I had enormous respect for Reed in the 60s and 70s. Friends attended, some graduated, some dropped out, but they were all pretty darned interesting people.

So when our son was accepted in the late 90s, we eagerly looked forward to re-visiting. Son, not exactly a conformist or a conventional thinker, was pretty disappointed; and, much to our dismay, so were we. One thing he found offputting was...the homogeneity!

Reed is, without question, still an excellent school. I have no doubt that the students receive a great education, on many levels. But the students' sense of themselves as radical thinkers and outrageously smart does not, frankly, seem to be as well-deserved as it once was.

Just my impression -- and I'm well-aware that it's not the same impression as everybody else!

lovetotravel2, I think vbcoach has a very good point. You are seeing soooo many schools, I think you will be overwhelmed. It sounds like your daughter prefers a small school. Maybe you should just stick with those for now.

Meanwhile, this thread is giving you plenty of comments on the individual schools.

It's true we have a very ambitious itinerary and I am so appreciative of all of the great advice on this forum. Daughter "thinks" she wants a small school but we want to at least show her a larger one - might as well - you never know how the vibes will be! Thanks again and I promise to report back!

This deal may appeal to you if you are in Portland for two nights: http://www.travelhero.com/eventhero/...d=1293&aid=622

Thanks for the Portland 2 night deal.
Turns out we are there one night at the beginning and one night at the end and I'm leaning toward just doing Priceline 4 star hotels for that. Thanks again!

We are back from a fabulous 8 night college tour and just wanted to thank everyone for their tips and advice.
I am going to post a trip report on new thread since this one was getting long.
Thanks again!

Great! Any feedback on the colleges? Impressions?

The Fiske Guide to Colleges is a great reference book. It focuses on the better schools, so not every school is reviewed. It gives a good overview of the pros and cons of a school, including its living conditions, academics, social life, etc.

The Princeton Review website is also a good source. So is FastWeb.com, which has loads of scholarship information, and also has good one-page summaries of the schools.

There's another website which name I've forgotten, which gives students' 'off-the-record' reviews of their own schools. Good luck in your search.
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MaureenB, I think those recommendations are excellent. I would just caution applicants to be careful about taking too literally the descriptions, etc. in those guides.

My son almost didn't apply to the school that he ended up attending -- because both his college advisor and the Princeton Review website didn't think it was a "match" for him. Additionally, when he was accepted, he almost turned the school down -- until he visited.

He ended up being a poster child for that school...it couldn't have been more "right" for him if he'd custom-designed the place!

Yes, of course everyone has to consider their college choice from so many angles. My son and husband just returned from a weekend visit to the small university my son has always liked best, and he loved his visit there. Being on the campus in person is a must-do in the decision-making process, we think. So many schools out there to choose from, but only a few that are really a great fit. I'll be glad when this choice is made and sealed on May 1! Hooray, it's done. And it's a great fit, too.
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Maureen, maybe my post was unclear. I think that there are LOTS of "great fits" for kids. I think there's wayyyy too much emphasis on finding the "right fit." Many of my son's hs friends did not get into their first- or even second-choice school. Nevertheless, only one of them ended up being unhappy with the college he attended -- and he was the same kid who had always been unhappy with everything else in his life, since age 4!

"So many schools out there to choose from, but only a few that are really a great fit."

LucieV, we're both making the same point, I think.
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Maureen, I don't mean to make a mountain out of a molehill...but...
My perspective is that there are tons of schools and tons of great fits. I just think there's way too much anxiety about (and misguided energy put into) matching school to student. IMHO!

We are very grateful we were able to visit all these places but it was also very interesting to hear from our student guides on the various campuses.

At Linfield our wonderful guide told us that Freshman year she was offered a $30,000 “talent” scholarship to Univ of Redlands for her big pottery pots. Her Mom felt she could not turn that down so she went and then transferred to Linfield her Sophomore year and loves it.

Our student guide at Willamette was from Alaska and had never even seen the school but was offered
a good financial package so she took it and is very happy.

Whew, things have really changed since hubby and I went to college 30 years ago!
Very exciting!