Finally our Favorite College Town Boston ;Boston/Rhode Island; Providence, URI, Northeastern, Babson

We headed out to tour Providence a small Catholic/Dominican college. I have heard people say it's for kids that didn't get into BC.  I was a pretty campus, and the vibe was calm, it could have just been a summer thing, but I didn't feel a lot of energy.  Cara seemed to like it and I think she will apply, but who knows. I don't have much to say about it honestly 

We decided to look around URI.  I was really shocked to see how really pretty the campus was and the buildings especially the Pharm D were just beautiful.  We walked around, looked in buildings and listened to a pre-recorded information podcast. I think I liked it best; Mark just wasn't feeling it. It was really big and of course it will be many Rhode Island kids that already know each other.  

Off to the hotel and a strange dinner at TGIFridays the morning saw us at Matt's school Babson!  We can't help but feel good from the outset and I can't help but talk up the school to admissions and brag about Matthew.  There is something in their information session that lets you know that you are someplace special.  The tour was given by Rocky who was a quiescently Babson student, friendly, confident and charismatic. Unfortunately, Mark had to jump off the tour, he was exhausted and suffering allergies from the horrible hotel.  Michael feels disappointed he is not majoring in business so he can't go but our hopes are set on Cara following Matt into the land of the capable and preppy. 

Finally, Northeastern.  The information session was good.  At some schools the information session is completely done by an admissions counselor, some are done by both a counselor and students. Northeastern has both. In this session they had two students speak about their experience so far with emphasis on their co-op experiences. They really had compelling stories and seemed to have been able to focus in on their specific areas of interests through their coops.  That being said I have head others say them did not really want to do two co-ops at college, that all of that time away from campus dilutes the college experience of sort of being in a bubble of learning and friends.  There is also a push from Northeastern, at least as I understand to have students' study abroad their first semester. Another negative is housing is difficult to get on campus. That being said Northeastern now has a tremendous reputation and those students seem to do very well. The campus is tiny, but it is in the middle of Boston!  So, it's very urban and exciting. There are a lot of students n small space, and you need to be independent and self-advocating. I do feel that the school will definitely try to support students, but you need to reach out for what you need. Not the forte of all people students or not. 

Philadelphia! Swarthmore, University of Delaware, Haverford and Lehigh

 We set out Early on a Thursday our sights set on Haverford's 9:30 tour.  Yes, Haverford the classic New England liberal arts college, a concept that I didn't even really knew existed until, well 2020, and even then, in a shady, what can you actually do with a degree from there, kind of way.   And that knowledge was limited to maybe Vassar and Colgate which have pretty big names in the small liberal arts, east schools. I assumed that those students were already hooked up with jobs from wealthy family connections and even now I am not positive that that isn't the truth.  I was told by Matt, who seems to understand their value, that big companies search for these kids. He reminds me that even Steve is learning languages on the job still and that the value in liberal arts schools is their interdisciplinary approach and teaching intellectual problem-solving skill. 

 We make it to the parking lot at an impressive 9:23. Stumble around campus which is beautiful and big for a mere 1400 students. There is absolutely no signs or maps to direct us to admissions, which of course is not called admissions.  We find our way.  There is not information session just a tour.  The student showing us around is Australian, She vibes calm happiness. She is a rising sophomore and the only representative we see so the amount of information is questionable. Another problem is that we are between summer and fall sessions and campus is very quiet. 

It goes without saying that the school is rigorous with a 17% acceptance rate. It seemed quiet and intellectual but of course the empty campus made it very hard to evaluate. 

Next that day was U of D, the school of Joe and Jill Biden. It had a state school feel, meaning big, happy and diverse in academic achievement and goals. Our tour guide was a rising senior and pretty knowledgeable. We ran into "dorm Dad".  From the start he wanted to know when we would see dorms and made it clear he was only there to see the dorms. We arrived at the dorms he immediately accused the tour guide of only showing the best dorm, which turned out to be true. Then he left, I wish I had had the chance to tell him that Haverford has great dorms and 70% are single rooms, but alas he left in a hurry. Michael was a fan; the vibe was laid back and upbeat.  

