Oberlin

We visited Oberlin last spring and went to the Information session and took the tour at that time. We fell in love with it then and Mollie was very excited about it as a possibility for her college education. We wondered how we would feel about it after visiting the Ivy League schools on the East Coast, but when we arrived in Oberlin we fell in love with it all over again! We all felt comfortable and at home and we were so glad to be back!

Oberlin was the first college in the country to allow people of all minorities to attend, and it was also the first college to allow women to attend. Its Environmental Studies building is the most sustainable college building in the world and its Conservatory of Music is world renowned. It is only an undergraduate school which means that undergraduates are the primary focus. The college has a feeling of excellence combined with a sense of clarity and calmness. All of the students we have met have been highly intellectual and yet down to earth. I get the feeling that students are very well taken care of at Oberlin and that while they are being stimulated intellectually they are also being nurtured as whole people.

Oberlin also has a competitive Creative Writing program and one of the best Environmental Studies programs in the country. Both of these are great options for Mollie and, at this point, they still seem to be some of the best possibilities for her. In other words, after visiting so many other schools, Oberlin still seems like the best fit. There is still a lot of time left before she has to make any decisions, but it was interesting to go back there and have the same feeling as we had originally. For Mollie the positive associations with Oberlin were very strong and she felt very happy there.

The other things that we noticed and liked about Oberlin: a bike co-op through which students have easy access to bicycles, a "green" dorm for Freshman students, energy use monitored in buildings throughout the campus, reduction in use of cars, composting and recycling, and vegetarian and vegan food options. Because the Environmental Studies program is so strong the focus on sustainability issues permeate campus life. We didn't see a focus this strong on any of the other campuses we visited which leads us to believe that Oberlin, as an entire campus, is probably on the cutting edge of environmental sustainability issues.

The photos I've included on the blog are as follows: the pond is in front of the Music Conservatory, the trees are part of an orchard connected to the Environmental Studies building, The Oberlin Market is the health food store and bakery downtown, and the other building shows typical 1800's architecture at the college. There was a sidewalk sale the day we were there, so we got a taste of Oberlin in the summer - laid back, progressive, interesting, dynamic. Could be a very nice place to spend four years of college...

Statistics from College Board

Middle 50% of SAT scores:

Reading 650-740

Math 630-710

Writing 650-740

ACT 28-32

Percent of applicants accepted: 22%

Percent of returning sophomores: 94%

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Bard

We went to Bard spontaneously because we had an extra day and we discovered that it was only 35 miles north of Vassar. It was a wonderful jewel in our trip and quickly became one of our favorites.

First, the location...Below is a description of the campus from the Bard website:

"As a residential college, Bard provides an exquisite campus setting in which students pursue their academic interests and craft a rich social life. The fusion of two historic estates, Bard's park-like campus covers more than 500 acres of fields and forested land bordering the Hudson River. The Catskill Mountains, to the west, can be viewed from many student residences and from the grounds and gardens of Blithewood (the mansion that houses The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College). Walking trails crisscross the campus through wooded areas, along the Saw Kill stream, and down to the river."

When you drive into Bard you simply come upon it in the woods, which is a very different experience than trying to find a college in the middle of a large urban city. I really felt that the setting would be conducive to studying, thinking, learning, and growing.

When we arrived in the Admissions Office, the Director of Admissions began talking to us a very friendly, casual way. She spent quite a lot of time with us, was welcoming and open, and even walked us across campus to the Center for Environmental Policy. We didn't know that she was the Director of Admissions until we got her card at the end of our visit! While we were talking to someone at the Center for Environmental Policy, an English professor came in for a meeting and in a down-to-earth and engaging way said to Mollie, "We hope you come to Bard." We felt comfortable and happy to be on the campus and that feeling is more and more what I am looking for in colleges that we consider for Mollie. I am much more interested in a college having a sense of nurturing Mollie as a person than I am a college that is prestigious or is a brand name. It is possible, I suppose, for a college to be nurturing, prestigious and a brand name. But, as parents, we are most interested in the nurturing aspect of a college - balanced of course with challenging and dynamic coursework. Bard seemed to have both qualities well in hand.

