Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

I have been reading this board for several months now. I feel I have a better prospective on the whole process. Junior year began this morning so I think it is probably time to get a little more active.
We live in a smallish town in California. We have a UC in our town and a small Christian college so we have had some exposure to college campus's through summer camps etc. My husband and I both were born and raised in Califoria and went to school here. Our D on the other hand is set on going outside of Ca for college. Her first thought is somewhere East. We have traveled with our children to many places but never to the east. Dad has never been to NY city or even Wash DC. I took a trip with family when in high school. A long time ago.
She thinks she would like to do something international career wise. She has thought of Hotel Management. The problem with that is she would prefer a small to midsized school and the two do not go together. Aside from Cornell most programs seem to be at large lower tiered universities. She also likes history and philosophy. Basically she just turned 16 and is not sure what she wants. Her strenghs are more humanities based then Math and science. She is taking the most rigorous program at her public high school. Her test scores should come back fairly high verbal and above average Math.

My question for you is where do we begin. We have a few guidebooks. But they only tell you so much. I am hoping that some of you east coast parents can help us out. She is not interested in HYP. She is not interested in greek life. She wants a experience un-california like. I think she means brick and ivy buildings. I am thinking we can fly to Boston first week in April but aside from that we are lost. I know New York has alot of schools as well. There seems to be alot in Penn. as well.And then there is Vermont. Conn etc. How much can we see in a week. Also we have two younger children that I am not sure I want to drag along. Or are we better off waiting till summer and spending more time and covering a larger area. With the trade-off of not seeing school in session.
The price tag of attending a private school is also a factor. I am sure we will not qualify for any aid. Any thoughts on the public universities in your different states?
I am also trying to push her to look into Oregon and Washington state as well. A bit closer to home. Mike's Dad your reviews on the Pacific Northwest schools have been great.
It seems almost impossible to schedule visits without missing school. We are on block scheduling so each day missed is like missing two.

I appreciate any feedback
Thanks

By Marite (Marite) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 12:19 pm: Edit

Not sure whether it would fit the bill, but Johnson & Wales in Providence, RI has a reputation for turning out students who go into the restaurant trade I don't think it is known for anything else, though. U of Illinois also has a hotel management program, I believe.

As for school visits: Can you try to schedule these when your D's school has school breaks? In my experience, they seldom coincide with college breaks. Do visit when colleges are in session. Life is very different when they are not, and even during summer schools, the students are different (as are many faculty). Also, if weather is a consideration, it's better to visit in the fall or spring to get a better sense of what it might be like. I know of a young man who went to Colby. He became movie reviewer for the college paper. This meant trekking into Waterville, ME in the deepest of winters. He decided to transfer out. In the summer, though, the campus looks wonderful.

Good luck!

By Perry (Perry) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 12:58 pm: Edit

I believe the University of Denver (DU) has a very good program in Hotel Management. They seem to be on a roll -- new peforming arts complex, new law school, investing funds to raise the level of their liberal arts program, and so forth. Call them up and see what you can find out.

Best of luck

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 01:13 pm: Edit

Mom60: I sympathize. We also live in a small town in Southern California. My daughter has been saying she wants to go to college on the east coast since her 8th grade D.C. class trip. I'm trying to convince her to try a summer school program on a college campus back east next year so she can get a better idea of what being so far away will mean. I've also suggested that she start weeding out what she is looking for in a school by starting with visits to schools on the West coast. This will make it easier to plan a trip back east if she still wants to consider that and she may be surprised at how different parts of the west are from where she has grown up.

Here are some suggestions you might want to have her look at if she is sure she is interested in hotel/restaurant management:

The University of Denver does have an excellent hotel management program. It's a smallish school with a lot of nice attributes in a beautiful city. As the previous poster mentioned, this school is really on a roll and actually has a good history program as well.

Cal Poly Pomona also has a very good hotel and restaurant management program.

The University of Nevada at Las Vegas has a good hotel/restaurant program (what better city to study hotel/restaurant management?)

In Texas, the University of Houston's Conrad Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management is well-respected.

Washington State University has a hotel and restaurant admin. program.

On the east coast, in addition to Cornell and Johnson and Wales, Widener U (PA), the University of New Haven (CT), Univ. of Mass-Amherst, Penn State all have hotel/restaurant schools or degrees.

Schools for international studies have been discussed a great deal on this board - do a search and you should turn up recent conversations. On the west coast, Claremont-McKenna, Occident, Lewis & Clark, and the University of the Pacific all are good choices.

By Mauretania (Mauretania) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 01:30 pm: Edit

I've heard the University of Houston has a very good Hotel Management program, as well. They have a Hilton hotel on the campus staffed by the hotel and restaurant management students. When I was in Kathmandu having dinner with the manager of the Yak and Yeti Hotel, he told me he went there and his roommate was Johnny Carrabba (now owns a chain of Italian restaurants in Texas, I believe). You can't get more international than that

By Momof2 (Momof2) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 02:51 pm: Edit

Aah, Carrabba's Italian Grill, one of our favorites. I think they have spread to 25 or more states now, from Arizona to much of the East Coast. Small world!

