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I have a 16 y.o. Junior son and we have visited the following schools just to "get a feel" and here are his impressions:
Penn State - LOVED it. Good business/engineering programs. Beautiful campus, mountains, school spirit, kids look "normal" (his words), self-contained campus, not too urban, sports stadiums together on campus, old dorms but he doesn't care.
University Colorado Boulder - LOVED it. Good business/engineering programs. Beautiful campus, mountains (avid skier), school spirit (esp. the buffalo), he likes the kids aren't too hippy, food looks great, dorms are great, sports stadium in campus center. He promises he won't smoke pot.
University of Denver - feels too urban
University of Michigan - feels too large, crowded and urban, kids seem too rushed and stressed out for him.
Northwestern University - too urban, kids seem too studious (lmao - I'm worried)
University of Virginia - They don't get enough snow. Thomas Jefferson historic class buildings way too serious for him. Students seem uptight (his words). I loved this school btw
William and Mary - Too small and stuffy for him. They don't get enough snow.
Next few months we are visiting: University Wisconsin Madison, Ohio State, Indiana U, Purdue, Valpairaso, University Iowa
Addtnl. Background info:
He wants to major in business and/or engineering.
Attends a competitive HS
Current GPA 3.7 and should improve
All honors/AP classes (incl AP Calc and AP physics 1,2), 4 years foreign language
In HS 4 year pre-engineering program
Took 1 "cold" practice ACT and got a 30 (he's now in an ACT prep class)
4 years of H.S. Sports, summer jobs, various clubs and school leadership roles
Lots of volunteer hours, including Int'l trips
Based on his college visit opinions (and love of Colorado, PSU), what other schools may have similar attributes and be a good fit?
To me, it looks like the OP's son wants a large school with a football team, engineering and mountains nearby for skiing. I wasn't knocking WVU earlier - my husband is an engineering grad from there. I just don't think the skiiing is that great or convenient. Snowshoe (according to google) is 2 hrs. 46 minutes away. Maybe I'm comparing that to colleges like UVM and Boulder - two other locations I'm familiar with. My son could get a season pass to multiple ski resorts for a couple of hundred dollars at his college in Burlington and I know that UVM has similar deals. Passes & Busses
WVU is also a huge party school - always has been and always will be- BUT that's very much the reputation of most of the large state U's. Penn State sure has the party school reputation here in Pennsylvania.
Sheena's list has colleges with great engineering programs and when we were looking at colleges, the program is what I encouraged my kids to concentrate on first and then the location. One of the good things about private colleges is that they will offer smart kids merit aid. State U's are not so generous with that for out of state kids.
I like PP's list. Cold is one thing, cold & overcast is another. Look at number of sunny days. Idk about PA, but central NY can be bleak. And consider distance to civilization. The Capitol district--RPI, Union--is not as grey as Ithaca, Syracuse and it's convenient to highway, Amtrak and a decent airport. Worth consideration if the merit money is there.
I know a lot of kids love Syracuse, and the engineering programs are well thought of, but, if there were a regret index, SU would probably be up there. It can be a good value for certain specialities, and kids who are comfortable selling themselves & networking to learn about opportunities. In general, for many, it's overpriced.
Idk about its engineering, or merit aid, but UVM is heaven for students who like outdoors & aren't afraid of cold. It's an easy trip from Albany. Burlington does get COLD, but it's not bleak.
Sheena's list has colleges with great engineering programs and when we were looking at colleges, the program is what I encouraged my kids to concentrate on first and then the location. One of the good things about private colleges is that they will offer smart kids merit aid. State U's are not so generous with that for out of state kids.
Thanks for the feedback....He does seem to be concentrating on the programs, culture, location.. But I believe they are all equally important to him. He will be miserable if it is not the right cultural/location fit. I have seen too many kids mess up on that and drop out/switch schools sophomore year.
He likes to be around his type of active, outdoorsy, sport loving, football team following people. He is not particularly adaptable in that sense. He likes a lot of green space/outdoor space around him (that is how he unwinds), which is why he was turned off by the more congested, urban setting schools. He has said he is not a city person.
The skiing is not of the highest importance - a nice to have extracurricular/club. He has competed as a skier and is also a ski guide, but he isn't prioritizing on that in college - no time with studies. He doesn't really want to give up winter snow though, unless there is an extremely compelling reason to do so.
As far as the engineering school goes... This probably sounds counterintuitive, but he does not want/need the most rigorous/premier engineering school, like MIT, as he does not want to be a P.E. but wants to enter the business side of engineering. So I guess he is just looking for a good school that allows some dual engineering/business program (I believe Penn State had something like that) or possible an engineering BS/MBA combo. He needs to research these programs.
I went to Iowa State University in Ames and it was and still is a beautiful campus in a small city setting. Very good engineering school.