This is the one I was not looking forward to getting to, our dark horse and a Suprise: Swarthmore.  Rolling in I am thinking well another tiny liberal arts college, I will never understand.  The information session was impressive. The speaker is relatable and smart. She tells a story I repeat frequently about not getting crazy if you are denied, that in fact the school denied Barak Obama.  That it is impossible for strangers reading your apps to truly know you and they surely cannot assess your worth or potential.  The school has a focus on engineering and was the most beautiful place I have seen.  Of course, with a 7% acceptance rate.... well it becomes more like winning the lottery. 

Lehigh was the college that I really thought would be perfect. a mid-size college with a strong engineering program but not a straight up tech school. A better male/female ratio.  The campus is built on a mountain/hill, and it is steep.  The buildings were absolutely beautiful. Like you may imagine Harvard buildings to look like. The information session, well it was disappointing. Not very focused on academics, a lot of time spent on their illustrious alumni.  But pointing to 6 people that have landed in the stratosphere of success is not that compelling to me, I mean the University of Delaware graduated Biden, whether you like the guy's politics or not, he has clearly made his way.  I think that I can accept that you can have successful graduates, I am more concerned about what MOST students will be prepared for.  The presentation is all about "can't wait to get your kid out of the house, hehe" I don't know for a competitive school it seems a bit anti-intellectual. 

The tour oh the tour...I don't know if you have actually been on a campus tour, but they inevitably end with why the student chose this particular school, and our tour guide a rising senior named Morgan was not different.  She told us that she did not want to apply to Lehigh "a school she had never heard of" but her school counselor told her that it was the size and distance that she wanted. She still dragged her feet because "why bother applying to a school you never heard of?"   So, I'm thinking this story must turn around but no, "so I apply ED2 because really, I only want to do one application" She then visits and reports that she doesn't listen to the information session or pay attention on the tour.  However, she does go to the top of campus and view the entire school. She said the snow and the "dead trees" looked so pretty she decided that yea she go the Lehigh.  Ok, what?  Mike and I thought it was the funniest "why this college" story to date. 

Cornell! Its really as great as you think it is

 Well early this morning found us on the campus of the venerable Cornell college.  And really, wow, it is worth the hype.  The truth is chances here is slim, 70,000 applications and 3,500 seats.  Some must go to prodigies of all types and of course athletes.  But ahh it is such a great school to shoot for.  The vibe even on an empty weekend day was upbeat and welcoming.  

I did forget to sign us up for the tour so after the information session we were on our own which is often not so good.  We stumble around the campus and say oh look the engineering building.  But this time we ran into a senior, Bell who really gave us a pretty good overview on her walk to Collegtown.  

One of the first and foremost item in the information session was INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY.  This is another term for the now favorite idea of a passion project.   The newest buzzword. Demonstratable interests.  It is what 2015 the craze for students "giving back" where after time there were programs just built for high schoolers to go give back through building housing, educating kids in third world countries and other packaged opportunities to spend some money and put it on your college application.    The new spin is that you need to find a way to prove that after school, sports, clubs, jobs and family you don't actually just want to game with your friends or hang out getting ice cream.  No, you want to shadow a professor at Stoney Brook doing research. You want to be in Cold Spring Labs, writing a book, helping a lawyer defend the indigent, study the social interactions of primates.  You have passion for learning!  Not for flirting, gaming, swimming, hitting the beach, not you!  You have insatiable intellectual curiosity that must be fulfilled!    

Well in any case, I had never been on their campus before, and it really was great. Pretty the atmosphere was friendly and smart.  The presentation had that great mix of smart and relatable that so many lack. They gave out plenty of information on what they offer and how students can get involved on campus. The reasons that we like a school can often be intangible.  The "feel" or the "atmosphere' combined with good academics seem to be the secret sauce and being that each of our kids gets to make his or her own recipe we never know what will be appealing to them. 