So, several things that we really liked about Bard aside from the setting and the Admissions Director! All incoming freshman start their year at the end of the summer with the 3 week "Language and Thinking Program" in which they read a variety of genres, work on writing projects, and engage in small group discussions. Then, after the winter holiday, the Freshman meet together again for another 3 week course called "Citizen Science" in which they learn the basics of the scientific method through the study of a particular topic. This gets them grounded in science at the beginning of their course of study at Bard to encourage students to become engaged in the sciences. First year students also take the "First Year Seminar" as part of the first year set of courses. This gives them a strong background in a basic liberal arts education and includes works by Plato, Virgil, Augustine, Dante, Shakespeare, Galileo, Marx, Darwin, and Nietzsche.

I liked the idea that the Freshman students come together to study these topics. I think this would ground them in certain knowledge and would also help them to bond with each other as they move through a common academic process.

The other thing that was very exciting about Bard is the Bard Center for Environmental Policy. It is actually a graduate program, but has a 3/2 program for undergraduates in which a student could do 3 years at Bard College as an undergraduate student and then complete their Master's Degree in another 2 years. A student can get a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and a Master of Science in Climate Science and Policy. The purpose of the program is to develop environmental leaders who can enter the workforce with the skills needed to impact environmental policy. Eban S. Goodstein, the Director of the Center said the following, "We are alive at an extraordinary moment, one that demands an extraordinary responsibility, especially from graduate schools focused on environmental policy."

We were very pleased with our excursion to Bard - it was well worth the trip. We visited Theodore Roosevelt's home on the way from Vassar to Bard, and could also have visited the Vanderbuilt Mansion had we chosen to take another detour. It's such a beautiful area - I'm sure that's why these prominent families chose to live there!

Statistics from College Board

Middle 50% of SAT scores:

Reading 680-740

Math 650-680

Writing - no information listed

ACT - no information listed

Percent of applicants accepted: 35%

Percent of returning sophomores: 90%

Vassar

Vassar is located in the Hudson Valley an hour and 45 minute train ride from New York City. It has 24oo students, 25% of whom are from New York, 80% of whom double major, and 40% of whom study away at some point during the college career. Vassar was an all girls college, but is now co-ed with approximately 45% men (I can't remember the exact number, but it was more than I expected it to be). The average class size is about 17 with advanced classes being about 10 students. There are not distribution or general education requirements - which seems to be a general trend in these kinds of schools.

One of the things we found interesting about Vassar is that there is a 500 acre working farm (appropriately called the Vassar Farm) that is part of the school. It has hiking trails and also seems to have a community garden from what we could tell. It seems like community members have garden plots on the farm because we saw a whole variety of different plots that didn't seem like they could be part of one organized garden. We hiked around it the evening after we went on the tour and we automatically associated it with the 1000 acre Glen Helen that is attached to Antioch College. I was disappointed to find out that the farm is not used to grow food for the students at the college because that seems like a perfect use for it in this day and age. The Admissions officer said that years ago, when the college was smaller, the farm did provide food for the students, but that now that the college is bigger they get their food elsewhere. That didn't make a lot of sense to me because one could grow a whole lot of food on 500 acres!

One of the things that the Admissions officer said to the students was that the essay on the college application should give the reader a window into who you are. She said it is OK if you haven't changed the world yet - most 17 year olds haven't. The best essays are about simple things and one student wrote about the things in her room and how those things were a reflection of who she was. The Admissions officer also said to make sure you write about yourself and show your ability to engage in self-reflection. For example, many students write beautiful essays about a person who has impacted them, but they forget to write about themselves in the essay. I have seen this, also, when I have my students write essays.

