In planning our trip to NYC in January, we had a number of goals in mind. Seeing Hamilton. Attending the kindie Hootenany. And visiting colleges.
Planning is a challenge. Different schools give tours at different times. Go here then there? Or the other way around? And, unfortunately, most of the schools we wanted to see were out on break. All of them, actually. Some at least did have tours available.
Friday morning, we had a tour booked for Barnard College. Despite adding in an extra hour to travel time, we were still late due to a “signal malfunction” on the subway. Thankfully, our friends arrived on time and helped us to catch up with the group. Barnard is interesting because of how it ties into Columbia. An all-women’s college, but there are men in most of the classes. It also has a great alumnae network.
From there, we raced down to NYU for our second official tour of the day. A much different vibe at NYU, and not just because there are men. The location (other than it being in the north) was ideal for Camille. Truly urban. But the school just didn’t feel right for Camille. Too big? Too much emphasis on career and not enough on knowledge? Not sure. But not likely to happen.
As we left NYU, we wandered through The New School. Again, great location, but not enough of a college campus feel. No official tour.
On Sunday, we took the train (well, a couple of trains because we got on the wrong one) out to Bronxville and took a self-guided tour of Sarah Lawrence. A little far from the city, but much more along the lines of what Camille wants from a college. And it is longer a women’s college!
On the way back into the city, we stopped off in the Bronx to walk around the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University. Nice campus, but for some reason, the school didn’t appeal to Camille.
It’s hard to evaluate what makes her like a school or not like a school. Thankfully, we haven’t eliminated ALL schools from the list. And the list is still a mile long!
[Back to college search: the overview.]
