Gettysburg

From Franklin and Marshall, Elsa and I drove in the rain, west on Route 30 towards Gettysburg. Route 30 is, at first, a four lane highway, but at some points there are lights, and the last 30 miles, it became a two lane road with lots of truck and roundabouts to slow the traffic down to a crawl. Even without stopping for lunch, we were almost late for a 3 pm info session, and felt we had to call the school to warn them.

The info session was good. It was well attended, maybe 15 families, and it was led by a young male admissions officer and a junior student, Tara. Both were articulate and enthusiastic and gave us a very favorable impression of the school. Tara traveled to Seville, Spain as a sophomore and became fluent in Spanish, and then qualified for an internship in Nicaragua for three months over the summer prior to her junior year.








After the info session, three guides showed up and we selected Dominique because she is an anthropology and French double major. We had a private tour. She was informative but not overly enthusiastic and she and Elsa did not really connect. Funny how that really affects one's impressions of a school. It was cold and rainy, our guide was fine, but not thrilling and our overall impression was : it's okay. It's actually a very attractive campus. I liked it a lot.



At this school, the soccer coach, Matt, had practice scheduled at 4 and was not going to be able to see us. I wondered if his schedule would change because of the weather, or if we could watch the practice for a bit, but Elsa was just as happy to drop of her information and video in his mailbox instead.

One of the things that slowed us down about Gettysburg is the Greek life. All three of these target Pennsylvania schools have fraternities and sororities, but Gettysburg has the largest number and the highest percentage of students involved. There are, I think, 6 mens and 7 women's. Dominique is a member, and explained to Elsa about rushing. This school does not allow it first year. Originally, Elsa wanted a school with no Greek life at all, but that's hard to find, especially in warmer climates. Even Wesleyan has one or two, although they are less of a force on campus than in other places, I'm sure.

Franklin and Marshall

Elsa and I drove out of Media, Pa. where, after we finished at Swarthmore, we had an expensive dinner in town complete with live opera entertainment for which we had to pay $3 each. That was a first. We found our way to our hotel in Lancaster, and spent the night. We awoke to rain, and experienced out first rainy tours yet. Although growing up, I spent many weekends in Philadelphia visiting my grandparents, I don't think I had ever been to Lancaster, population 55K. What an adorable city! It's the 8th largest city in PA. Elsa and I loved the cute row houses and couldn't decide which one we wanted most as we drove to the F&M campus.

We parked in visitors parking and proceeded to follow a tour away from the admissions office and got so lost, we had to call for directions back to the correct house. Franklin and Marshall is a beautiful campus, but looks very different from Swarthmore and Haverford as most all of the buildings are brick, giving the campus a warm red look, as opposed to the gray and stone colored limestone buildings on the other campuses.



Our tour guides were Emily and Wes, very personable and informative, as usual. They both spoke to the whole group and had private chats as we walked from stop to stop. I quickly learned that I wanted to be near the conversation to get as much information as possible.





One nice thing about this school is that classes seem to let out at the same time. Suddenly, the walkways were full of lots of students passing each other, on their way to their next class. it made the campus seem busy and vibrant. Most of the students seemed happy, although wet. There seemed to be a lot of kids that look like kids Elsa would be friends with.

Elsa loved the F&M campus and the school is now high on her list of "target" schools. It helps that her friend, Tyler, will attend in the fall. That, I think, put F&M on the map for her. Here, Elsa had her first interview. It lasted about 35 minutes, and she went alone with the interviewer to a rear office. When they were done, they both came out and included me in the end of their conversation. The woman was very nice and indicated that Elsa interviewed as much as she was interviewed. I hope that is a good thing.



After the interview (we had no info session at this school,) we ambled over to the athletic center to find the coach, from whom we had not heard via email. Turns out, she has a day job in a school and is not on campus all of the time. This could be a problem. We left Elsa's packet and her video, but do not know what to expect.

