended up!

And another vote for how fun it was overall visiting colleges with my sons - we had fun road trips, great discussions in the car, and good meals. DH and I split visits up and both agreed it was great bonding time.

Yes! To both counts.

I was excited for all of my son’s friends, didn’t matter if the school was on the other side of the country, or if it was in our same city. It’s been a joy to watch these little birds spread their wings and fly.

And we had a great time on college tours. Having not lived at my college being a commuter, I had a great time seeing various dorm rooms and I especially enjoyed the tours where we could eat in a food hall. And it was so nice to spend the time with my kid exploring different campuses and cities/towns.