Post by maudefindlay on Feb 3, 2023 13:08:52 GMT -5
Does she know anyone who currently attends? When I went on college tours back in the day I arranged to meet up with people I knew and went to their dorms etc. So I got the official school tour, and then the unofficial tour. That really helped me.
Does she know anyone who currently attends? When I went on college tours back in the day I arranged to meet up with people I knew and went to their dorms etc. So I got the official school tour, and then the unofficial tour. That really helped me.
Not at this one. We are booking it to coincide with a wedding we need to attend.
Post by outnumbered on Feb 3, 2023 13:17:29 GMT -5
My daughter is a senior. We did our tours last spring and summer. Honestly, after the first two visits they all start to sound the same. If you can, walk around campus after the tour. Grab a coffee or lunch on campus. Eat and explore the surrounding area off campus. Doing this my daughter figured out she wanted to be in school in an urban environment on a small to midsized campus that guarantees housing through at least sophomore year. Those factors were as important to her as academics.
Post by ProfessorArtNerd on Feb 3, 2023 13:18:36 GMT -5
Drexel has a lot of co-op programs and is it trimesters instead of semesters? I only TAed there once but the best mascot of all! Does she know what she wants to study?
Drexel is a great school! But anyone I know who attended is probably more than 20 years post-degree so probably not helpful. What degree is your DD thinking about?
It's funny you posted this, I kept starting and deleting a thread this week about when everyone started thinking about colleges with their teenagers. My son is (understandably) all over the place, and I was thinking about maybe doing a tour or two this summer since we will be road-tripping anyway. It's really early for him (he will be a rising sophomore this summer) but I was thinking that if we can work it without too much effort it might give him a baseline idea of what he might like in a college.
I visited 2 universities the summer before I applied. I went to one on a sunny day and one on a rainy day. So obviously I wanted to go to the one where it was sunny! In the end I didnt get the grades for the sunny one and went to the rainy one and loved it.
That is to say try hard to encourage her to be more objective than me! And I completely agree that you should look at the surrounding areas as after the first year or so, that matters a lot.
Post by InBetweenDays on Feb 3, 2023 13:32:14 GMT -5
We've done a few tours with DD (who's a junior)- each one was slightly different. Some we had a talk by students, and then an admissions counselor, and then a tour of the campus (including dorms, etc). Some were just a tour given by a student with no talk from admissions. Personally I like getting the admissions information to hear more about their academic offerings, enrollment, scholarships, etc.
I also found the tours helpful to hear the questions other parents ask that I wouldn't have thought of. The big one for us (that we now always ask) is what portion of the students are in-state, and what is the campus like on the weekends. DD will likely go to a school that is a plane ride away. So she wants to find a campus that is still vibrant on the weekend - not one that clears out and everyone goes home.
I also fully agree with walking around the general area. Ask about on requirements for living on campus. And get a feel for the surrounding area to see where students live (if they live off campus). Does she prefer a campus that is somewhat isolated and on its own away from a town? Or does she want to be able to walk from campus to shops and off campus housing?
mysteriouswife, Drexel is a great school. They have a co-op program that allows students to alternate learning and working. I did the same program at another University and it was fabulous. Everyone I graduated with had great experiences and went on to easily get a job after graduation. I highly recommend co-op schools.
Post by definitelyO on Feb 3, 2023 13:38:23 GMT -5
jinkies, we have friends who while their kids were in HS visited a college in almost every town they vacationed in. not official tours - but walking around the campus. got serious about campus visits before Junior year and during (one son is high academics, the other looking for a sports scholarship) - so different from us.
DS is a Junior and I'm starting to schedule the instate tours now - we'll start with the 2 main State Universities, a private urban, public urban, and a specialized engineering college. I think that can give him a good start. they're all fairly large - but we do have some smaller schools that we can hit once we start to get a feel. He doesn't know what he doesn't know so getting him some exposure will help narrow him down.
Drexel's great! Is she going for engineering? My husband went to grad school there and taught engineering students. The co-op program is very valuable for job prospects post-graduation.
I went to Penn, whose campus is right next to Drexel. University City was a fun place to live; we lived there about 5 years.
We haven’t started tours yet but just met with our college counselor for the first time last night - it started feeling so real! . When asked if he had given any thought to areas of the country etc (he’s only a sophomore) all he said was “I know I don’t want to stay here in Massachusetts” 😢 I mean, I went 3000 miles from home so I’m not surprised, but I hyperventilate thinking if not seeing him every day lol
Drexel is a great school! But anyone I know who attended is probably more than 20 years post-degree so probably not helpful. What degree is your DD thinking about?
It's funny you posted this, I kept starting and deleting a thread this week about when everyone started thinking about colleges with their teenagers. My son is (understandably) all over the place, and I was thinking about maybe doing a tour or two this summer since we will be road-tripping anyway. It's really early for him (he will be a rising sophomore this summer) but I was thinking that if we can work it without too much effort it might give him a baseline idea of what he might like in a college.
our counselor recommends narrowing down/getting tours in before the end of junior year. The thinking being you spend the summer between Junior and senior year you focus on applications/you know where you are applying, and that takes the pressure off them fall of their senior year that they aren’t doing applications and schoolwork and sports. Obviously this timeline isn’t always possible, but the reasoning makes sense
I'm a Drexel grad. It has grown a ton since I was there. It was mostly engineering and science then, but now there's a med school an a law school. The main plus of Drexel is the co-op program. You have three meaningful 6-month co-ops. This helps you in many ways. It helps you decide what is right for you. Like maybe as a chemical engineer, I realize I don't really like pharma or oil, but I love specialty chemicals. It also gives you an in with three companies. And it really gives you some polish that maybe other college grads you are competing against don't have. I've been told a few times that Drexel grads tend to interview better. You're also earning decent money. For me, there are a couple of downsides as well. At least in engineering, although you go for five years, you have 18 months of co-ops, which means your classes are compressed. You generally take 18 credits per term, and you don't have much space to take anything that isn't related to your major. Nothing fun. The other thing is the tuition. Tuition at Drexel is comparable with schools that are held in much higher regard, like Duke, Penn, or Princeton. And remember that you are paying for five years for undergrad, not four. When I went, the area wasn't super nice, but they've done a lot with it. The art Museum is within walking distance and then there's Boathouse Row right there. I understand their new Entrepreneur school is really good. I still cheer for Drexel and I'm still a Dragon, but when people ask if I will send my kids there, my answer is probably not. At $57k per year (tuition only) it's not worth it.