Pharm D, now that's for me (doctor of pharmacy)

 

Mark has decided that a career in Pharmacy is for him.  Well at least to start there, teaching chemistry may actually be the path at some point.  Below is a picture at Albany Pharmacy and Health Science with a picture of a professor that remembers his cousin Sara!  Blow that is St John's which his cousin's husband attended!  So many cousins, so many schools!  

APHS has a whooping 638 undergrads while St Johns has 16,000 undergrads!  That is a huge difference. Not to mention he can stay at home for St.Johns.  He did really like APHS, so its still a toss up.  Both have similar numbers for passing the Pharmacy board, if I remember correctly St. Johns claims 91% passing, while APHS claims 82%. 

He also looked at URI but just on our own wandering the really amazing grounds with a podcast givng us the info.  The pharmacy lab was amazing and they had an herb garden for natural remedies.  It actually was my favorite, though as I say I am not going to college (though I wish I was) I do not know URI's passing rate for the boards

Our actual fist stop on the Pharm D tour was LIU Brooklyn.  This is where Mark was actually sold on the idea of Pharmacy.  It is in the heart of downtown brooklyn and is relatively small 4500 undergrads.  We were suprised by how much we liked their tiny little, fenced in campus.  The students and faculty seemed upbeat.  The interior of the pharmacy building was a bit run down honestly and they only have a 65% passing rate for the board, but we feel confident that Mark would be on the right side of that number. The commute would be over or close to an hour which is not so fun.  St.Johns is close to where I work and the commute would be about 30 minutes. 

So Mark is fortunate in that he is going to apply to 5 colleges in all (SUNY Buffalo will be the 5th)

He could be done applying as early as October wouldn't he be lucky to have that wrapped up early. 

The Southern Tour, Davidson, Wake Forest, NC Charlotte, Virginia Tech, University of Richmond, Catholic, Georgetown, GWU

 Off to the races once again.  Our RV is not packed though it should be as we are leaving tonight.  I am instead avoiding the anxiety provoking packing.  It has turned into a para-military activity in this house, with people not wanting to forget even one single item as we will be in the wilds of Charlotte NC where we may or may not be able to access the basics of life. 

Our first stop is Davidson.  This is mostly for Mike who is no longer very interested in this college at all and where we should be looking at Albany it is affordable and has a law school attached.    

None the less, this is our southern tour.  It will start at Davidson., swing up to Virginia Tech and then tow Richmond/UVA then on to the DC schools.  It is I should mention our second trip with out the twins.  This feels odd, like a missing limb, however unlike a missing limb or so I am guessing it does make traveling a bit easier, but I would certainly prefer less easy for the return of the twins, however I am not sure if all of the family members would agree. 

Davidson was small and tight knit school where you can major in anything I mean anything like double major in Arabic and physics or art appreciation and mechanical engineering.  How can they even have professors knowledgeable enough in these various topics to teach such a small number of students living in a small town.  This really is the question I have about all of these tiny liberal arts schools, and it seems unanswerable.  But when you look at outcomes, they are pretty amazing.  These students do seems to get somewhere and admission at many of these schools is no joke.  They are competitive. 

There big selling point is the "honor code"  It is the code of conduct and honesty that they take pride in. 

Next on our list was University of North Carloina Charlotte. The campus and dorms were really very nice. The vibe was a bit off in some of our opinions. The others on the tour seemed more like well its our local public so that's why were coming here. There was no compretitive vibe, very laid back.  It almost was like the question was should I go to college, rathar than is the is the best college for me. Though that being said Mark Bo was a fan. He is defenitely more low key then the rest of his family so I can see why he was feeling it.  I mean look at that picture, North Carolina takes the beauty of its public campus' seriously.  The dorms were big and rooms were singles in a suite style. 

