College Tours Amid a Pandemic

Our girl is a senior now and has narrowed her college list to a top four, several of which she had never been to and one of which we drove through when it wasn't on the top four.

So, we decided the holiday break provided the perfect window of time to complete a self-guided tour and set out on an extensive/exhaustive road trip with her friend Reese to visit potential colleges.

Over 8 days and 7 nights we stayed in 4 hotels, traveled across 12 states, visited 10 colleges, and drove more than 2,750 miles.

Colleges visited:

1. UTKnoxville
2. The George Washington University
3. Temple University
4. Wesleyan University
5. Trinity College
6. Rutgers University
7. Mt. Holyoke
8. University of Massachusetts Amherst
9. Brandeis University
10. Miami University

Here's a brief summary of our trip, with input from Mia and Reese:

Best life lessons: learning to navigate the Metro in D.C.; seeing the value in visiting local establishments vs. chains for inside scoop.

Times going the wrong way down a one-way: once (that involved campus police); maybe twice.

Times driving on a road that might have been a wide sidewalk: 7-ish. Some schools really should mark their streets/sidewalks better.

Times honked at by locals: 5-ish; three of which happened in Philly, the city of NOT brotherly love.

Best small town: Amherst, MA; runner up: Middletown, CT

Friendliest locals: Brian at O’Rourkes and the woman who owned Scarlet Fever at Rutgers 

Least impressive campus: Temple. What’s with all the food trucks parking along campus? No cohesiveness without flags on the buildings.

Coolest/most unique campus features: 

• Dresser Diamond at Andrus Field
• Tower at Brandeis
• Chapel at Trinity
• Cemetery at Wesleyan
• Chapels at Brandeis 
• The Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service little white house at GW

Coolest campus surprises: 

• Mt. Holyoke’s impressive buildings
• Rutgers overall five campuses

Number of gorgeous churches: too many to count 

Coolest hotel: Canopy by Hilton Philadelphia City Center

Best town for site-seeing: D.C.; second place: Philly 

Best dining experience: brunch at O’Rourke’s; second place: Reading Terminal Market in Philly

Best customer service experience: Danielle at the Hampton Inn in Rocky Hill, CT

Best offbeat tourist stop: the John Oliver sewer plant in Danbury, CT

While it would have been lovely to see the colleges while students were present and to tour buildings, we all agreed the trip was beneficial in viewing the settings of each school as they relate to their surrounding communities, determining each's navigability, and getting an overall impression of the schools' general upkeep and vibe.

Now the girls wait for their remaining acceptances and financial aid/scholarship packages to come in before determining where they will venture to next fall. If you've ever attended or had a student attend any of the above colleges, care to weigh in?