I have heard so many great things about this school and it's engineering program. Friends have kids in the engineering school and I know they got lots of merit aid. Unfortunately, DS is saying he doesn't want to look at Iowa State or University of Iowa. I don't know if he thinks the area is too flat, or just too many of his neighbors are going there. I have no idea. I am going to bring him on a road trip there anyway.
Idk about its engineering, or merit aid, but UVM is heaven for students who like outdoors & aren't afraid of cold. It's an easy trip from Albany. Burlington does get COLD, but it's not bleak.
Thanks, we are definitely going to check out Vermont and some other eastern schools on a future road trip.
I tried. The problem is finding all three - engineering, football AND skiing in the same school.
And as toobusytoday did, the first thing is to concentrate on the major. Academic strengths need to be considered first, because these are the least likely to change, and academics are, after all, THE reason for college attendance.
My son is an Art major, and a senior applying to graduate schools now. He LOVES his college, and rural life...however...
When he began looking at colleges, he was very,very specific about wanting an "urban college, with a good art program, that was in a city and had a "counterculture vibe" - however he didn't want an "Art School" (like Art Institute of Chicago) because he wanted a "regular college experience". (by his definition)
He drove us crazy with this list, and I in turn, probably drove friends - and members of this forum - crazy, looking for the "perfect college" for him.
As with your son, he wanted someplace cold because he wanted to be close to skiing. He also loves cold weather.
I tried to follow his list to the letter - and he wound up at a college that he liked but didn't really love, and compromised quite a bit in choosing that school. He could have done better on many levels.
At the time, he wouldn't even look at any college in a small town and he categorically refused to look at any college that was "in the country" and ruled out entire states - such as New Hampshire, Vermont and all of Upstate NY - in search of this mythical urban college that was near skiing and a city.
After two semesters and a liberal arts program that he called "lack luster" he transferred to probably one of the most rural colleges in the country, with a strong art program that is near skiing.
He loves it.
Go figure. And it's in one of the states that he refused to even look at - Vermont.
With my daughter, I had her to think of the essentials - academics FIRST and one other "must have".
I also took her to visit colleges that she was opposed to initially - but when she got on the campus, she surprised herself - and us, by falling in love with some colleges that she NEVER thought she would like.
When I went to college, my father took a map and a compass, drew a circle that included colleges that were not longer than a 4 hour drive from home and said "chose someplace within this area."
And so I did.
Sometimes I wonder if he didn't have the right idea..
ETA - toobusytoday is also correct about state colleges - they are notoriously stingy when it comes to merit aid.
Unless cost is of no consequence, you may want to consider that fact also.
Clemson University. It is similar to Penn State but with warmer weather. I would say Clemson is a lot like UVA's campus as well, except there isn't a lot of overly pretentious greek column architecture. Nice looking old buildings though.
Clemson typically only gets 2 or 3 snowfalls a year though. It is near Blue ridge mountains, right on a lake. The campus has its on lake beach. It is similar to Penn State but with warmer weather.
Penn State has to be pretty brutal place to be in the winter. Clemson gets cold enough with potential for some snow.
The OP's son wanted a college in a cold climate and isn't interested in "warmer weather" or beaches.
Clemson is a good school, and I have a relative who's daughter graduated from Clemson, about five years ago. However, she was raised in Texas and South Carolina, and she is used to warm weather, and has no interest in skiing.
I know this is hard for some southern folks to grasp, but there are actually people who love cold weather and abhor the heat.
Both of my children are that way.
Along with major, intolerance for heat (or cold) is something that is very unlikely to change. Two or three snow falls a year, is unlikely to satisfy an avid skier. Nor is "potential for some snow".
It sounds as though you are projecting your own preferences on to the student.
By the way, my cousin and her daughter, the Clemson grad, live in Simpsonville SC.
I tried. The problem is finding all three - engineering, football AND skiing in the same school.
And as toobusytoday did, the first thing is to concentrate on the major. Academic strengths need to be considered first, because these are the least likely to change, and academics are, after all, THE reason for college attendance.
My son is an Art major, and a senior applying to graduate schools now. He LOVES his college, and rural life...however...
Sheena, Thank you so much for your perspective... This is my oldest child so I have a lot to learn about all this.
Your kids sound like mine... My son has ruled out whole states like Iowa and Missouri for no good reason.
I think the thing he needs to do is zero in on what kind of engineering/business programs are out there. I think he's at least got a good understanding of some of the industries based on his pre-engineering classes, as well as the fact many of his family members have brought him to job sites, etc. I think something like environmental, energy, petroleum engineering might be a good fit for him.
Can you recommend any websites/tools that help in assessing the different programs of study out there? He should also ask his guidance counselor and engineering teacher about all this. He is just beginning Junior year and they are starting this type of career evaluation at his school.
Last edited by GoCUBS1; 10-12-2016 at 01:06 PM..
Reason: Fixed quote
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And it's in one of the states that he refused to even look at - Vermont. 