We stopped by Wake Forest. We were lucky that admissions was open and that two students working there took time to speak with us and set the tone for our self guided tone.  Lets just say there is more trees on this campus then anyother place we have seen.  Towering pines, it left an impression to be sure. This school is mid size and have both law and medical schools. Admission is competitive. The vibe seemed to be smart, preppy, outdoorsy and happy. The buildings were beautiful.  We all really loved the feeling of the place. It is also pretty liberal art in its approach, meaning that you can choose classes of interest an  It did have engineering majors but not in the traditional sense, which was confusing to Steve, as an engineer himself, because he worries that without the path that generally starts in freshmen year how can you have the knowledge that you need to actually do the engineering job?  There outcomes are terrific as is the truth with many liberal arts colleges

Making our way back north we hit Virgina Tech. This school was our largest by far and very serious about its ROTC.  There admissions were not too tough unless you want engineering, then it was a whole new ball game.  The vibe was open, calm for such a big school a feeling of space a concern for hard to connect with others possibly, but definetely not stated by anyone on campus 

University of Richmond. We were wiped out and we were going to meet a friend there, but I pushed to get us back worried about traveling late into the night. This school was cozy and pretty. It had a feeling of money with a meditation room and healthy food. It had an interesting curriculum and was competitive. Michael really had a good feeling about it.  I walked away with a so-so vibe, but it should be noted that I am not going to college. 

Onto Catholic U, still a favorite, smaller than I remember.  They are growing, changing and adapting. They are in Washington DC, a plus, far but easy enough to get home. Admission is honestly not super competetive but the majors are really impressive. The vibe is happy pure and simple, the students seem very happy and upbeat. We met up with Jared a great kid who loves it. They have many of the majors we like and I think Cara and Mark would thrive here 

Georgeown, do we need to say more? Its Georgtown, famous, rigourous and beautiful. We met with a friend and she gave us her impression, she loves the program but finds the vibe to be competitive in all aspects including joining sororities and clubs , which seem to be mandatory for making friends so not all roses.  Cara and Mike loved the tour, but it is a definite reach

GWU, I think we didn't give the school a fair shake and I would like to see Cara apply. It is very urban but that can be really cool. I think it may have been more international focused in its majors. The guide did love it but I think with this school it is a little more difficult for it to express its vibe. It is for independent and urban mindset, however that kind of setting can help you develop a more sophisiticated outlook and with GWU and more global mindset. 

That sums up our southern tour of RV through the colleges.  We did have time for some fun. We stayed at Carowinds a campground attached to an amusment park so we enjoyed that. Our next campground was much more rustic, but we played some hoops, walked the dogs on some pretty trails and found some really good food in a strip mall (healthy choices as well!) Then in DC we stayed in our normal spot Cherry Hill campground. Always immaculate. 

I honestly don't know if any of these schools were "it". Though we felt really good about Wake Forest and Catholic.  We are onto Boston, where will look at Babson, Northeastern, Providence and URI

Nine colleges, seven days, zero problems; Wake Forest, University of NC Charlotte, Davidson, Virginia Tech, U of Richmond, UVA, GWU, Georgetown, Catholoic

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Wow and what a week it has been! The best part; 7 nights in our RV, from spot to spot like authors on a book tour, we can't stay long we have to keep the schedule.  

The schedule of campus visits and camping spots arrangements as complex as a master chess game. 

Though hectic the trip has been full of laughter, hopefully more laughter then tension as we try to make it to each school on time and figure out parking, find the building we are meant to be in on the unfamiliar campus, not so easy. 

Our first night like all good trips started in a parking lot but not just any lot we found a Cabella's the gold standard of parking lot camping. Some of these high end parking lots offer electricity and dump stations (I know impressive).  Sunday morning finds us Up first thing to continue the endless drive to Charlottesville.  I took over the driving and all was going well until I noticed more than one sign advertising the ominous road signs " out of control truck ramps"  I saw one pop up and then another, this made me, never a confident driver of the RV, well uncomfortable would be an understatement.  Then came crosswinds signs and  falling rock signs as we hurtled down a windy and step mountain road, riding the brakes. There were no less than 4 of the these ramps off to the side of this road. Anyway if your reading this we made it. 

