Dan Week 4 - Touring Universities
One of the best things about being in our graduating class is that we get to tour universities in person, unlike most of last year's seniors. During November - since we have so much time off due to holidays - my dad and I went to visit some universities, mostly in the northeast, and it was a great experience. In the span of three days, we toured Syracuse, Temple, and Maryland, not to mention another visit to UT Austin a week before those. The visits were everything that I wanted them to be. I was hoping that the visits could help me narrow down which universities I prefer over others because on paper most of the colleges that I'm applying to are very similar; large campus, a lot of students, good sports teams, etc. Not only did the tours give some great information on the academic side of things, but getting to see how the campus functions and being right in the middle of it, physically, is such a great way to get a feel for how you like that specific school. Seeing the student life and landmarks around campus was one of my favorite parts, as every school we toured was pretty full at the time of the tours. Syracuse had a beautiful campus with top-of-the-notch facilities, it really blew me away. On the other hand, I liked the overall feel and dynamic of Maryland more than the others. At the end of the day, every university is going to have pros and cons, and the physical tours can only help with clearing them up. If I could offer one piece of advice, it's to tour a college before making a judgment on it, because you could go in expecting nothing from a school and get blown away after taking a tour, so keep your mind open.
Have you toured any colleges yet? If so, which ones?
Hi Dan, that's so great that you've been able to tour some universities you're interested in! I don't know much about all the campuses you visited, but I heard that Maryland's and UT Austin's campuses are beautiful. I agree that it's important to be able to visit colleges that you're considering applying to/attending. I haven't toured any colleges in person recently, but I have been doing some virtual tours for various colleges I've been interested in such as Michigan and Chicago. I've visited colleges before a few years ago like Northwestern and Binghamton which were fun experiences.
ReplyDeleteHi Dan. I'm so glad you had fun on your college visits. I personally haven't visited any yet but over conferences I'm going to Washington DC and New York to visit my top 2 schools, American and Rochester. Both of these seem super interesting to me and was planning on doing early decision if I fall absolutely in love with one of them. I wish I could've been able to visit my other choices, but unfortunately I don't think I'll really have the time. I'm also applying to Syracuse so if you were impressed with their campus, I'll just take your word for it.
ReplyDeleteHey Dan. This sounds like such a cool experience. I have only ever seen UF and Miami's campus because of my brothers. On vacations i've seen Georgetown, Emory, UChicago, and NYU but not as tours just looking around. I really want to see Maryland though in the future. These trips are pretty beneficial to get idea of where we want to go.
ReplyDeleteHi Dan, that's awesome that you've been able to see some of the colleges you're interested in. I think that visiting a college can help make a decision, but there are many other factors to consider as well. I spent a Shabbat a WashU and Maryland to get a sense of the Jewish life, and I've also toured schools like UF and Hopkins. After visiting these schools, I have no idea which one I would prefer to go to. I have come to realize that there is not much I can tell from walking around the campus, and it's better to talk to the students and see what they think about the school.
ReplyDeleteHi Dan, I recently went to Maryland and got a full tour from my sister and spent the shabbos there, so I was able to get a good idea of what the college was really like. I have also been to Michigan, but I did not spend the Shabbos there and most of my knowledge comes from talking to my cousin who goes to the college. I think it is a very hard decision to make, especially when you have not visited all of the colleges, and the decision will literally change the course of your whole life.
ReplyDeleteHi Dan! It's so fun that you were able to tour so many colleges to really find out what you are looking for. I recently visited UF, and I definitely think it is super important to visit a college before you commit in order to make sure that you really love it. The best part of visiting UF was living with current students for the weekend because I was able to get a real sense of what it would be like to go there instead of just staying in a hotel.
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