Girlie AGDee's College Search Thread

[thetaj]

I would take a look at Washington & Lee.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by thetaj

I would take a look at Washington & Lee.

I really liked W&L but upthread, Dee mentioned that her daughter would prefer not to go to college in a small town. Lexington is pretty small.

Yay for liking Rhode Island! The Brown and Columbia campuses are like different worlds but I'm glad hypoallergenic enjoyed both.

[AGDee]

Alright, we are home from a crazy whirlwind trip to Chicago to look at Northwestern, U of Chicago and DePaul. We happened to drive by Loyola too, by accident, so we covered four schools in one day!

Northwestern is a definite thumbs up. She loved the campus, loves what she hears from the tour guide, etc. In fact, our tour guide was Greek. I didn't get a chance to ask her which sorority she was in but I think she said she's on Panhellenic Council too. She said good things about Greek Life. We both liked the Evanston area a lot too, what we saw of it. We had an official info session and tour and Northwestern. We were a little late because we arrived at the car rental place only to find THEY HAD NO CARS. How ridiculous is that? We had to race several blocks to another location that had cars and wait in line, then got stuck in Chicago traffic with construction on I-94. Ugh. I was pretty stressed. She held it together pretty well.

Then we headed to DePaul and had lunch at a cute pub type place called El's Kitchen in the Sheffield Garden District. What a cute little area, even if there is NO parking! We had some great ribs, brisket and chicken- smoked. Yum. We drove around DePaul a little bit but didn't get out of the car. It's a safety school for her and she just wanted to make sure she wouldn't hate it. There were students hanging out all over and it looked like a good atmosphere.

On our way to the University of Chicago, we passed by Loyola. We're counting that as a 4th college visit in one day. It wasn't really on her list and driving past it didn't change her mind.

So we got to the University of Chicago. I can't put my finger on it, but I had a weird vibe about the area and the school itself. We parked and walked around for quite a while. We only saw about 20 students on a beautiful, sunny, Saturday afternoon. Where are all the students? The old buildings were incredible.. we thought we were at Hogwarts. Then we saw the very modern looking dorms and library and it seemed like such a strange dichotomy. Honestly, I was totally creeped out by some of the older buildings and just felt really unsettled walking around there. Some of it was pretty, some was really creepy. Then the almost art deco type dorms were weird. We heard cheering coming from a stadium and hypoallergenic said "So that's why we aren't seeing anybody! They are at a football game! It's not so weird then." We drove by that stadium and it was actually a soccer game, from what we could see. The stands weren't that full. We're still not sure where the students were. Do they all go home on weekends? She is very on the fence about that school. She isn't sure she should even apply, but then there are things she really likes. I think it's safe to say it slid pretty far down the list.

Right now, the top of the list seems to be a tie between Barnard and Northwestern. She said if she got accepted to both, she'd have a really hard time picking between them.

Brown is up there, Columbia is up there.

The bottom is a mess... lol. No idea whether she'd go with the University of Michigan over U-Chicago or even DePaul over U-Chicago.

She'll be finishing up her early action apps over the next two weeks.

[squirrel_love]

Applying to all these schools, especially the Ivies and sub-ivies obviously means she has outstanding grades, extra-curricular's, etc. It seems like any school would be lucky to have her!
My brother is in the process of applying to schools right now too and its so nerve wracking! Even more so for him because his SAT scores are sooooooooooooo LOW! He is a good student, top of his class, AP classes, ROTC and baseball but I swear, his SAT scores are gonna make it so hard for him. When you daughter mentioned what her original score was, I was jealous FOR my brother haha

Wasn't trying to change the subject! Sorry! Just amazes me how so many high school students are on-the-ball nowadays when it comes to finding the very best school for them, and the hard work & stress that goes in to it. I'm sure your daughter will end up where she is meant to! I definitely hope she gets one of her top picks too :-)

[southernbelle14]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Washington University St. Louis : No idea how this made it on the list except she has been to St. Louis and liked the city a lot

Well considering that it's right up there in the academic rankings with her "reach" schools, I'd say it's pretty natural for it to be on the list. Especially if she like St. Louis.

[AGDee]

She has mentioned Stanford a couple times. It is just SO far from us. Most of these schools are pretty easy for us to get to, at least. Stanford, not so much.

Her second SAT scores should be in on Friday. Most of the schools superscore that and she felt like the math was easier because they'd been reviewing a lot in calculus right before she took this round.

[alum]

We're waiting for SATs as well! Kid2 said that collegeboard is posting scores on Thursday. He is much more nonchalant about this than was his sister.

Going far away to a college isn't an issue as long as the kid is near a major airport (with easy access to the airport from campus) and summer storage either on or near campus so parents don't have to schlep the stuff back and forth each year. The boy has a couple of midwest schools on his list. One would be very easy since it's in a city that has nonstop service to all 3 airports near DC. The other school, not so much as it is an hour from a small airport and 2 hours from a big one.