We were not particularly impressed by Vassar and that surprised me because when we looked at it on their website it was one of the colleges that we most wanted to visit. I don't know what it was about it - we just didn't click with it at all. I really liked the student who gave the tour - I thought she was very balanced and centered, so I'm sure that the school attracts very interesting students. It just left me cold for some reason that I can't really explain. That shows the necessity of visiting colleges because some of them you click with and can imagine being there (or imagine your child being there) and others you just don't vibe to at all. I also didn't like Poughkeepsie, the town were Vassar is located - I thought it would be a much nicer town and I didn't think it was anything special. There are some nice shops and restaurants near the college, but when we walked through that area in the evening it was pretty dead. I thought that Vassar would be a place we would look at seriously, but I doubt that we will at this point. However, things can always change...

Statistics from College Board

Middle 50% of SAT scores:

Reading 670-740

Math 640-720

Writing 660-750

ACT 29-32

Percent of applicants accepted: 24%

Percent of returning sophomores: 96%

Wellesley

We didn't take a formal tour or attend an information session at Wellesley because Mollie isn't interested in attending an all-girls college. I haven't really looked into Wellesley for this reason, but it is such a pretty place! We were visiting friends who live nearby, so we walked around on a Sunday evening. It was pretty empty and I don't think there are any students on campus in the summer - or at least it didn't seem like it - but we could still get a feel for the campus. It was like a beautiful park and seemed like a great place to study and develop the intellectual life! We enjoyed our walk and we also liked the nearby town.

Statistics from College Board

Middle 50% of SAT:

Reading 640-740

Math 630-74o

Writing 650-750

ACT 28-31

Percent of applicants admitted: 34%

Percent of returning sophomores: 96%

Yale

I have to say that we were completely pleasantly surprised when we visited Yale. I almost skipped over it because I thought that, being in the middle of New Haven, Connecticut, it would not be a very nice place. Wow, was I wrong! Yale has one of the most beautiful campuses we saw! And it is so obvious that the school has resources as you walk around and look at the buildings. Many of them are old, Gothic, and have stunningly beautiful architecture. They are also well taken care of so the atmosphere on campus is nice, nice, nice.

Downtown New Haven is sort of part of the campus, so you are right in the middle of the city when you are at the college. Mollie and I noticed, when we walked around after the tour, that only a block or so away from campus in one of the parks things started to get a bit seedy like many big city downtown areas. We all had to use the bathroom and the Starbucks that was a block from campus wouldn't let us use theirs unless we bought something, but the Starbucks across from campus let us walk right in. The feeling just a block away was noticeably different. I think it would be important simply for students to be aware of this, but it doesn't need to deter anyone from going to Yale! And it could be helpful for doing community service and also also for staying more in touch with reality.

Yale College has 5000 undergraduates and Yale University has 6000 graduate students. The distribution requirements offer students a lot of choice along with some structure and 50% of students change their major while at Yale. I actually think this is a good sign because students are allowed to explore their interests. The students can take 2 years to decide on their major - like many of the other schools we visited. There are 36 required classes and 12 of those can be in whatever the student chooses. The others are requirements for a major and core writing intensive classes. Yale also has a "shopping period" for the first several weeks of class so that students can look at a number of classes they may want to choose from, sit in on class, get a copy of the syllabus, hear a few lectures. This is the same kind of thing that Brown does and, in fact, when we visited Yale we began to have difficulty distinguishing between Yale and Brown because they have many similarities.

We really liked the woman who did the information session. She is a Yale graduate and looked like she was in her mid-thirties. She was articulate, but very down to earth and seemed accessible in a way that surprised me. She said that the atmosphere at Yale is collaborative and it is not a competitive academic environment, and she also said that it feels like a small liberal arts college even though it is fairly large for

a liberal arts school. About 80% of graduating seniors have some kind of international experience and most go abroad during the summer. There is a Yale program in Bejing, which sounded good in terms of Mollie being able to continue to learn about the Chinese culture. Yale is better known for its humanities department, but the sciences are developing there as well.