Our first campground was CaroWinds an RV resort attached to carowinds an amusement park, that although small had a pretty impressive amount of roller coasters.  Cara led the charge and Michael kept up, even  facing down the sling shot! The video proof that they actually loved it.  While Mark slipped off the  RV in one of the shuttle buses without a backward glance.  It was a beautiful day for the park, but parks shmarks, it was college tours we were after!  And off to the races we were the very next day. With a tour of  UNC Charlote. 

UNC was a let down to me, Michael and Cara, but not we should point out to Mark who held his ground that he liked it, but he is not planning on going away so what is he talking about? I think he just likes to argue.   We had time so we went to Wake Forest.  We didn't get a tour but we did feel the love. It was amazingly beautiful and I can't imagine working their everyday, all that oxygen and beauty, you have no excuse to be cranky... yeah maybe not a fit for me after all.  We had love for the school from me, Michael and Cara.  A non starter for Mark. They have a law school and a medical school and some tough entry bar. We completed the self guided tour and headed back to the campground.  We stopped for a snack and  after an extensive conversation with the 7-11 owner we headed back to the dogs and ordered some late night and relatively crappy pizza. 

With no rest for the weary we were off to Davidson the crown in the jewel of our most southern stop. 1800 students in another beautiful setting, vibing wealth and intellect. Needs blind and meets need sounds like a win and it was at first and then it wasn't.  Well maybe Cara.  But maybe not. These small liberal arts schools are a bit over our heads to be honest. We are not sure how it pans out but according to Matt and their outcomes page the future is bright for these kids  However it dropped off the list for Michael. 

I had to come back and edit for this, how could I have forgotten our memorable night in the Walmart parking lot.  The by far strangest tradition of RVers is the camping in the lots of Walmarts.  Nothing beats the oddness of sleeping in your RV in a public space.  However it takes about 10 minutes to make a temporary set up and then you are actually cozy with your beds, toilet, lights, snacks it gives you the undeniable feeling of "getting away" with something. However there was not enough electricity for coffee, I was forced to cross a four lane not pedestrian friendly highway for coffee from Wendy's, only to find out that only the drive through was open.  I tried the drive through on foot like a fool and for salt in the wound  I got no response and went back empty handed.  There was much stress related to accessing permission to park the RV on the Virginia Tech campus, but we got it together parked the whole kit and Caboodle on the sprawling campus and hopped on one of their shuttles to the admissions office.

The tour guide was cheery and fun, but overall  the information lacked depth. We did speak with the ROTC recruiter. He was friendly, all American and spoke honestly about commitment, deployment, benefits and drawbacks. He did not seem there to sell us, but to inform.  The engineer department has an outragedly low admission of 7% beating out MIT, and as a state school could possibly be pricey for us.  We left with mixed feelings.  It is big, but seemed to have a friendly, can do vibe. Its far and only guarantees housing for one year.  Getting home would be tricky.

Up next UVA and Richmond  We were staying at KOA which is always dicey.  The sites were meh, no privacy. but the bathrooms were worth writing home about.  Also Dr.Ho's humble pie.  First good food we had on the trip (ok, Cracker Barrell is always a winner) and we got to eat there twice.  Also a great dog walk and a broken down basketball court that we did take advantage of with a rousing game of "school" 

I think the above picture is Richmond but I could be wrong, either way it looks pretty damn collegiate.  Michael liked this school maybe it was the fancy meditation room that captured his heart. We split up for this tour, who knows why.  It was very green and leafy, felt like money and seems to have strong academics though once again I am lost to the academic goal.  Like most more liberal arts schools I never quite understand the curriculum.  But let me be honest, I think that is a cop out, to say I don't understand it so I dismiss it they all have  "daddy has a job for you after college".  These students are getting a great education and even if they begin with a career in education themselves it may be a stepping stone to more in long career, superintendency? professor? Educational policy? 

