Need a good list/spreadsheet for comparing college visits

[ZuZugal]

Doing college campus visits with DS and wondering if anyone out there has a link to or can post a good chart/spreadsheet for comparing various colleges (campus/dorms/cafe/misc).

I have found a few things online, but nothing comprehensive and I think that is what we need. taking notes just isn't going to cut it!

Thanks

 

[scrapquitler]

Doing college campus visits with DS and wondering if anyone out there has a link to or can post a good chart/spreadsheet for comparing various colleges (campus/dorms/cafe/misc).

I have found a few things online, but nothing comprehensive and I think that is what we need. taking notes just isn't going to cut it!

Thanks

Taking good notes is an essential skill for college success.

How about videotaping parts of the visit so that you remember various things about the campus and the presentation. You can even record your son's reactions and comments spontaneously.

I know that I videotaped and took pictures (and copious notes) when we were househunting and couldn't keep them straight in our minds, and it helped a lot. I imagine the same thing would work with the college search.

That said, check for cellphone apps.

 

[prncess674]

Umm, first of all you sound like a serious helicopter parent. Chill out, your child needs to make the choice and the answer won't come from rating categories on a 1-10 scale.

I would suggest you have a nice chat with your DS after each visit and talk about what he likes and dislikes about each school after the visit. You need to make notes about things that matter to parents (cost, distance, etc.) and your DS needs to make notes/comments about things that matter to him.

After seeing all your choices the answer should be very clear.

 

[MrsPete]

This is the checklist that my daughter and I made together. We've used it for all our visits thusfar, and when we come home we feel like we really know something about the school. She's come home and typed up all our "discoveries" right away so that she has a good computer file with what she's learned. As she enters her senior year, she's picked out two schools that are "most likely" choices, and although they aren't the ones I expected before we started visiting, I feel she's making good choices based upon facts. It seems that my students who just "go" and look around tend to miss a lot -- and they sort of make their choices based upon a couple things that stand out in their minds rather than a good comparison of everything the school offers.

Of course you'll need to revamp this for yourself; for example, we care about the distance to the hospital because she'll be a nursing major -- likely you don't have that same concern. She's not interested in sororities, so we don't have anything about Greek life on our list. Also, I removed the spacing so it'd fit nicely here.



(College) Visit -- (Date)

Miles from home: _______________________
Distance from campus to hospital _______________________
Total number of students: ___________________
Distance from grocery store _________________________

Tuition & fees
Scholarship opportunities
Housing costs
Parking Permit -- Proximity to dorm?

Things to see:
____ Classroom
____ Lecture hall
____ Gym
____ Typical freshmen dorms; Dorm we like best:
____ Library / hours:
____ Stadium
____ Laundry
____ Cafeteria / hours:
____ Campus map
____ Health Center
____ Bank / ATM
____ Other support items:
____ Newspaper
____ Bookstore

Nursing department:
____ Pick up list of degree requirements
____ Student nursing / locations, scrubs, etc.

Miscellaneous
____ Availability of dorms for freshmen? Subsequent years?
____ Clubs/ organizations?
____ Baptist Student Union?
____ What’s nearby?
____ How do freshmen register?
____ Meal plan options
____ Typical meal costs
____ Insurance requirements
____ International opportunities?
____ Special opportunities?

 

[mom2boys]

My son made his own spreadsheet. He included columns for his likes & dislikes. He included academic, housing & admissions info. Intramurals are important to him as is the rec center, so they are on his spreadsheet.
There is a column to indicate whether he wants to pursue the school any further. The visits have been invaluable and his self-created spreadsheet has really helped us keep everything straight.

 

[SueInBoston]

MrsPete - Thank you

 

[Magic Mom]

Helping your high schooler organize his/her thoughts isn't being a helicopter parent.

Here is a work sheet for your child to rank schools. It's a good one. Also search for college financial comparison worksheets. that will help you compare whats affordable for your family.

http://www.mycollegecalendar.org/explore/pdf/college-comparison-worksheet-pdf.pdf

 

[prncess674]

Helping your high schooler organize his/her thoughts isn't being a helicopter parent.

Sorry to say that when Mommy needs to make a list of items for a graduating senior to assess then yes it is the epitomy of heli parenting! If the OP's DS can't make a general list of important items (to him) of the pros and cons then the child belongs in community college where heli Mom can sign his homework assignments and drive him to class.

Assuming the DS is looking at competitive schools then the DS should be able to sort out the good from the bad and make a qualified opinion AND justify his decision with a reasonable argument.