One of the most interesting thing about campus life for students at Yale is the Residential College system. Students are placed in a living environment called a Residential College where they stay for all 4 years. There are 12 colleges and each one has a separate area on campus where students live and eat. There is a dean for each college who helps students with academics and there is also a faculty member who is a "master" - someone who is in charge of the social activities for the college. So, for example a master might take students to see a Broadway play or go on an excursion to a museum. The master also arranges for famous people to come to Yale and have tea and a discussion with students in the college.

The campus definitely has some Harry Potter-ish places. One is a large lawn on which the Quidditch team plays (yes, I guess Quidditch has become an official game!), and the other is the main dining hall that looks suspiciously like the Great Hall at Hogwarts! I know that the Harry Potter movies were filmed at Oxford, but the Yale dining hall really makes you feel like you are at Hogwarts! I also kept looking at the old paintings on all the campuses we visited and thinking that they were going to start talking and

moving! There is also a rare books library that is amazing - I mean truly amazing! We saw original notebooks written by Henry Miller, notes by Langston Hughes, and many, many more primary sources. We could have all spent hours in there just looking at the displays. Students can use the rare books, but they have to be taken off the shelf by a librarian because the books are kept in a place where there is less oxygen so the books don't deteriorate. The books can't be checked out of the library, but what a treat it would be to get your hands on some of those books!!!

I liked what the Admissions officer said about what they are looking at in students who are accepted to Yale. They have only a 7% acceptance rate and I asked her how they decide among so many really good applicants. She said that there are many students they would like to accept but they just don't have enough space and she said that it is a very human process. She did say that they are not just looking at the top GPA or the top SAT scores, but that they are interested in who the student is as a person and a community member. One thing I thought was very interesting was that she said that they are looking for students who not only have strong opinions, but also for students who can listen to other's opinions. I hadn't heard that before and I think it was well said. The context of where a student has gone to high school is considered (all the colleges said this), so if a student has attended a high school where only 2 AP classes are taught they don't expect them to have as many AP classes as a student who attended a school with 30 AP classes. But she also said that they like to see how a student has ENGAGED with their high school and with what was available to them. I thought that was an interesting way to phrase this statement. Yale is looking for students who will make the most of their opportunity at Yale and they want to know what the student will give back to the community.

All in all, our visit to Yale was surprising, pleasant, encouraging, interesting, engaging - we loved it!! I can also see us revisiting Yale as a possible place for Mollie to apply. It is in her top 3 favorites right now.

Statistics from College Board

Middle 50% of SAT scores:

Reading 7oo-800

Math 710-790

Writing 710-800

ACT 32-35

Percent of applicants accepted: 8%

Percent of returning sophomores: 99%

Brown

Brown has an open curriculum in which students choose their own classes, so the selling point is that students who are in a class WANT to be there. Brown has a "shopping period" the first two weeks of class during which students can attend a variety of classes to decide whether they want to take them. The Admissions officer said that students are the "architect of their own curriculum." There are several thousand classes to choose from and many of them do not have prerequisites.

Students have to take a minimum of 30 classes - approximately 4-5 classes a semester, and they pick their "concentration" (not called their "major" at Brown - we were told) by the end of their sophomore year. The school has two grading options: 1/ the traditional A-F option that students choose for classes in their area of concentration, and 2/ the Pass/Fail option that students can choose so that they can take classes out of their comfort zone.

The advising system at Brown is very comprehensive because of the open curriculum. The university seems to want students to have a lot of people to go to for advice, so they have a faculty adviser, a peer adviser, a concentration adviser - and a study abroad adviser and a thesis adviser if the student studies abroad or does a thesis. That sounds impressive and probably works for many students, but having had various advisers throughout my life I wonder how that works in reality. I like the idea of the open curriculum, but I think that students need to be very self-directed to go to a school like this because I think it would be easy to get lost and not really find a direction. However, if students know what they want to do and are inner directed it seems like there would be a lot of great opportunities to develop as a person.