Swarthmore

After we finished at Bryn Mawr, we drove down 476 to Swarthmore. For lunch, we ate snacks in the car, and got to Swarthmore just in time for a 1:00 pm info session. We had to find Parrish Hall, which is tricky, and far from the parking lot. I dropped Elsa off and then parked in the nearest street spot that seemed legal. The Info session was very well attended. There must have been 40 or 50 families there. It was fun and genuine, although the student representative, Linda, is frighteningly accomplished. The admissions dean who spoke is as fun and cheery as the one at Haverford, making me suspicious about their demeanor. They are so happy you came and hope you'll apply, as though that's all you need to do to attend their school!

I have to say, Elsa is owed one big, "I told you so!" and/or, "Aren't you glad you listened to your mom?" She didn't even want to go to Swarthmore after what she'd heard about the rigor and how difficult it is to get in. But after our visit, she loves it and wants to apply. We thoroughly enjoyed the info session and really liked Ryan, the admissions officer who presented. Then we met Alisha, our tour guide, and she was even more fun. This helped quell our fears about Swatties being unhappy people as a group. Alisha addressed questions about these rumors and recommended spreading out the heavier classes over the four years and include something each term which requires less reading, such as art studio.

The campus is magnificent. It's even more beautiful that Bryn Mawr, and feels much bigger than Haverford. Like Haverford, Swarthmore, (everyone knows I'm sure,) is an arboretum. It's a giant botanic garden where every plant on the grounds is labeled. The landscaping is breathtaking all over the campus. Elsa's favorite part of the campus is the amphitheater in the woods.

Alisha told us all about the orientation ceremony that happens there, which sounds cool. The theater is reminiscent of a clearing in the woods at Dark Waters, a Quaker camp that Elsa attended years ago in New Jersey. Alisha showed us the science center, complete with the outdoor classroom,





(my favorite aspect of the school,) a classroom, a dorm room, a science lab (we met a profesor,) a dining room, and one of the libraries where cookies are dispensed at 10:30. We had a great tour. Again, we had to leave early to meet the coach.


Coach Todd's office is in the athletic center. A kind woman walked Elsa over as she had no map. (People outside of NY are so friendly!)I walked back to the car to get Elsa's information to give to the coach. Coach Todd is wonderful and talked a lot about his program, his goals for the program, his team, exciting games, their best competition, etc. We had a nice long meeting which had to end because he was about to have a practice. On our way out, we met some of his players and Coach Todd kindly introduced Elsa.


We walked back to the car and drove off, in search of dinner. We were starved! Of course, I got lost and couldn't find the road to the town of Swarthmore (is there a real town? We never found it.) and to Media, Pa. On our journey, we passed the field and Elsa saw the girls practicing. We pulled over, and like stalkers, watched for a while to see how strong the girls are. We didn't see them do much, just some drills. Happily, Elsa felt that she could fit in with the team. We're hoping she will get the chance to find out.

Bryn Mawr

The MAPS tournament and Easter postponed the continuation of our April tour until the 13th. Bright and early Monday morning, we set off for Swarthmore and were shooting to attend a 10:00 am tour and information session. However, we left later than planned and hit spots of heavy traffic, delaying our arrival just long enough to make us late. As I was speeding down 476, we passed the road to Bryn Mawr and Haverford, and I had the idea to reverse the order of the two schools. This worked out well as neither was expecting us at a particular time.

Bryn Mawr is beautiful. It's actually much bigger than it looked when we first drove around the week before. The information session was an informal talk, seated around a wooden table above a Persian rug in a wood paneled room in the rear of the admissions office. We were joined by another mother/daughter duo and an international student and an admissions officer. They were helpful and informative. After about an hour, we met Julia, our tour guide, who took us all over campus and showed us her favorite spots. We saw a classroom, a dormroom, the fountain where Katherine Heperin skinny dipped in the Cloisters, the science center, the library, Athena, the statue, and other places of note around campus.


One thing that was apparent to Elsa and to me is the importance of traditions and ceremonies at Bryn Mawr. We thought that this would appeal to our neighbor, Molly, very much. We're not sure it's Elsa.

Elsa had been in touch with the soccer coach who was out of town but returning that evening. She offered to meet with us late, after 6:30! But we were leaving the Philadelphia area for Lancaster so we were not able to meet with her. I actually think it's just as well as Elsa will not be applying.

