college visit reports

[JennW in SoCal]

I thought it would be nice to start some threads for those of us beginning the tumble down the rabbit hole of the college admissions process. I'll start with a short report on our visit last week to the Pacific Northwest to visit several small LACs.

 

My ds and I fell in love with Portland, btw. We lucked out with perfect weather and just loved all the trees and the snow capped volcanoes! My ds is ready to leave Southern California and experience four distinct seasons for a change.

 

We toured Willamette, Linfield, University of Puget Sound and Whitman, and walked around Lewis and Clark. They are, on paper, all about the same. Small schools with 2000 or fewer undergrads which allow for close student/faculty relationships and lots of research opportunities for the students, which is important to my science minded ds. All have required freshman seminars and senior capstone projects, all have terrific study abroad opportunities. All are ridiculously expensive but offer merit aid with close to 90% of their students receiving some kind of financial aid. (I was hugely disappointed that Reed doesn't offer merit aid, at all, and that only half of its student body receives need based financial aid. Who pays $200,000+ for a college education?!! It had been my favorite in early research but once I learned the financial aid statistics we crossed if off the list.)

 

All the campuses are beautiful. The differences, though, come out when visiting the campuses. Some of the differences are due to the personality of the student tour guide, but some of the differences are apparent in how the campus is designed. At Willamette, for instance, each of the classroom/faculty office buildings is designed with a central study areas surrounded by faculty offices. These areas were filled students when we visited, with the doors to several faculty offices open. The faculty sometimes bring their dogs to office hours as we learned when a dog came trotting out to greet our group! The freshman tour guide was already heavily involved in faculty research and highlighted some of the quirky campus traditions. Willamette is now #1 on my son's list.

 

My ds also really liked Linfield, a small and fairly unknown school. It is a huge campus with a small student body which at first felt uninhabited, but once classes got out and students began milling about it felt like a college, just a college with lots of room to spread out. I loved how the language teachers each decorated their classrooms to look like their respective culture. The Spanish classroom had a terrific mural, for instance. Linfield is in a small town, but there is a strip mall within walking distance with a Starbucks and ice cream store (all the students on our tour liked that), it isn't far from Portland, and overall it had a great feel

 

We really tried to like University of Puget Sound. The campus buildings are "gothic tudor" giving it a very Harry Potter feel and the surrounding neighborhood is beautiful. But we didn't get a sense of campus community -- my ds said it felt as uninviting as his community college campus. The school also has a 10 day mandatory "camp" for incoming freshman which includes lots of ice breaker games and other activities. It would be perfect for some personality types, but it was too programmed for my ds, too forced.

 

Whitman is a 4 hour drive from Portland and Seattle. The town is quaint, the mountains have snow, and the campus is full of art. The freshman seminar reading list reads like it is designed to segue from the WTM. My ds had mixed feelings about it, as he and I both agreed it would be crazy NOT to go there if you were accepted with a good financial aid package because it is such a good school, and but it didn't feel like a good fit for him.

 

We didn't tour Lewis and Clark simply because its hippie reputation precedes it. Which may be unfair, but I know kids who go there and why they go there, and it just didn't seem like my son's kind of place. The campus was lovely but the dorms, on the outside, were the most grim of any campus we saw.

 

All the schools were welcoming to homeschoolers, some even have special sections on their admissions website just for homeschoolers.

 

Any one else take time over spring break to go campus shopping?

Edited April 27, 2011 by JennW in SoCal

[FaithManor]

DD won't be looking at a med school yet for two more years and ds is only a 9th grader, but we doing some traveling in May and will be taking a first peak at a couple of schools recommended by my nephew (denizen of Alexandria, VA). So, we'll post when we know something. DS is already excited about it.

 

We wanted to take the work/vacation at the new C. S. Lewis College site in Northfield, MA but so far, have not been able to carve the time out of Dh's work schedule in June. Maybe next year! The pics look quaint and inviting.

 

We lived in Newburg, Oregon years ago so I know what Jennifer means about the beautiful landscape of that part of the state. Gorgeous!

 

Faith

[Brilliant]

Thanks for posting your reviews. I like the physical descriptions of the campuses along with the "feel" you got from each one.