Is your D regarding University of Chicago as a safety school or does bottom of the list reflect her preference of campuses in terms of campus fit? It's a shame that schools like Chicago, Penn, and other urban schools in iffy areas haven't been able to gentrify their neighborhoods so that students can venture off campus safely.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by alum

Is your D regarding University of Chicago as a safety school or does bottom of the list reflect her preference of campuses in terms of campus fit? It's a shame that schools like Chicago, Penn, and other urban schools in iffy areas haven't been able to gentrify their neighborhoods so that students can venture off campus safely.

[AGDee]

University of Chicago is not a safety school. Their admission criteria is as strict as Northwestern's. The area right around it didn't seem bad. There were a lot of people out and about in the neighborhoods and it seemed like mostly hipster types. That's usually a sign of gentrification, at least in the Detroit area. The lack of activity on campus on a beautiful fall Saturday afternoon was disconcerting to her. Northwestern had students all over the place. I know it's a smaller school but you'd think we'd see more than 20 students on a campus of 6000. Even when we drove by DePaul there were students on blankets all over the lawn. Some were hula-hooping, some were studying, some were just hanging out, but they were outside.

I kind of think finding the right school is like finding your home in a sorority, buying a wedding dress or buying a house. When you walk on the campus, it just feels right, like home. I know it was like that for me. She felt that feeling at Barnard, Columbia, Northwestern and to a slightly lesser extent, Brown. Personally, I was really uncomfortable on the U Chicago campus. I felt really anxious there and I don't know why. It wasn't the neighborhood. There were two weddings going on at the campus with brides taking pictures in the area. There were a variety of elderly people sitting on benches on the campus. But, where were the students???

And yeah, it would be a stretch financially for me to bring her home for things like Thanksgiving if she was in California. That's a really pricey flight. Providence was a really pricey flight too. NYC or Chicago, easy peasy to get home. With Chicago, there's always the train to Detroit (which is how we got there this weekend).

[txAOII_15]

Originally Posted by AGDee

And yeah, it would be a stretch financially for me to bring her home for things like Thanksgiving if she was in California. That's a really pricey flight. Providence was a really pricey flight too. NYC or Chicago, easy peasy to get home. With Chicago, there's always the train to Detroit (which is how we got there this weekend).

definitely plan for this. if thanksgiving/christmas are a big deal for your family then she should ideally pick a school that is not too expensive to get to and from from home. while i do not for a second regret my choice of school (2000+ miles from home), i have not been home for thanksgiving all 4 years and this will make the second year i do not go home for christmas (this second time was more my choice since i decided to go on a tour abroad). if i had chosen a school closer to home, then i would have not missed these holidays with my family.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by AGDee

University of Chicago is not a safety school. Their admission criteria is as strict as Northwestern's. The area right around it didn't seem bad. There were a lot of people out and about in the neighborhoods and it seemed like mostly hipster types. That's usually a sign of gentrification, at least in the Detroit area. The lack of activity on campus on a beautiful fall Saturday afternoon was disconcerting to her. Northwestern had students all over the place. I know it's a smaller school but you'd think we'd see more than 20 students on a campus of 6000. Even when we drove by DePaul there were students on blankets all over the lawn. Some were hula-hooping, some were studying, some were just hanging out, but they were outside.

I kind of think finding the right school is like finding your home in a sorority, buying a wedding dress or buying a house. When you walk on the campus, it just feels right, like home. I know it was like that for me. She felt that feeling at Barnard, Columbia, Northwestern and to a slightly lesser extent, Brown. Personally, I was really uncomfortable on the U Chicago campus. I felt really anxious there and I don't know why. It wasn't the neighborhood. There were two weddings going on at the campus with brides taking pictures in the area. There were a variety of elderly people sitting on benches on the campus. But, where were the students???

And yeah, it would be a stretch financially for me to bring her home for things like Thanksgiving if she was in California. That's a really pricey flight. Providence was a really pricey flight too. NYC or Chicago, easy peasy to get home. With Chicago, there's always the train to Detroit (which is how we got there this weekend).

University of Chicago is, in my opinion, the epitome of the ivory tower. The campus is disconnected from the community, and if you look at the academic focus of many departments, they are laden in theory and removed from practical application (for example, they don't even have an engineering program). For years, it had the reputation of being "where fun goes to die", and they actually remade their brochures recently to make sure that they featured more smiling students. It's a great school if you want to live "the life of the mind", but it is its very own world.

[psusue]

Dee, has she thought at all about DC area schools or are they out? I just think that they'd be a really great fit for her, considering her criteria.