The OP should use Mom2boys son as an example. He was a responsible student and made his OWN list and then presented the pros and cons. I am sure Mom2boys gave some thought and advice but she sure didn't do it for him!

 

[Nolcrest]

Good Luck to your DS as he searches for the right college.

My 2 children just "knew" what college was right for them when they visited. Of course the colleges offered the field of study they were interested in but they went w/their gut instinct.


They both loved the colleges they chose so I really feel they were right in their decision. As a matter of fact, I remember wanting my son to visit one more college and he flat out refused because he knew at that point what his choice would be.

So, definately keep up w/the visits. What looks good on paper may not necessarily be the best choice if your child doesn't have a good feeling about the school & it's environment.

 

[MrsPete]

MrsPete - Thank you

You're welcome. I hope it'll be a good starting place for you and your student.

Sorry to say that when Mommy needs to make a list of items for a graduating senior to assess then yes it is the epitomy of heli parenting!

No, it isn't. It's a parent's job to guide the student through the college choice process. For most students, this is probably the biggest choice they've ever made, and they have no basis, no experience upon which to base their decision. How do you ask questions when you don't have any idea what to ask? It's no favor to say, "Go at it! Have fun! Let me know what you decide."

Things of which my own daughter was completely unaware 'til we started visiting schools:
- Colleges have health care centers; it's good to know what services they provide.
- Parking lots aren't always next to the dorm -- sometimes they're literally 2 miles down the road.
- Some schools' meal plans offer 14 meals/week all you can eat, while others charge for each item a-la-cart.
- At large schools, lecture halls seat 200+ students and are a bit intimidating.
- Colleges should be full of emergency phones that you can use to contact campus police.
- Lots of schools offer this-or-that for free; for example, two schools we've visited charge a small fee to rent textbooks -- no buying -- while another offers free laundry in all the dorms.
- All dorms aren't equal.

The list could go on, but here's the point: High school seniors, especially if they don't have older siblings, just don't know what type of things to ask. Helping them make a list is a great way to help them -- it's putting a tool in their hands, and they can use that tool to measure one school against another. We've taken my daughter's friends along to various colleges, and they've asked me questions so basic that it's clear they don't have a full-fledged vision of what college is like; for example, one girl asked if students are allowed to go home on weekends -- hey, if you're new to the college-visiting game, you just don't know these things. Same girl wanted to know about curfews and visitors. Another of my daughter's friends was surprised to learn that tuition isn't all-inclusive; she didn't know that dorms and books cost extra. Again, if you're a complete beginner, how do you know what to ask? None of the girls knew that they should be interested in shared kitchens, TV rooms, laundry rooms, and study rooms in the dorm -- but once they started looking around, they realized that those things'll make a big difference in their comfort.

Just for the record, I didn't have any indication that the OP is trying to make the choice for her student or that s/he won't be involved in the process -- she's just trying to be comprehensive as they prepare for visits.

Incidentally, you may think I'm a horrible, over-involved parent too: Two weeks ago my daughter sent off her first application (and has her first acceptance letter already). She was very nervous about it, so after she completed the application I read over it and made suggestions. I then helped her compose a cover letter, took her to the high school to get an official transcript, helped her order a set of official SAT scores to be sent to the school, and then took her to the post office to help her mail the envelope. She's a top-notch student, but this was her first application, and it rattled her a bit. She kept saying, "Thank you for walking me through this first one. No one's parents help them at all with this." Could she have done it all by her lonesome? Yes, but she felt better having me supervise the first one. Now that she knows she's doing it right, she feels more confident, and I know she can manage the others on her own. I expect my involvement from here on out will be limited to proofreading essays and paying for SAT scores to be sent.

 

[Magic Mom]

Sorry to say that when Mommy needs to make a list of items for a graduating senior to assess then yes it is the epitomy of heli parenting! If the OP's DS can't make a general list of important items (to him) of the pros and cons then the child belongs in community college where heli Mom can sign his homework assignments and drive him to class.

Assuming the DS is looking at competitive schools then the DS should be able to sort out the good from the bad and make a qualified opinion AND justify his decision with a reasonable argument.

The OP should use Mom2boys son as an example. He was a responsible student and made his OWN list and then presented the pros and cons. I am sure Mom2boys gave some thought and advice but she sure didn't do it for him!

Filling out the checklist=helicopter parent
Telling child how he has to fill out checklist=helicopter parent
Offering a checklist for student to fill out=helpful

not all kids know what to look for. The whole process can be overwhelming. There is nothing wrong with giving your child tools to help them make one of the biggest decisions of their lives.