[Belacqua]

Thanks, Jennifer! That was really useful. I wish posters on other college sites would be so descriptive; sometimes, I'm left with, "The tour guide was ditzy" or "My son wouldn't even get out of the car."

 

Now I'm off to investigate Linfield, as I was completely unfamiliar with it until your post. Whitman is on my son's long list (he's only Grade 9, so it's a long long list), but I'm still looking into other schools I might have missed.

[anissarobert]

Jennifer-Thanks for posting. Several of those schools are on my daughter's list. I laughed because she has been looking at some schools in So. Cal because we are from the northwest and she wants warm. I was especially interested to hear your impression of Whitman. It looks good on paper, but I'm wondering about the fit. One recruiter told dd she might be the only conservative on campus!

 

Do you know anything about Pomona College? It looks really good to dd, but it also looks very selective.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I'll chime in with our midwest small LAC visits. - LONG

 

Valparaiso University - Valparaiso IN

Despite a cold, rainy January day, we felt warm and welcomed from the minute we stepped into the Admissions office. They met our needs (bathroom, directions) before we knew we had any. After a short, but somewhat dull opening presentation, we met our tour guide. The young man who took us around was good at drawing out my VERY SHY and RELUCTANT son. The student and campus seemed friendly despite the bad weather. Most of the academic buildings were newer and quite well designed - all funded by alum contributions. The food was excellent - lots of choices, fresh foods, whole grains, rice milk for my allergic son. We were confident he would eat well there. Lots of opportunities to get help (writing resource center, tutoring.) The dorms were old and smelled like, well, dorms. The campus was set up that the dorm was a place to crash and get away from it all (it could be a good introvert cave for my son), but that life was lived on campus, which was, in reality, just steps outside the dorm.

 

The head of the bio department was great. He had a great rapport with his students they were always saying hi as they were on to classes. We were impressed with the fact that he had very good data on what the graduates of that department were doing after graduation. I loved their Honors College - ds would be a good candidate for that. The major 'con' for us was that their bio program was heavily pre-professional (med, dental, vet) of which ds has no interest. He would have to do a lot of independent study to get a robust education in evolutionary bio. We did like that the school was apologetically Christian. They had Chapel in the middle of every day - no classes were scheduled during that 35 minute time. They had a very strong Catholic student community despite not being a Catholic university.

 

Knox College - Galesburg IL

We chose them because they were within our 3 hour driving limit and they were in the Colleges that Change Lives book. They looked great on paper. When we got there, our first impression was not great. We had trouble finding the admissions office, tucked away in some building about 3 blocks from where we were told to park, and there were very few signs. The place smelled funny - a factory in the area. Very unfriendly campus. It was a biting cold day - single digits and we could not get anyone to help us find the admissions office. Students kept their heads down and passed us despite us looking lost and me limping on my very sore ankle. When we found the admissions office, the receptionist was pleasant, but not particularly welcoming. Our tour guide was not very welcoming either or considerate - too much time spent outside in the arctic weather talking about stuff that was in the brochure. He gave us a very strong impression that the campus was dominated by the Greek system despite our repeated efforts to steer the conversation in different directions. The buildings were old. While they were historic, they did not feel fresh, but moldy. We had lunch with a student in the bio department. The food was only a small step above what I had in college. My son would starve. Iceberg lettuce, white bread and lousy entrees. I liked that this student was very frank about his experiences there as a bio major. We did not get the impression that the school took a strong mentoring role with their students - which had us wondering why it was included in the Colleges that Change Lives book. Our meeting with a professor in the bio department did not get much better. He was dismissive of ds's college classes. Granted, this guy was a dusty old ornithology professor, not the department head who would be selling us on the department. The school seemed very areligious. I asked specifically about life as a Catholic student and no one we talked to even knew where the closest Catholic church was (I later found out it was a couple blocks from campus.) Basically, I got the impression that Knox didn't really care if we chose their school - "take us as we are." It felt like a date with a guy who couldn't be bothered to take a shower and put on a fresh shirt.