[lovespink88]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

University of Chicago is, in my opinion, the epitome of the ivory tower. The campus is disconnected from the community, and if you look at the academic focus of many departments, they are laden in theory and removed from practical application (for example, they don't even have an engineering program). For years, it had the reputation of being "where fun goes to die", and they actually remade their brochures recently to make sure that they featured more smiling students. It's a great school if you want to live "the life of the mind", but it is its very own world.

I worked with a few UChicago students one summer. (They have this entrepreneur program through the business school and my boss was a student who was running a start up company as part of her coursework...or something like that? lol) Our office was in their college of business building, so I'm a little bit familiar with campus. I definitely agree with your bolded statement.

Pesronally, I did like the immediate neighborhood, although I don't think I'd like to live there as a student. I will agree with you, Dee, that you just did not see students out and about like you do at other campuses.

[barbino]

Because I love hanging out on college campuses I have to reply.

UChicago: Ditto on what has already been said. It used to be said that it was a place where the students had to "marry the library for 4 years to get a degree." Maybe that's where they all were. It is for hyperintellectuals. Nice place to visit, but I don't know about going there.

DePaul: Nice campus atmosphere! A few years back it was known to rank #1 in some "student satisfaction" survey. I've never heard anything bad about it, and Greek life is really growing there.

Loyola: I worked here for a few years; and my 3rd brother went here. The Jesuits are educators. I like the idea of a Jesuit education, but personally prefer Marquette (Milwaukee).

Both of the DePaul and Loyola are excellent back-up/safety schools for an intellectual student.

Northwestern: I saved the best for last. My 2nd brother went here. It has a wonderful atmosphere academically and socially. Evanston is a neat town. Sigma Chi, SAE, and APhi all have their national headquarters here. I would feel very safe sending a student here.

One thing I love about Chicago is all the different colleges and universities. We have such a variety. I remember when my 1st brother was going to college and the whole family took a trip to several of the Eastern colleges. We both ended up going somewhere that we had never seen before and took a chance. Going on those pre-college trips is alot of fun but its alot of work, too. Good luck to your daughter.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by psusue

Dee, has she thought at all about DC area schools or are they out? I just think that they'd be a really great fit for her, considering her criteria.

She is applying to American University. We are just out of time and funds to visit there. If she gets accepted and doesn't get accepted to one she already loves, we'll visit before she commits.

Originally Posted by barbino

Because I love hanging out on college campuses I have to reply.

UChicago: Ditto on what has already been said. It used to be said that it was a place where the students had to "marry the library for 4 years to get a degree." Maybe that's where they all were. It is for hyperintellectuals. Nice place to visit, but I don't know about going there.

DePaul: Nice campus atmosphere! A few years back it was known to rank #1 in some "student satisfaction" survey. I've never heard anything bad about it, and Greek life is really growing there.

Loyola: I worked here for a few years; and my 3rd brother went here. The Jesuits are educators. I like the idea of a Jesuit education, but personally prefer Marquette (Milwaukee).

Both of the DePaul and Loyola are excellent back-up/safety schools for an intellectual student.

Northwestern: I saved the best for last. My 2nd brother went here. It has a wonderful atmosphere academically and socially. Evanston is a neat town. Sigma Chi, SAE, and APhi all have their national headquarters here. I would feel very safe sending a student here.

One thing I love about Chicago is all the different colleges and universities. We have such a variety. I remember when my 1st brother was going to college and the whole family took a trip to several of the Eastern colleges. We both ended up going somewhere that we had never seen before and took a chance. Going on those pre-college trips is alot of fun but its alot of work, too. Good luck to your daughter.

Thank you. We had very similar impressions of all of them, even with quick drive bys with some of them. We did see the SAE headquarters. I wanted to take a picture but you know, I didn't want to embarrass my daughter.

Originally Posted by lovespink88

I worked with a few UChicago students one summer. (They have this entrepreneur program through the business school and my boss was a student who was running a start up company as part of her coursework...or something like that? lol) Our office was in their college of business building, so I'm a little bit familiar with campus. I definitely agree with your bolded statement.

Pesronally, I did like the immediate neighborhood, although I don't think I'd like to live there as a student. I will agree with you, Dee, that you just did not see students out and about like you do at other campuses.

Thanks. That's good feedback too. I don't think that kind of atmosphere is for her.

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

University of Chicago is, in my opinion, the epitome of the ivory tower. The campus is disconnected from the community, and if you look at the academic focus of many departments, they are laden in theory and removed from practical application (for example, they don't even have an engineering program). For years, it had the reputation of being "where fun goes to die", and they actually remade their brochures recently to make sure that they featured more smiling students. It's a great school if you want to live "the life of the mind", but it is its very own world.

While she wants to live the life of the mind, she's also very social so I don't see that working for her.

Thanks to all of you! It really confirmed our own impressions. I'll have her stop by to read these.