 

[xCourxCorex]

I second the idea of the parent(s) making a list of pros/cons and important factors, and comparing it with son's list. Some things may overlap and some things are drastically different!


@ MrsPete - not sure if this topic has come up during your visits or not, but it can be relevant to a nursing major: Are students expected to provide their own transportation to/from hospitals? How large are clinical groups, on average? Is there public transportation nearby as an option? Are students sometimes expected to get to the hospital BEFORE their clinical shifts to look up patient information? (This one is the worst.. clinical 2x a week, but the day before, you need to drive in just to look up your patient, their meds, etc. Can be a real drag if you have a long commute to the hospital for a total of three times in a week!)

Entering my senior year of nursing school, clinical is the single-most important aspect of school for me now. If you are able to get answers about the hospitals most frequently used, and how you are expected to get yourself there and back, it helps a lot making that big decision! (We have one community hospital 5 minutes away with free parking, and other clinical sites over 1 hour's drive, and the parking rates are $15+ per day!)

Good luck to all of you parents helping your kids make this decision!

 

[trip]

Another thing to add to your checklist. Is the college a "suitcase college" where everyone goes home on the weekend? Some campus' are like ghost towns on the weekends. Now that can be a good thing or a bad thing, just so you know.

 

[DVCLiz]

When DD23 was looking at colleges, I made a notebook with a tab for each college she had expressed interest in (and also all the ones I secretly hoped she would develop an interest in.) I included printouts from The Princeton Review as well as specifics from each school's website.

She took a look at it, rolled her eyes, and chose her own college. I don't know how she did it - there wasn't even a tab for that college!

It was a great lesson for me.

DD17 would absolutely die if I did anything like that to her.

 

[java]

How many schools are you looking at?

With the handful that my son narrowed it down to it's been pretty simple to know which ones are of interest.

Some things I've asked about on visits and received different answers

Is it a secure campus? Meaning you need I'd to be on campus
How do you enter the dorms?
Is there late night campus escorts for those late college nights when you lose track of time.
Do dining points carry over week to week? I was surprised at some they didn't.

My sons concerns are all major related. He made a spreadsheet specific to his requirements in a program. He did this on his own, frankly because I have no idea about what he is majoring in. I don't completely understand it beyond, computers.

 

[golfgal]

Good Luck to your DS as he searches for the right college.

My 2 children just "knew" what college was right for them when they visited. Of course the colleges offered the field of study they were interested in but they went w/their gut instinct.


They both loved the colleges they chose so I really feel they were right in their decision. As a matter of fact, I remember wanting my son to visit one more college and he flat out refused because he knew at that point what his choice would be.

So, definately keep up w/the visits. What looks good on paper may not necessarily be the best choice if your child doesn't have a good feeling about the school & it's environment.

I agree--we have managed all of this without checklists so far. The kids have narrowed down various places through their own online research-too big, too small, doesn't have the programs they want, etc. They have come up with a list of campuses they want to visit and I just make the hotel reservations . DS16 was perfectly capable of asking his own questions on his first visit in June, having never done one before. The kids know what they want in a school, generally. Once they have narrowed the schools down, they already know they have the programs they want, etc. once they are on campus it is more about the feel of the campus, student life, etc. I don't know that any of that really can come across in a check list.

 

[gina2000]

Sorry to say that when Mommy needs to make a list of items for a graduating senior to assess then yes it is the epitomy of heli parenting! If the OP's DS can't make a general list of important items (to him) of the pros and cons then the child belongs in community college where heli Mom can sign his homework assignments and drive him to class.

Assuming the DS is looking at competitive schools then the DS should be able to sort out the good from the bad and make a qualified opinion AND justify his decision with a reasonable argument.

The OP should use Mom2boys son as an example. He was a responsible student and made his OWN list and then presented the pros and cons. I am sure Mom2boys gave some thought and advice but she sure didn't do it for him!

I completely disagree with you. When we went to see colleges, I had questions about retention rates, out of state acceptance rates, percent of financial need met - these are questions I needed to know the answers to and I kept notes on the general presentation. My son wrote down his impressions after he visited each college as did I.

This is the biggest decision my son has had to make thus far in his life. We guide him without influencing him. We've pointed out possible universities he should look at and planned trips to these universities. Should he have planned the trips himself also?

I've never owned a helicopter. But I do know that my child needs some guidance before flying his own jet.


OP - I just wrote up my notes and saved them to my computer. We do have a spread sheet for recruiting trip weekends but not one for general college info. It's tough to keep things straight when you visit several colleges in a short span of time so I would suggest keeping some record to refresh your memory - and have your student do the same.