 

Illinois Wesleyan University - Bloomington IL

We went on a group visit day rather than our own personalized day because of scheduling issues. After some overly long speeches to start us off, we broke out into sessions given by each department. We liked what the bio program had to offer - a good well-rounded program. Most of their applicants do get into post-graduate work and it was a good balance between pre-professional and grad school/research. The food was very good. We met a professor during lunch who was working in the field that interests my son. He was sort of baffled by the homeschooling thing because he was from Germany, not negative butsort of a puzzlement at the American independence thing. He was impressed with what ds has done so far. The campus is pretty and stately. A good mixture between old, but well-maintained buildings and new ones. Although it is a small school and had an intimate feeling, Illinois State University was only a few blocks away. Dorms were OK - clean and serviceable. He also got a good feeling after the prospective student Q & A session (while we were in the parent Q & A). That was the first time he was really able to imagine himself as a college student living away. The admissions counselor did a great job explaining the process, he was very welcoming of homeschoolers and things looked good for significant scholarship money. This school is the most expensive on our list. While they do give "need sensitive" aid, they were frank about the fact that some people did not choose them because there were less expensive options out there. The Catholic student group was combined with that of ISU. I am not sure if that was a positive or a negative for my son.

 

Hope College - Holland MI

We loved this college. The campus is beautiful - as is the town. A good mixture between new and old buildings. Good food. Students were very friendly. Everywhere we went, people smiled and said hi. The science building is amazing - new, bright, cheerful, lots of places for students to hang out. And the bio department is amazing. We loved the professor we met with. She was interested in what ds wanted and worked at helping him see how he could fit in there. She felt he would be a good candidate for their Freshman Bio Honors program which is a project based learning experience in association with Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Lots of undergrad research opportunities even as freshmen - great for post graduate work. Students work very closely with professors. They encourage students to take paying jobs in the department. This is exactly the kind of place we were looking for - small, respected bio department, close relationships with professors, fun place. The admissions counselor was very encouraging. She loved his transcript so far and felt he would qualify for significant money if not their top scholarship. This was another "Colleges that Change Lives" place and it felt like it!

 

Augustana College - Rock Island IL (Quad Cities)

This one is a little fuzzier in my head because it was in the middle of a bunch of visits. It was nice, but did not give the impression of being as personal as I would expect from the school size. The campus is beautiful - hilly, lots of trees which is so unlike the rest of Illinois. While the dorms were OK, some of the other student housing for upper classmen seemed rather run-down. Strong Greek system but they did not seem to dominate. The bio department seemed more "big school" than small school. I really didn't get a good feel for the bio department because the prof kept asking these very high level questions "where do you see yourself in 10 years?" kinds of questions which my son couldn't answer - not enough life experience to know those possibilities. Plus, he kept focusing on his pet project which would have been very interesting to a pre-med student, but not my organismal, evolutionary kid. They do waive the admissions fee for students who visit the campus.

 

Beloit College - Beloit WI

Another Colleges that Change Lives school and this one lived up to that billing. Small, intimate campus. Good mix of old buildings and new ones. The science building was new and fabulous. Each department had a faculty wing. In the middle of that wing is a student lounge for that department complete with cubbies for their stuff and couches - all just steps away from the professors' offices. Very close connection between the professors and their students. Lots of student research even as freshmen. Lots of job opportunities in the department. Ds was impressed with their evolutionary bio program. Very good food. Dorms were OK. Lots of Greek houses, but we were assured that they were not a dominating presence on the campus. Ds seems to like this one the best. It is one of the more expensive schools on the list. We need to know more about how their students fair post-college. I felt it was somewhat a-religious as well. Although they did have a campus ministry, the Catholic faith did not seem well-represented. I could be wrong, though.

 

Upcoming visits - Bradley and North Central College

[Tamarind]

Ethel,

 

Thank you for posting those concise but revealing college visit reviews! Those are many schools we are considering visiting, and I was encouraged to read of your experiences.

[JennW in SoCal]

Oooh! Beloit is one that had caught my eye. Sounds like they have the same study area set up by faculty offices that Willamette has. It really is a terrific concept.