Yale

Just kidding. We stopped by on our way back from our second Wesleyan visit to meet the coach.

Haverford

Elsa's spring college tour began April 4th with a visit to Haverford. We were invited to junior recruit day for women's soccer and field hockey players.

It was a wonderful day-long event which began at 10:15 with a presentation from an admissions director, Lydia, an economics professor, Ann Preston, and then a general "how to apply to college as an athlete" power point presented by Coaches Fink and Gluck. I immediately noticed how friendly and cheerful everyone at Haverford seemed. We most definitely felt welcome.

After the group presentation, the players divided by sport, and we followed Coach Gluck and her team to the gym to sit and talk in a panel style discussion. The mostly freshmen and sophomore soccer players introduced themselves and then Coach Gluck tossed out questions which they answered individually. It was funny because the coach asked most of our "better" questions herself and left us scrambling for additional questions for Elsa to ask during her personal interview with the coach later on.After the panel discussion, both groups went out on a campus tour, led by Emily. The campus is beautiful, but not huge. I love both the old and new stone buildings, the spacious lawns and the overall look of the school. We only saw one newer dorm and no classrooms, but we did see the one main dining hall on campus, complete with a cozy working fireplace. It's interesting that everyone on campus gathers in one place to eat. It's kind of communal.

After the tour, back at the athletic center, we chatted with some of the soccer players about all sorts of things. We had quite a while before Elsa's interview, so we decided to have lunch in Haverford and then take a drive around Bryn Mawr. In town, we saw lots of excited Villanova students all wearing V tee shirts and sweatshirts. We later realized that there was a huge final four game later that day. Bryn Mawr is also beautiful, but we didn't get much information as the admissions office was closed. I got a brochure and took a few photos.




We returned to Haverford and to the athletic center a bit early, which was lucky because Coach came looking for Elsa at 4:22, eight minutes early. They had a nice chat and Elsa felt very happy afterwards. Coach Gluck will be at both the MAPS tournament as well as the Columbia Invitational tournament in Maryland. Lucky! Not many coaches we've met will visit those showcases.

Elsa liked Haverford a lot and loves the coach and the team. For her, the idea of a female coach is very appealing and a new concept. Elsa's overall rating: 9. My rating: 10.

Wheaton

When the assistant soccer coach at Brown was done with us, we hopped into the car and raced to Norton, MA to our last college of this trip: Wheaton. We left Providence at the time we were to arrive at Wheaton, and then missed our turn onto the correct highway, twice. Elsa called and told the admissions office that we were running late. The Wheaton people were so sweet that they arranged for a student to give us a private tour!



Upon arrival, the Dean of Admissions, Ms. Berson, came out to greet us and chat for a bit. We had met her at a Wheaton alumni gathering in Manhattan in January. We have had email contact since. Our tour guide, Sarah, was lovely and great to talk to because of her interests and her future plans. She has studied in Uganda and plans to do Teach for America for two years after she graduates this spring. Wheaton is adorable. It reminded me of Skidmore a bit in its size and scope. Half of the campus seems older and more Mount Holyoke-esque. The other half has more modern architecture and and a pond through it. Sarah showed us some buildings and classrooms and then delivered us to Coach Reis, the women's soccer coach at Wheaton.


Coach Reis was great. Elsa fell completely in love with the Wheaton soccer program. She felt that the coach presented his program in an inviting way. He seemed interested in her, and spoke to her in a respectful and welcoming manner. Coach Reis is unique in that he has players who have "walked on" to the team, will give non travel but talented players a shot on the field, and acknowledges how political selection onto ODP teams and into NCAA tournaments can be. He is totally personable and charming, and told us funny stories about his life as a coach. He has been coaching at Wheaton for 12 or 13 years and we hope he plans to continue. We had a great visit, and then a tour of his athletic facility and his lightless, but newly fenced field with new bleachers and scoreboard. We will definitely be visiting Wheaton again.




Elsa's rating: 10. My rating, 10.