 

[golfgal]

I completely disagree with you. When we went to see colleges, I had questions about retention rates, out of state acceptance rates, percent of financial need met - these are questions I needed to know the answers to and I kept notes on the general presentation. My son wrote down his impressions after he visited each college as did I.

This is the biggest decision my son has had to make thus far in his life. We guide him without influencing him. We've pointed out possible universities he should look at and planned trips to these universities. Should he have planned the trips himself also?

I've never owned a helicopter. But I do know that my child needs some guidance before flying his own jet.


OP - I just wrote up my notes and saved them to my computer. We do have a spread sheet for recruiting trip weekends but not one for general college info. It's tough to keep things straight when you visit several colleges in a short span of time so I would suggest keeping some record to refresh your memory - and have your student do the same.

All of this information is available on line for every single college we have looked into for our 3 kids. YOU don't need to know this, your son does. Yes, he should have planned the trips himself. He should be making the appointments, figuring out which schools he wants to visit, etc. You can make hotel reservations. I think the real problem is people are visiting WAY too many schools. The more YOU are involved in this process the less it becomes THEIR choice. By you pointing out that YOU liked this or didn't like that, you are influencing. General guidance is fine, but checklists and detailed notes on your computer??

Our guidance consists of suggesting they visit 3 different sized campuses early on in their search just to get a feel for what they like. Those "visits" were not formal, just being on campus for other things. They know they don't want a huge school like a state University and they both would prefer a Catholic college but that isn't a deal breaker for either of them. For our oldest, it was all about a SMALL school. After that, if they ask questions, great, if not, they are doing the work. It is THEIR life, not mine. They have to make the choice and be happy with that choice. I have seen WAY too many kids flounder because they went where their parents wanted them to go and hated it.

 

[prncess674]

Incidentally, you may think I'm a horrible, over-involved parent too: Two weeks ago my daughter sent off her first application (and has her first acceptance letter already). She was very nervous about it, so after she completed the application I read over it and made suggestions. I then helped her compose a cover letter, took her to the high school to get an official transcript, helped her order a set of official SAT scores to be sent to the school, and then took her to the post office to help her mail the envelope. She's a top-notch student, but this was her first application, and it rattled her a bit. She kept saying, "Thank you for walking me through this first one. No one's parents help them at all with this." Could she have done it all by her lonesome? Yes, but she felt better having me supervise the first one. Now that she knows she's doing it right, she feels more confident, and I know she can manage the others on her own. I expect my involvement from here on out will be limited to proofreading essays and paying for SAT scores to be sent.

Seriously, you needed to hold your daughter's hand to mail an envelope?

Reading the application for typos/edits = helpful
composing her cover letter = heli parent
paying for transcript = helpful
taking her to the guidance office at the school she attends 5 days a week = heli parent
walking her into a post office to mail a letter = heli parenting

 

[gina2000]

All of this information is available on line for every single college we have looked into for our 3 kids. YOU don't need to know this, your son does. Yes, he should have planned the trips himself. He should be making the appointments, figuring out which schools he wants to visit, etc. You can make hotel reservations. I think the real problem is people are visiting WAY too many schools. The more YOU are involved in this process the less it becomes THEIR choice. By you pointing out that YOU liked this or didn't like that, you are influencing. General guidance is fine, but checklists and detailed notes on your computer??

Our guidance consists of suggesting they visit 3 different sized campuses early on in their search just to get a feel for what they like. Those "visits" were not formal, just being on campus for other things. They know they don't want a huge school like a state University and they both would prefer a Catholic college but that isn't a deal breaker for either of them. For our oldest, it was all about a SMALL school. After that, if they ask questions, great, if not, they are doing the work. It is THEIR life, not mine. They have to make the choice and be happy with that choice. I have seen WAY too many kids flounder because they went where their parents wanted them to go and hated it.

Sorry, I don't subscribe to your way of thinking. My son has total and complete final decision on where he goes. That doesn't mean he has control of trip planning. That doesn't mean that I shouldn't be around to observe and record my observations. He hasn't even read mine but he's discussed what works for him. We listen. He controls. We work together.

We've travelled up and down the east coast looking at colleges. It's been a great experience for him to see different universities. He has a good idea of what he likes and he's cognizant of university rankings and programs. He also has met with coaches and will be on official visits in the early fall. We facilitate the trips - he takes them and decides. We keep notes. It's an integral part of the process and it works for us.

New experiences require some experienced guidance. When did parental guidance and planning become a bad thing?