Question for parents that have sent their kids to college

[donbosco]

When you get down to a short list I'd give the Core Curriculum a look-in and if you can understand it, talk with your kid about it.

Personally, I'd love to hear what types of experiences folks have had with the student guided tours?

My daughter checked in on maybe five schools and conservatories. What was said was the kicker frankly. She chose a conservatory instead of a university because she wanted to get right to her life's focus. That was not really what her mother and I wanted her to do but we had promised her that the choice would be her own.

 

[RockyMtnHoo]

My nephew went to VCU and liked being in Richmond.

None of my children went to the same school. I've often thought if I knew multiple kids would be going to the same place, I'd buy a house or condo near campus. Once everyone graduated, I'd sell the property for a profit.

That’s what we did. Live about a mile from campus. Our older son is planning on staying Richmond awhile…his girlfriend just started grad school at VCU, so we’ll be here at least a couple more years.

 

[nycfan]

I think visits are very important. When I was making my decision, I was initially looking heavily into a small liberal arts school that sent me awesome magazines and brochures in the mail. The campus looked beautiful, and it was. Went to visit and immediately knew I couldn't see myself there. I think it is important for a young person to get a feel for where they want to spend the next for years.

I agree with this — my son was really interested in Elon and had some really great scholarship offers there but after what I thought was a great campus visit he said he knew it wasn’t for him — nothing against the school, they’ve got a pretty great campus and some really nice programs that seemed particularly suited to his interests but it felt too small (and I think too preppy) for him.

 

[CFordUNC]

UVA No. 1 in National College Free Speech Rankings

The University moved up from No. 6 in last year’s report from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

news.virginia.edu

Thought this was fascinating and a great place to share it on this thread. The University of Virginia was recently ranked number 1 of all colleges and universities in the United States for upholding principles of free speech and fostering an environment in which students of all diverse viewpoints and ideological backgrounds feel comfortable sharing their beliefs.

Princeton Review: UVA No. 1 Public School for Financial Aid

In its Best Value Colleges for 2024, the publication also named UVA the No. 3 best value public school and No. 4 public school for career placement.

news.virginia.edu

UVA was also recently ranked the number one public school in the United States for financial aid.

Virginia (and UNC) recently made the top 10 list of Forbes “New Ivy” rankings which I believe were ranked based on the versatility and employability, as well as high starting salaries, of new graduates.

 

[HeelInTheOzarks]

Don't have kids but work in higher ed...

I agree with visiting your top schools and getting the feel. Some places they just won't vibe with no matter how good they seem on paper.

And then, if you don't like it, hit the portal. Not even joking, transferring is at an all time high and something over 60% of college grads have credit from multiple institutions. I transferred after my freshman year because I found out it wasn't the place for me, even though I was sure it was when I was in high school. I also had many of my advisees and those in my freshman seminar class tell me they knew they were going to transfer well before the first semester even ended.

 

[gregh1]

When you get down to a short list I'd give the Core Curriculum a look-in and if you can understand it, talk with your kid about it.

Personally, I'd love to hear what types of experiences folks have had with the student guided tours?

My daughter checked in on maybe five schools and conservatories. What was said was the kicker frankly. She chose a conservatory instead of a university because she wanted to get right to her life's focus. That was not really what her mother and I wanted her to do but we had promised her that the choice would be her own.

Unless a kid is likely to be a math/science major, or very likely to wind up in a grad program which requires a Bachelor's, then i'm not sure anymore that university is necessary (other than a chance to grow as a person). We all know tons of people who wound up in a career unrelated to their major (or unimpacted by things they learned in their major) and also unrelated to any connections or hooks that college presented them.

 

[TarHeelGrad]

I realize that grad school and undergrad are two entirely different animals, but I would say to go where you think that you will be happy. I was deciding between GT and UNC for graduate school in applied mathematics. I had settled on GT, when an undergrad buddy of mine mentioned how horrible (from a social aspect) it was there for grad school. Had another buddy who had nothing but glowing things to say about UNC. After four (socially) miserable undergrad years, I did not want two more years of misery. I chose UNC and have never regretted that decision.