 

Anissa -- I don't know anything about Pomona. The only small LACs in Southern California that I know well enough to recommend are USD, as in University of San Diego, and Chapman, which is in the cute little town of Orange in Orange County. Both are really good, and it is warm and sunny here! USD happens to have a small but excellent engineering program, very unusal for a LAC

[anissarobert]

Oooh! Beloit is one that had caught my eye. Sounds like they have the same study area set up by faculty offices that Willamette has. It really is a terrific concept.

 

Anissa -- I don't know anything about Pomona. The only small LACs in Southern California that I know well enough to recommend are USD, as in University of San Diego, and Chapman, which is in the cute little town of Orange in Orange County. Both are really good, and it is warm and sunny here! USD happens to have a small but excellent engineering program, very unusal for a LAC

 

Thanks! I was prepping dd for a small LAC as she has done Latin and great books all the way through high school. Now she tells me she wants to major in dance and minor in classics or perhaps double major in both. Most small colleges don't have both! I'll look at the ones you mentioned.

[FaithManor]

Dirty Ethel Rackham,

 

I just wanted to chime in on Hope College. We Michiganders feel you can't go wrong with that school. It is very highly reputed and their grads seem to be stellar people or at least that's the general impression around here.

 

Faith

[dirty ethel rackham]

Dirty Ethel Rackham,

 

I just wanted to chime in on Hope College. We Michiganders feel you can't go wrong with that school. It is very highly reputed and their grads seem to be stellar people or at least that's the general impression around here.

 

Faith

Thanks, Faith. Hope is at the top of MY list. (Can I take a sabbatical and go there myself?) It is in the contenders on ds's list, which he refuses to rank;). Hey, he has a list. That's a start;).

 

We went to Bradley University (Peoria IL) this weekend for a visit day. I do wish we had done a personal tour instead. I don't feel like we got a very good look at the school. Very rushed - kind of like herding cattle. Ds wants to go again in the fall for a personal visit. We can't even speak on the food there because they didn't include lunch in the cafeteria in the tour. The only school we have visited that didn't. I am concerned that this school gives preferential treatment to their pre-med majors over the grad-school bound bio majors. I could be wrong - it could just be the misconceptions our department rep had about his audience.

[memphispeg]

Oooh! Beloit is one that had caught my eye. Sounds like they have the same study area set up by faculty offices that Willamette has. It really is a terrific concept.

 

Anissa -- I don't know anything about Pomona. The only small LACs in Southern California that I know well enough to recommend are USD, as in University of San Diego, and Chapman, which is in the cute little town of Orange in Orange County. Both are really good, and it is warm and sunny here! USD happens to have a small but excellent engineering program, very unusal for a LAC

 

Jenn - Is USD very religious? We worry about the Catholic factor. Is it a commuter school? It looks v. nice for the dd. Do you know Occidental?

[JennW in SoCal]

It is not run by the Catholic Church any more but has a secular board of directors. There is a beautiful chapel on campus which holds services for area Catholics -- there's a wedding or baptism there practically every weekend, but the chapel is open to anyone and everyone and there are protestant campus ministries, and students of all faiths. As a tribute to the Catholic heritage of the university, part of the core curriculum includes 3 classes on faith and belief -- but it can be almost anything, such as a comparative religion course. They said at the open house that they don't care what you believe but that you know and understand why you believe what you do.

 

I believe freshman have to live on campus, and you can live on campus all four years, but most upper classmen move off campus. There are lots of locals who go there, but I don't think any students from out of state feel isolated and trapped on the weekends. Campus is 10 minutes from downtown, from the big malls with the movie theaters and from the beach with shuttles from campus and a trolley station near by. There are lots of on campus activites, too.

 

A good friend (a former homeschooling mom who finished her PhD after her dd went to college) teaches at USD, and she is very impressed with her students and loves teaching there.

 

Occidental, Pomona and Harvey Mudd are all off my radar. Isn't that funny? On College Confidential I hear about them all the time. I don't know any kids going to those, but know several at Biola (fantastic music program), Asuza Pacific, Chapman and Cal Tech.

[Bostonian]

Who pays $200,000+ for a college education?!!

 

There are lots of high-income families, where one or both spouses is a doctor, lawyer, banker etc., who will pay $50+ K a year to send their children to a "good" school so that they can (the parents hope) follow in the same path. Harvard/Yale/Princeton etc. know this and set the sticker price accordingly.