>
> well, we don't do tours, so I can't much help you there. after a couple tours with my brother on his college trips, my dad realized that you don't really learn a WHOLE lot about what you want to know... sure, you know which building is where and whatever facts about the school the guide wants to tell you, most of which you CAN get from any guide book. We tend to set up appointments with people in the departments I'm interested in, as well as with the ministry people. We've found that we learn a lot more about what I need to know than we do on the tours. So sorry, but I can't really help you there.

No problem. That's actually a good way to go about it...I see the tours more as the school's attempt to practically let large numbers of students know about it than as a way for an individual student to find out about the school, if that makes any sense. I mean, we had something like 3000 people go through our tour just last week -- a school with limited resources like ours couldn't possibly arrange individual interviews with each of them, especially not with several people from different departments. And a good tour guide will tell you a lot of stuff you can't get from any book, because there are things you'll get from an actual student you won't hear anyplace else. While you could dredge up a lot of these things yourself, the tour is an easy way to fit a lot of information and interaction with a real student, as well as a look at the campus and its facilities, into a compact package.

So we offer things like overnight hosting of prospectives, but we also actively try to make the tours as helpful as they can be. There's a lot of tension when you're giving a tour between trying to let people know what the school is like and the feeling that you're selling something, whether you want to be in that position or not. I mean, I want to be as honest as possible, because I realize that the school isn't for everybody, but at the same time there's always the urge to cover-up or spin something to give people a positive impression. I was really glad for Speedball's response too, by the way.

> > >

> It was indeed a very nice day. Sorry I didn't get to stop by and see you, I wish I had thought of the fact that I was gonna be there earlier so I could have gotten in tuoch with you... you could have shown us around. But oh well.

Not a big deal.

>I did indeed like it, it is now officially in >third place, behind Williams and Dartmouth.... >is stands a relatively good chance of getting me - I'll actually probably be down again in the fall.

Although I won't be there, as I'm spending all of next year in the South of France. :) Good luck with your choice in any case, though.

Tom