My sons tell me the Hilton run by U. of Houston is top-notch - they have stayed there twice on school-group trips. We have always heard good things about their Hotel Management program, though not known anyone attending personally.

By Mom60 (Mom60) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 06:53 pm: Edit

Thank you for all the ideas. Some we have alreaady looked into. I don't see her in Texas or Las Vegas.
University of Denver fits her need of Hotel Management and a small school but she hates sking, and the ski resorts are a big part of their training.
Carolyn I too have thought of International Relations as a area of study for her. I actually prefer it as it does not limit her as much. I also hesitate for her to go to a school where her stats are way above average and then find the hotel program is not what she wants and she is stuck at a less academic school. Lewis and Clark is at the top of my list. It is closer to home, they just started flying direct to Portland from our town this summer. She would be at the top of the range so she might get some merit aid. The website shows a beautiful campus.
U Mass is a thought, it is larger then she would like but it does have her area of study. And I think it would be a safety for her. Any east coast opinions on U Mass. She has shown some interest in Boston University as they have a Hotel School, it is one we would like to visit but the lack of a campus feel might be a turn off. Likewise for George Washington Univ. in DC.

Any thoughts on alternative majors would be appreciated.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 08:00 pm: Edit

I agree with you Mom60 - If she's not absolutely sure she wants hotel/restaurant, she's better going to a school that's more well-rounded. She can always do graduate school work in the field if necessary. However, I do have a few friends in the hotel/restaurant management field who are pretty successful but didn't get a degree in hotel/restaurant management. One has a degree in business administration, the other in history.

As long as she's going to look at Lewis & Clark, you might also consider the University of Puget Sound (in Tacoma) and Willamette in Salem, Oregon.

UPS has some very interesting international programs and also has a business admin. major, which is unusual for liberal arts oriented schools on the west coast.

Willamette is located across the street from the Oregon state capital and apparently there are lots of opportunities to do internships there. They also have good international studies programs (although not an international relations program per se) and a sister-school relationship with a Japanese University.

Also in Washington state, Whitman college has an excellent reputation and seems like a terrific school. The location may be a turnoff for some kids but it's one I hope my daughter will consider.

By Marite (Marite) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 08:09 pm: Edit

I suppose you mean UMass-Amherst, not UMAss-Boston.

I don't know either. But if she does not like Denver, she might not like Amherst either. It's inland (2 hours from Boston), so colder in winter with not much to do. Boston U does not have a campus, though a lot of students like being right in Boston. it has some top notch departments if you think your daughter might change her major from hotel management to a more liberal arts one. It's very large, though, and not everyone is comfortable with its size (and so is UMass-Amherst). Portland is a very livable city with great restaurants. Lewis & Clark sounds very attractive.

By Mike (Mike) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 08:29 pm: Edit

We have felt good about visiting during vacation and during spring break we hit a couple that have a differnt break. The Jr. plan was to get an idea about the school's physical environnmet, surrounding community and meeting Ad people. Mike plans to spend a night on a couple of the closer schools this fall and will visit any other distant campus after he is accepted if it looks like a serious prospect.

Mike's Dad

By Mom60 (Mom60) on Thursday, September 04, 2003 - 12:06 pm: Edit

Carolyn- I am amazed at your wealth of infomation. I have looked into Whitman and I like it. She had a friend go there who did not care for it. I think it might be to isolated for her. She also is looking for a bit of ethnic diversity. I think she would like to be in a place that has a bit more stimulation then where she grew up. So fairly easy access to a city is somewhat important. Or at least a vibrant college town.
Univ of Puget Sound is an idea. Her aunt went there and the campus is attractive. She loved Seattle but U of Washington is way to large.
Like your daughter she went on a trip to Washington DC and it cemented her idea of East Coast. I hope if I keep pushing Pacific Northwest she will have a open mind. As far as Claremont Colleges, and Cal Poly Pomona she is looking to go to a place that is physically interesting. When I mention Cal Poly SLO you can not imagine the face that I get.
She actually told me last night that she might consider the south. She went to Alabama this summer on a community service project and she liked the terrain. One major problem is she is a extremely liberal minded young jewish girl.
So far her list of places she is thinking about :
Cornell, BU, Tufts, Syracuse(her grandma went there) and strangely UCSC. We need some small east coast liberal arts colleges to look into.

By Mike (Mike) on Thursday, September 04, 2003 - 02:28 pm: Edit

Hawaii-Pacific is a private in Honolulu that is supposed to have a good travel and business program. Has both a downtown campus and a more quite one on the windward side of the Island if she has a stong inerest in tha field.


One thing about Tacoma is that students there seem to feel the need to go to Seattle for city life.


Mike's Dad

By Reidmc (Reidmc) on Thursday, September 04, 2003 - 03:37 pm: Edit

No problem going into hotel management with a humanities degree - I know two people that have done it, and one is a VP. And who knows what her career interests will be after a year or two or school (and life.) If she wants hotel management - she can try internships, or simply apply at large companies after graduation. I think most of the large companies are headquarted in the East, though.