The Rhode Island School of Design (probably the best art school in the country) is located right next to Brown, and students at Brown are able to take up to 4 classes at RISD. As an artist, that really appealed to me! Saul's nephew, Jesse, went to RISD and it sounds like there is a reciprocal relationship in which students there also had the option to take classes at Brown, but Jesse said

he didn't have time to do that because of the rigor of his classes and all the time it took to complete his work. I'm guessing that probably happens with the Brown students as well, but what an opportunity! Being able to go to the RISD Museum of Art and take part in art events would be a real plus as well.

Providence, Rhode Island, where Brown is located, is about an hour south of Boston and it is a beautiful city. The downtown area has been well taken care of and it feels safe and clean. We walked around Providence after visiting Brown and really liked it.

I think that Brown would be a great option for Mollie and it is a school I could see us going back to and looking into further. Right now Mollie is not as interested in it, but we visited so many places it will take time for things to sink in. The whole place - the university, RISD, and Providence - felt like a great place to be. It is cultured and has a lot going on, but it does not have the hassled feeling of a large city.

Statistics from College Board

Middle 50% of SAT

Reading 660-760

Math 670-770

Writing 670-770

ACT 29-33

Percent of applicants admitted: 9%

Percent of returning sophomores: 98%

Brandeis

Brandeis is located about 9 miles from Boston in Waltham, MA. It has a completely different feel from the colleges that are closer to the city because it is in a suburb. We arrived at Brandeis after practically being chased off the Harvard campus by a meter maid and someone who wanted out parking spot. I ran into the Admissions building to find out where to park and one of the Admissions officers walked me out to the parking lot, showed me where to park, and told me not to worry at all if we were given a ticket - that we could just bring it into the office and they would take care of it. Wow! What a different reception - it was so different it was startling!

Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Maslow, and Leonard Bernstein helped found the physics, psychology, and music departments at Brandeis and the college has a casual air of excellence. The information session was one of the best we heard because the Admissions officer was very organized, had a power point presentation with a lot of information and visual aids, and she made her points clearly and concisely. The campus has the feeling of being new because the buildings are modern, so it is completely different from many of the liberal arts colleges on the East Coast that have old gothic buildings on their campuses. I didn't really like the feel of the campus because of the new modern buildings - it didn't have much character and didn't seem like a place I would want to study for 4 years. But I tried to look past that because it is a very good school and people, not buildings, give something its quality. Our tour guide was sort of quirky and we talked about the need to judge a school on its merits and not on the quality of the information sessions or the personalities of the tour guides.

The school has a long term commitment to social justice and equality, undergraduates are able to do a lot of research, there is no core curriculum, and about 50% of Juniors travel abroad. There is also funding for unpaid internships that students can apply for. Students are able to double or even triple major in different subjects which I found very interesting having visited Cornell where it seemed like it would be difficult to seek out new interests and add a major.

There seems to be a commitment to environmental sustainability on the campus - something that Mollie is interested in seeing when she looks at schools. They had a living roof, several buildings that had been designed to be environmentally friendly, and a "green, no-mow" lawn that did not use pesticides and does not require mowing.

While the buildings are new and modern there is one building that stands out and is really amazing. It is the sophomore dorm and is an exact replica of a castle - I think from Scotland! Apparently the writers from the TV show "Friends" went to Brandeis and they wrote many of their scripts based on interactions they had in the coffee house "Chums" that was located in the castle during their time at Brandeis. (I think it's still there.) We found that amusing because we just recently finished watching all the episodes of 10 years of "Friends" and we love the show!

We really enjoyed our time at Brandeis and were very impressed by it, but it doesn't seem like a place that Mollie will want to revisit or attend. That could change in 4 years, but that's the way we feel about it now. It's a great school, though, and I think a student could have a very good experience there.

Statistics from College Board

Middle 50% of SAT:

Reading 630-730

Math 640-730

Writing 640-720

ACT 28-32

Percent of applicants admitted: 35%

Percent of returning sophomores: 92%