 

[UNCMSinLS]

Unless a kid is likely to be a math/science major, or very likely to wind up in a grad program which requires a Bachelor's, then i'm not sure anymore that university is necessary (other than a chance to grow as a person). We all know tons of people who wound up in a career unrelated to their major (or unimpacted by things they learned in their major) and also unrelated to any connections or hooks that college presented them.

Yep. I'm sorry there was no Barista major at Winthrop for my oldest daughter.

 

[Geisterfahrer]

The best school you can get into with the cheapest overall cost. If your kid knows what they want to do for the rest of their life that helps guide engineering versus computer science as an example but the degree does matter where it is from. It doesn't necessarily open doors but a high point can definitely close doors after you have spent a fortune on the amenities.

Grad school is the more important choice in terms of career impact as long as your undergrad is a good school and you do well there. Picking a college for social reasons is a trap that leads to squandered opportunity IMO.

Wise man, take heed bumblebee.

Also visits are key for the kids imo.

 

[NYCBlueBlood]

I could not imagine committing to a school without visiting it first while school was in session. My mom took me on a grand tour of all the schools I applied to (I was living in Oregon, but applied to mostly east coast schools). You never know how a school will feel until you actually walk it with your own 2 feet.

Rochester and Syracuse both offered me scholarships, so I checked both out. I came close to going to Cuse on the spot. We drove up to campus on one of the first truly warm days of spring after a record bad winter... it was something straight out of a movie where a guy is having a fantasy of what college is like... hot college girls EVERYWHERE in skimpy outfits doing every activity you can imagine. I swear in my memory a ridiculously hot woman actually through a frisbee over our car to another equally hot woman... and they both just giggled and waved.

Whereas for Rochester, all I remember was a really pasty looking student tour guide who got really excited talking about the underground tunnels that kept you from having to walk outside in the winter.

 

[NYCBlueBlood]

As for picking a school, it's key for the kid to figure out the kid's preference for:

• City vs. college town
• Big school vs. small school
• Highly competitive vs. more laid back
• Big sports
• Religious
• Climate/ region
• Specialized vs. broad based liberal arts

On the last point, I highly recommend going to a school that has good overall academics vs. one that's highly specialized (tech or business focused school). Soooooo many college kids change their major completely in their first two years... makes it 10x harder when you have to change schools to do it.

 

[PTOHeel]

My daughter is a freshman at App. I don't have anything great to add other than agreeing with everyone that visits were very important. She was convinced she wanted to go out of state until the very end after a whole lot of travel to a bunch of different colleges. I'm happy with her decision and I think she's happy too.

Good luck to you. It's a pretty intense process (at least it was for us). And we get to do it all over again with my son in a couple of years.

 

[bassydude77]

1. Schools good for the major your child has chosen, apply to the best ones they have a realistic shot of getting into plus some safety schools
2. Environment - city or college town? Sports important? Size of school?
3. Cost

This makes sense to me. My daughter is a sophmore in HS and we're going to tour Davidson, Wake and UNC while visiting UNC for a football and bball weekend in November. It's early for visits, but we live in the northeast and thought we might as well tour a few schools while there.

The only thing I would add to the list of considerations is if your kid knows what they want to major in. Many dont and if you don't, pick the best academics/ least expensive school you can get into. I have a hard time justifying a really expensive private school when you have no idea what you want to do. Save that for graduate school.

 

[Charlotte1204]

I could not imagine committing to a school without visiting it first while school was in session. My mom took me on a grand tour of all the schools I applied to (I was living in Oregon, but applied to mostly east coast schools). You never know how a school will feel until you actually walk it with your own 2 feet.

Granted, this was back in the ice ages (or 1993), but I applied to UNC and accepted without ever setting foot on campus. It already checked so many boxes -- big state school, noted journalism school, great sports. They didn't have to sell me on it at all. lol Plus, college visits weren't really a thing where I grew up (rural town in southern Virginia). Half my class didn't even go to college.

Obviously, things are different now and I'm now a part of the middle class, and college visits are what we do. My son is just a freshman in high school, so it will be interesting. I think he is more suited to the UNCG's and UNC-Charlotte's of the world. And after the mountain of loans I took out to come to UNC out of state, he will remain in state whether he likes it or not. Plus, he has a different learning style and it's really important that we find a good match for him. Hopefully, college visits will help with that.

