My youngest is entering her senior year in high school this year, so that means that we’re well into the planning and preparations for gearing up for her post-high school education.  SATs have been taken (multiple times), high school classes have been chosen with care, and it’s now time to start narrowing down the field for colleges.  I’m a big proponent of physically visiting a college BEFORE signing one’s name on the dotted line.  Sometimes, a campus will just click, and being comfortable in one’s college choice is the first step towards a successful four-year stint in higher education.  However; in the current environment of social distancing, public mask wearing, and closed facilities, touring colleges was going to be a challenge.

I wasn’t really sure how we were going to go about this, but my eye doctor (of all people) had some great advice.  She said “they are public colleges, right?  It’s not like anyone is going to stop you from walking around.”  Great advice.  So with that guidance in hand, I set about doing what all nerdy, type-A personalities do – I fired up the internet and began my research.  I pulled down maps, self-guided tours, and audio downloads.  Where there weren’t any resources?  I gathered the info from multiple sources and made up my own tour.  While we may not be able to get into any campus buildings, at least I could tell my daughter what they were (and what they were for).

I had a week of vacation from work last week, so instead of spending it at the beach at Ocean City, MD (which we cancelled due to all of the pandemic precautions), I instead spent it carting around my youngest for some in-person college touring (and some dad/daughter bonding time).

Our first stop was Penn State (yes, the big University Park location in State College, PA).  It’s about 135 miles north of me, and for this trip, one of my daughter’s friends joined us for the journey.  The campus is large, modern – yet classic, and the college town itself literally borders campus, so all of the popular bars and eateries are just steps away from dorm rooms and the college grounds.  We hoofed it around the college, visiting the huge football stadium, tree-lined streets, large academic buildings, and finished off at the college creamery (yes, they have a world famous one, and you can actually take courses in ice cream production).  We also walked the streets of the delightful college town, having lunch at “The Corner Room” – indulging in their famous “grilled stickies” (warm cinnamon buns), and purchased some Penn State swag at a street-front shop.

While eating our ice cream in the shade, my youngest had a smile a mile wide.  Uh-oh, she really likes this campus.  My out-of-state tuition alarm was going off, as I knew this was the most expensive college on her list (coming in at around $52,000 a year – without any financial aid).  Still two more to go, though.

Our next day trip was to the University of Maryland (College Park).  Just 70 miles away, this college had a style that reminded me of colonial Williamsburg architecture on its main buildings, while mixing in modern brick and mortar edifices throughout their extensive science and engineering spaces.  The campus is also sprawling, with a huge quad and classrooms and dormitories that spread out over acres.  With temps hitting the high 90’s, we were wiped out before completing half of our self-guided tour.  It really does make a difference when you can’t even get into a building for something as simple as a shade break or a pit stop for going to the bathroom.  Still, we pressed on, completing the second half of our tour from the air-conditioning of the car.

To my surprise (and hers), she liked Maryland better than Penn State.  See?  You really do have to visit a campus in person.  She said she couldn’t wait to gear up and walk to a football or basketball game, surrounded by thousands of wild-eyed and enthusiastic students.  While I am fully ready to support any college decision my youngest may make, I have to admit that the fiscal part of me breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that in-state tuition was back on the table.

Last (but not least) was a journey 120 miles to the south for a visit to James Madison University, located in the heart of Virginia.  Another beautiful campus, and on this day we had overcast skies (which made the walking more bearable), but still resorted to the car for the second half of the tour (as it was on the other side of a campus that spans Interstate I-81).  Here, stone and southern charm are the decor of choice – with wide, brick-lined pathways and a lovely town adjoining the college grounds.  At least on JMU’s campus, some buildings were actually open, and we had a chance to buy some merchandise at the bookstore (and spotted some football players doing their summer workouts, which my daughter didn’t mind watching one bit).

So, it was a busy week, but it looks like the rankings were:

1. University of Maryland
2. James Madison University
3. Penn State

While it would have been nice to see the inside of a classroom building or dorm room, the self-guided tours got to give her a sense of the scale of each college, a feel of the overall atmosphere of the place, and a sense of comfort level on where she would feel “at home” for her college education.  She wanted a big school, and all three definitely had that box covered.  I’m sure we’ll be back to College Park for a later visit, but there is some direction now to the search, which is what these trips were all about. 

A vacation week well spent, if you ask me.