College Resources

     We learned a lot during #1 Son’s college exploration process.  As of April 30, 2012 –  It’s Official, #1 Son Will be Attending UMass Amherst in the fall of 2012!

This page is designed to pull together all our college-related resources and learnings from our 18 month journey.

For starters, here are a couple of our past articles to help you and your would-be college student start to create a college search and application strategy

• Teen Summer Camp Choices: When Did This Become a High Stakes Decision? (Travel with Teens and Tweens)
• Ten Tips for Teriffic College Visits (Travel with Teens and Tweens)
• Tips to Narrow Your College List Before You Hit the Road to Visit (Travel with Teens and Tweens)
• Why is Halloween a Scary Night for Teens Applying Early Decision and Early Action?  (Travel with Teens and Tweens)
• A Checklist for Getting the Most Out of Accepted Student College Revisit Days (Travel with Teens and Tweens)

College Visit Reviews

These reviews summarize our initial impressions and include photos of campus buildings and landscapes, dorm rooms, libraries and dining halls.  This group of schools were visited during 2011-2012

• Bryant University- business and liberal arts (Smithfield, RI)
• Northeastern University – featuring experiential learning (Boston, MA)
• University of New Hampshire – flagship state university campus (Durham, NH)
• UMass Amherst - flagship state university campus (Amherst, MA)
• Clark University - the country’s smallest liberal arts research university (Worcester, MA)
• Babson College - a leading business college (Wellesley, MA)
• Drew University - small liberal arts college close to New York City (Madison, NJ)
• American University – traditional campus in the District of Columbia (D.C.)
• George Washington University - large urban campus in the District of Columbia (D.C.)
• Wheaton College – up and coming liberal arts school outside of Boston (Norton, MA)
• University of Rochester – a “new ivy” with a focus on engineering, science and the arts (Rochester, NY)
• Hobart and William Smith Colleges – small liberal arts school on a picture perfect campus (Geneva, NY)

Family Fun Ideas While Visiting Colleges

Particularly when making an out of town visit, it can help to get a sense of the broader community.  If you are dragging along younger siblings they probably deserve a break from endless information sessions and campus tours.  Here are some  ideas for activities to turn college visits into mini-family vacations – particularly during summer visits when the whole family might have a little extra time.

Check out the following posts for family fun ideas near these East Coast college meccas:

• Boston, Massachusetts
• Five College Area near Amherst Massachusetts
• Burlington, Vermont
• Lewiston/Augusta Maine
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
• The Mystic area of coastal Connecticut
• Rochester, New York