 

[Centerpiece]

Here's one: I have a good friend whose son got a scholarship to attend UNC - and his very first semester (starting NOW) he's going to Scotland for his very first semester at Carolina. Was that ever a thing? I mean, the Junior year is when students usually take a semester abroad, correct? At least that's how it used to be when I was doing undergrad in the 1970's. But VERY FIRST SEMESTER ABROAD? Really? What happened to "all Frosh have to stay in a dorm on campus" until acclimated/oriented? Anybody heard of such a thing? Anybody get to do that? Know of someone who got to do that?

 

[ChileG]

This makes sense to me. My daughter is a sophmore in HS and we're going to tour Davidson, Wake and UNC while visiting UNC for a football and bball weekend in November. It's early for visits, but we live in the northeast and thought we might as well tour a few schools while there.

The only thing I would add to the list of considerations is if your kid knows what they want to major in. Many dont and if you don't, pick the best academics/ least expensive school you can get into. I have a hard time justifying a really expensive private school when you have no idea what you want to do. Save that for graduate school.

I’m glad you said that. When I was originally responding I meant to address “if your child doesn’t know what he/she wants to major in…” and was going to say what you said.
Pick the best school you can get into and afford.

 

[ChileG]

Granted, this was back in the ice ages (or 1993), but I applied to UNC and accepted without ever setting foot on campus. It already checked so many boxes -- big state school, noted journalism school, great sports. They didn't have to sell me on it at all. lol Plus, college visits weren't really a thing where I grew up (rural town in southern Virginia). Half my class didn't even go to college.

Obviously, things are different now and I'm now a part of the middle class, and college visits are what we do. My son is just a freshman in high school, so it will be interesting. I think he is more suited to the UNCG's and UNC-Charlotte's of the world. And after the mountain of loans I took out to come to UNC out of state, he will remain in state whether he likes it or not. Plus, he has a different learning style and it's really important that we find a good match for him. Hopefully, college visits will help with that.

Interesting, this is very much like me. The only time I visited UNC was over the summer for a freestyle wrestling tournament and in between matches I walked around a bit.
Also went for the J-school, like you. Although I have never worked in the journalism field.
Also, wanted to go to a big public university after attending a small parochial high school (Charlotte Catholic).

 

[donbosco]

Unless a kid is likely to be a math/science major, or very likely to wind up in a grad program which requires a Bachelor's, then i'm not sure anymore that university is necessary (other than a chance to grow as a person). We all know tons of people who wound up in a career unrelated to their major (or unimpacted by things they learned in their major) and also unrelated to any connections or hooks that college presented them.

Is your assertion that Core Curriculum (we used to call it General College) should not be a consideration?

 

[mpaer]

Granted, this was back in the ice ages (or 1993), but I applied to UNC and accepted without ever setting foot on campus. It already checked so many boxes -- big state school, noted journalism school, great sports. They didn't have to sell me on it at all. lol Plus, college visits weren't really a thing where I grew up (rural town in southern Virginia). Half my class didn't even go to college.

Obviously, things are different now and I'm now a part of the middle class, and college visits are what we do. My son is just a freshman in high school, so it will be interesting. I think he is more suited to the UNCG's and UNC-Charlotte's of the world. And after the mountain of loans I took out to come to UNC out of state, he will remain in state whether he likes it or not. Plus, he has a different learning style and it's really important that we find a good match for him. Hopefully, college visits will help with that.

Yea I graduated in 1972 from a High School in Wisconsin. I went to the U in Madison as we called it . Never had seen it-literally took a greyhound bus then a taxi to the Dorm

 

[HeelInTheOzarks]

As for picking a school, it's key for the kid to figure out the kid's preference for:

• City vs. college town
• Big school vs. small school
• Highly competitive vs. more laid back
• Big sports
• Religious
• Climate/ region
• Specialized vs. broad based liberal arts

On the last point, I highly recommend going to a school that has good overall academics vs. one that's highly specialized (tech or business focused school). Soooooo many college kids change their major completely in their first two years... makes it 10x harder when you have to change schools to do it.

Yes. Don’t go to school for just the major. Big mistake.