My 10 Takeaways from College Tours

The past year has been a whirlwind having visited 16 college campuses across the country with my daughter.   What a far cry from the number of college applications I submitted (3) and number of visits made (0).  In fact the first time I ever set foot on any college campus was the day of my orientation at Rutgers.  Yet after touring colleges with my eldest daughter a decade ago, the process has become considerably more daunting, given the continued skyrocketing costs (up to 90% increases in college tuition this decade alone).  Yet, despite these challenges, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience;  

watching my daughter’s face light up when touring some of these schools was priceless. Some of the highlights (pictured) included catching a Cardinals game during our visit to St. Louis, enjoying a tour at USC, visiting the beautiful Duke campus and experiencing the spring blizzard in Hanover.

Here are my top 10 takeaways from our college tour-

1. Most beautiful campus: Washington University (St. Louis, MO)
2. Best on-campus food: Duke (Durham, NC)
3. Quaintest college town: Dartmouth (Hanover, NH)
4. Best campus beach: Northwestern (Chicago, IL)
5. Most impressive library: Yale (New Haven, CN) 
6. Best off-campus living:  UCLA (Los Angeles, CA)
7. Most historic campus: UVA (Charlottesville, VA)
8. Most innovative instruction: Babson (Wellesley, MA)
9. Most “woke” students: Brown  (Providence, RI)
10. Most memorable on-campus sculpture (Jumbo the Elephant): Tufts (Boston, MA)

Dr. Michael Miller is a cardiologist and Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. His latest book is “Heal Your Heart: The Positive Emotions Prescription to Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease“ with all proceeds donated to the American Heart Association.