  I loved UVA but I may have been the only one

 I thought the vibe was preppy and great academics.  I love that American history vibe honestly.  A plus of course was seeing Shane.  It is a big school with great buildings but you know it is good to let it go, because there are so many places to consider 

.On to Washington DC and Cherry Hill campground.  Decent site and we ordered breakfast to the RV and actually got to play a few arcade games to break up the endless college tours and talk . We pulled in at 11 and were set up by 11:30, thanks lets face it to Steve and his endless efforts 

10 AM had us on the grounds of the perpetual fan favorite of Catholic University.  The vibe there is always so happy and light, its hard to put your finger on it. The head of the electrical/computer engineering department as well as the grant writer who had been a bio medical engineering major took so much time to chat with us.  Of course seeing Jared was a highlight. He seems to love the school and has created his own little world within the community. He really only had positive things to say.  We always leave with Catholic in our sites but some doubt as well.  I believe if Mark goes away this would be a good school for him.  That said I think one of these smaller liberal arts school would be good for him also. 

 We could have spent more time at Catholic but off to Georgetown we went for our 2 PM tour.  We were lucky enough that Emily Cheesman stopped by to say hello.  She gave great insight into the school and its culture.  It was such a treat to see her! 

Mark and I were not digging Georgetown, which sounds absurd because you know, its Georgetown.  But it seemed hectic and competitive in not the best way.  Though that of course is just us, many kids love to have a proving ground. 

Mark and I were more thriving on sitting in the shade chatting and eating peanut M&Ms.  The other more ambitious members of our family enjoyed the tour.  The guide I heard was awesome with aerospace engineer parents and a brother that began college at 14, so yeah that is the profile  of a Georgetown kid. 

Our last stop was GWU.  A city school through and through. Which has its pros. I had watched a virtual information session and was really looking forward to the visit. But it was such a let down!  There was a strange feeling that even the tour guides and speaker were not really into it. The others on the tour seemed standoffish the whole thing felt like a waste of time.  Wow that was a harsh review being that the whole information session and tour lasted less than an hour. I guess it does have the whole "living in the city" as a major pro, but other than that I think you would have to want that school for the proximity to DC and your ability to intern in a government office.  We are not that specific in our major and what ideas we have lean more towards science. 

We packed up and headed home where I drove rather quickly for 3 hours, I have to pat myself on the back because in that whole drive I did not have a panic attack. 

We had so many laughs ( may be we should go out and see people(a little inside joke)) and so many good conversations. I don't know if anyone found their school but I do know that they gained insight into their choices and maybe a step forward in knowing what they are looking for not just in their education for the next four years but their long term goals. 

Loyola 1/5 Bo children give it a thumbs up

Loyola University Maryland

Ok our second tour ever.  We were hesitant because of the location.  Though Baltimore like all big cities seemed to have its better areas and its seedy areas.  Safety on the campus was a big issue/topic.  Students telling us that going to town alone was not a good idea, though you could take the campus bus safely and easily.  

The buildings were beautiful.  When you walk in you immediately get the vibe of "so this is a 65,000 dollar a year school" .  Clubby over stuffed chairs, ornate architecture.   Our tour guide was not fantastic.  He had a world weary vibe (oh to be 21 and so knowledgeable of the ways of the world again!) .  He strongly emphasized the lack of any religious orientation at this Jesuit school. 

The campus was nice, but a bit small and I couldn't help get that locked in here and away from out there feeling.  As you can tell from the tone, I was not really feeling this school, though when I first went into the admissions building I was feeling more upbeat. The students their were welcoming and upbeat, the place looked really pretty. I just couldn't get a sense of identity from the school and the school spirit was a bit flagging.  But again that could have just been our tour guide. 

Though we had one fan, and it was one of our Juniors , it was taken off the list as just not a stand out in any way to us of course, I am sure many people go and they love it.  We were not seeing anything special in our potential majors (business and computer science) or in the school itself to justify its top price.