Please revisit in April when we begin the "southern tour" which now looks limited to Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Brown

The snow got worse and worse as we drove east. I hate driving in snow and called Jonathan, in a panic, as though there was anything he could do about it. The highway traffic was reduced to one lane traveling at about 30 miles per hour as we headed towards Providence. The visability was terrible for me when we were between towns and there were no street lamps. But, we made it to Pawtucket safely, and happily there was a restaurant, a Ground Round, attached to our hotel. We ate and then checked in and went to bed. The next morning, we were at Brown by 9am for a tour which left from the admissions office. We had planned to take a taxi to Brown because we were warned that parking is limited. But at the last moment, I decided that I wanted to risk parking because if we got backed up, which we did, it would be stressful to find a taxi to get back to the hotel to get the car. As it was, parking is allowed for three hours on the street and there were plenty of spaces that early in the morning.


On our tour, there were many guides to select from-they each introduced themselves and described a bit about their interests. We selected two women, Samantha and Beatrice, and were very happy with their tour. Brown is beautiful! It's big and spread out, but the campus is interesting and, to me, the most attractive of all that we have seen. Samantha and Beatrice were experienced and organized. Their tour included historical information and funny stories. After the tour, we attended an information session in a big chapel-like space. Again, the information session was led by a senior and a sophomore, and both were clear, helpful and informative. The big idea about curriculum at Brown is the lack of distribution requirements. Students can study what they like and what interests them, thereby elevating the dynamics and learning in each class. Elsa ran into a Rocket teammate, Adrienne, at the information session. Adrienne and her mom had been touring this week as well, but they had visited Harvard, Yale and Tufts!















I have to say that I love Brown. I love the city of Providence, the campus, the students we met and even the admissions officer who spoke to us. But, there was also this pervasive feeling that Brown is so inundated with applicants, that they don't seem to take too much interest in visitors and prospective students. For example, there are no cards to sign in at admissions and this is the only school that we sawthat does not do this. Neither Elsa nor I felt welcome at the school. It's so funny, it's just a feeling, but we both experienced it.

After the information session, we walked back to the car and then drove to the athletic center, which we had not been shown on our tour because it's so far from campus. Honestly, Brown's athletic center is not nearly as impressive as most of the others we have seen. It's really old, and lacks charm. We found the women's soccer coach's office and a secretary asked if he was expecting us. I apologetically said 'no' as we had never heard back from any Brown coach at all despite numerous inquiries about their soccer program and camps. The head coach wasn't there, but we were seen by the assistant coach, Dennis. Dennis is a grandpa, and told us that he has worked at Brown for 13 years. He asked Elsa a few questions, but repeatedly asked her if she had questions for him. He did a good job of making her feel unprepared because she didn't have a list of questions written out. I had the feeling that Dennis didn't really know what to say to us, so he kept throwing the ball back onto our court, if you know what I mean. He walked us around the dingy old building and showed us the gyms and the training rooms. He took us to the pool and to the roof, where the lacrosse team has a turf field. He showed us the women's playing fields and the practice fields. Then he walked us all the way back to campus to show us the dorms Brown uses for their overnight soccer camp, which we were planning to have Elsa attend this summer. Dennis felt compelled to repeatedly mention that we were not expected. Finally Elsa looked at the sent emails from her phone and produced the date she had emailed to the head coach, Phil. Since Phil was in Arizona looking at a player, he didn't forward her email to Dennis, as he usually does, and then Phil's mailbox filled up. Mystery solved. Score one for Elsa!


Overall, we didn't feel any more welcomed by Brown's soccer program than we did by admissions. Elsa has had her heart set on reaching for Brown since her summer camp counselor at Hidden Valley encouraged her to apply. Amy loved Brown. But, Elsa is actually considering scratching it from her list. I would like to keep it on, just because I think it's a great school, and that if she were accepted, she would feel differently. It would be a nice feather in her cap. But she says that she's quite sure she wouldn't be able to play soccer for the Brown team, and if she were lucky, she'd be warming the bench. Harry, Elsa's coach, agrees that Brown is tough. Two of his best players were told at camp that they weren't good enough to play for Brown. Oh well. We'll move on...

Elsa's rating: 7. My rating: 8.