We are going because we are going to be in the city. She wants to do something with mental health, but hasn’t completely committed yet.
Thanks for the tips. And in the same mindset of ProfArt. We are going for the dragon 😂
I know they have a good medical school (a friend of mine used to do fundraising development there), so I'm sure any of their health-related programs are great.
The campus is very urban. It's just... among other buildings in a city neighborhood and kind of overlaps with the University of Pennsylvania campus in an area called University City. I would love that type of setting. It's also right next to a main transit hub/Amtrak station, so she can get elsewhere in Philly (like center city, which is just over the Schuylkill River from University City, in like 5 minutes) as well as take Amtrak to DC or NY. Not sure where you live, but that could also be an option for getting her home. She definitely won't need a car. Of course, not all students feel comfortable in that kind of environment, but if "big city campus" appeals to her, Drexel is a great option.
We haven’t started tours yet but just met with our college counselor for the first time last night - it started feeling so real! . When asked if he had given any thought to areas of the country etc (he’s only a sophomore) all he said was “I know I don’t want to stay here in Massachusetts” 😢 I mean, I went 3000 miles from home so I’m not surprised, but I hyperventilate thinking if not seeing him every day lol
I said the same thing (except it was "I want to go out of state" - my state being NY) and I ended up not doing that. I just didn't want to go places where 20 people from my high school were going. MA has so many good schools, so he may end up changing his mind as he narrows things down. Then, I moved 3000 miles away my senior year to do an internship and stayed in CA for 10 years. But at least I was within a few hours of home until I was 21.
We haven’t started tours yet but just met with our college counselor for the first time last night - it started feeling so real! . When asked if he had given any thought to areas of the country etc (he’s only a sophomore) all he said was “I know I don’t want to stay here in Massachusetts” 😢 I mean, I went 3000 miles from home so I’m not surprised, but I hyperventilate thinking if not seeing him every day lol
At least MA is tiny! That's one thing I find so cool about the east coast... You don't have to spend much time in the car to get to a new state!
No, Aracdia (formerly Beaver College) in Glenside, PA
I studied abroad through Beaver College! I don't remember exactly why - maybe my university didn't have a relationship with the abroad program I was interested in? But I met some Beaver students
We are going because we are going to be in the city. She wants to do something with mental health, but hasn’t completely committed yet.
Thanks for the tips. And in the same mindset of ProfArt. We are going for the dragon 😂
I know they have a good medical school (a friend of mine used to do fundraising development there), so I'm sure any of their health-related programs are great.
The campus is very urban. It's just... among other buildings in a city neighborhood and kind of overlaps with the University of Pennsylvania campus in an area called University City. I would love that type of setting. It's also right next to a main transit hub/Amtrak station, so she can get elsewhere in Philly (like center city, which is just over the Schuylkill River from University City, in like 5 minutes) as well as take Amtrak to DC or NY. Not sure where you live, but that could also be an option for getting her home. She definitely won't need a car. Of course, not all students feel comfortable in that kind of environment, but if "big city campus" appeals to her, Drexel is a great option.
We are in Nashville. Public transport is nearly nonexistent. We have very close friends getting married at the Franklin Institute. So this is exciting to learn all of the opportunities for her
I know they have a good medical school (a friend of mine used to do fundraising development there), so I'm sure any of their health-related programs are great.
The campus is very urban. It's just... among other buildings in a city neighborhood and kind of overlaps with the University of Pennsylvania campus in an area called University City. I would love that type of setting. It's also right next to a main transit hub/Amtrak station, so she can get elsewhere in Philly (like center city, which is just over the Schuylkill River from University City, in like 5 minutes) as well as take Amtrak to DC or NY. Not sure where you live, but that could also be an option for getting her home. She definitely won't need a car. Of course, not all students feel comfortable in that kind of environment, but if "big city campus" appeals to her, Drexel is a great option.
We are in Nashville. Public transport is nearly nonexistent. We have very close friends getting married at the Franklin Institute. So this is exciting to learn all of the opportunities for her
The Franklin Institute is really cool! (Same friend who worked for Drexel later did fundraising development at the Franklin Institute!) University City is also a quick (15 minute) trip to the airport via the train as well.
Post by georgeglass on Feb 3, 2023 17:27:37 GMT -5
My niece is a sophomore at Drexel and loves it.
We have twin seniors who now know where they are going to college. The tours really helped them get the feel of size and location and vibe they wanted. I wish we had started earlier, though. For one school, the tour was TERRIBLE. New tour guide, not great info session, but we knew enough about the school to give it another go and now it's where my son will go next fall. I am glad we gave it another shot.
We visited several different “styles” so she could get a feel as to what suits her: large state university, small liberal arts college, urban campus, rural campus, etc. She fell in love with the small liberal arts college (it helped that the swim coach came out to welcome her. He also wrote a follow up email). We thought she might go for a bigger city but nope, she knew right away.