Smith

It was snowing when we reached Smith for a 3:00 tour. The town of North Hampton is adorable and I love the proximity of campus to town. The admissions office was friendly and relaxed, and shortly after we arrived, two tour guides showed up to take us around campus. There was no information session at Smith because of the application/selection process going on at this time of year. If we want information, we must go back in late March, at which time students can interview as well, I believe.


We selected Chloe as our guide, a lovely woman from Riverdale, NY who attended Fieldston High School. She loves Smith-it was her first choice and I believe she applied early decision. She told us a funny story about her application, which she believed had to be postmarked by a certain date, but instead had to have been received by the date. Her father drove it up to Smith so that it would arrive on time. What a nice Dad!

Smith is very attractive and very likeable. There are a variety of architechtural styles which compliment each other nicely. The dorms are big old buildings with high ceilings and lots of charm. Like Mount Holyoke, each residence has a living room with comfy couches and a grand piano. Chloe showed us her room which is by far, the homeyist and most attractice that we have seen to date. The academic buildings were also very nice. I especially liked the science building and was fascinated by a display of marsh birds. I immediately felt as though I wanted to be at Smith, studying marsh birds in the field and doing research. It is an exciting and inviting campus.


As the tour went on, the snow continued and I began to panic about our drive to Providence. Chloe finished our tour in the art building which to me looks like a mini MOMA. I was very impressed with the campus. After we said goodbye to Chloe, we drove over to the athletic center to meet the Smith soccer coach. It was hard to find her deep in her dungeon-like office, but we did. We had a sedate and slow paced meeting during which she described her program and asked Elsa about her soccer experience. We learned a lot from this coach about the difference between Division 1 and Division 3 recruiting. It is all very interesting.

Overall, Elsa and I agreed that Smith is a more inviting and vibrant community than Mount Holyoke. I didn't miss males as much there as I did at MHC. But, there is definitely less enthusiasm for soccer at Smith. If only we could combine MHC soccer with Smith college! Elsa's rating: 8. My rating: 8.

Mount Holyoke

Elsa and I spent the night in Holyoke, MA. We had a very difficult time finding our hotel, in more than one way. I failed to remember the existance of the CT River-minor detail. Once we had directions, a map and phone support, we made it to the Country Inn and spent a quiet, restful night there. In the morning, we had breakfast and then loaded up the car to drive to Mount Holyoke College.

We went on a tour first, with an Anne Hathway lookalike junior named May who was friendly, thorough and cheerful. She showed us the campus and her dorm and room and talked a lot about the attributes and qualities of the school. Mount Holyoke is a beautiful campus, full of old brick and Hogwarts-style buildings.

While the campus looked great, the best part of our tour was our lunch with the Mount Holyoke soccer team. Coach Haneishi organized a "team activity" lunch to meet a recurit, Elsa. We ate in the dining room of one of the residence halls. The coach was just as sweet, cute and nice as she could be. The team was warm, open and welcoming. The food in the dorm was not bad either.

Each residence at Mount Holyoke has a Steinway in the living room.



After the lunch, we went on a tour of the athletic center with the coach. She showed us the facilities and the field, (equipped with lights) and the planned renovations for the sports center.



Then, we sat in her office and chatted for a long time. It is obvious that the Mount Holyoke team is on the rise, and that this coach is improving the program tremendously. This coach knows what she is doing. She has a vision for this school and for this team. She is firm and direct and seems to have the respect of her players. She is cheerful and friendly and seemed interested in Elsa, but also was clear that she would be honest and let Elsa know if she would not be able to help this team.

Both Elsa and I love this coach and her team very much. We were thrilled and honored to sit, eat and talk with them. The spirit we experienced with them, however, was not evident across the campus. The students I saw during the course of our visit seemed sedate and sad. This campus lacked the energy and spontanaity that we saw at Wesleyan. The team seemed energetic, but everyone else looked overwhelmed. The coach assured us that the student body and faculty is friendly and welcoming. We will probably have to give the school a second look. We love this coach. We love this team. Elsa likes Mount Holyoke. I am less enthusiastic.



Elsa's rating: 8. My rating: 7.5.