<p>My D has been accepted to a few colleges, waiting (impatiently) for this week and next weeks news of the rest. Then we are heading off to look at the accepted schools to make the decision. What advice and questions do you have for those visits? She hopefully will stay overnight places, but even then, we've discussed that those aren't the kids she would neccessarily be friends with or the classes she would take. But I know that more than a gut feeling, there should be some pointed questions/things we should look at more specifically than that first look at colleges last year.
Suggestions please!!</p>
<p>Congratulations to your daughter! Last year, we made final visits to three schools, based on previous evaluations of the schools. (S was accepted at quite a few schools we hadn't visited, so limited visits to schools which met predefined criteria.) The schools we visited had well defined programs, intended to sell the students on the schools, and were all terrific, so it didn't really help to make the decision. We looked at the following things.</p>
<ol>
<li> Campus safety and security</li>
<li> Food -- it's important!</li>
<li> Dorms -- is housing guaranteed for all four years? What about comfort? For example, the freshman dorms at Duke did not seem to have A/C, which we thought would be very uncomfortable.<br></li>
<li> Ease of transportation, between school and home.<br></li>
<li> Access to city/town -- there was quite a contrast between the 3 final schools.</li>
<li> Strength of the physics department. He is still a physics major, but will probably double major in math. Physics at 2 of the schools was very strong, one school seemed to be rebuilding the department.</li>
</ol>
<p>There are other things, I'm sure, that I'll think of later. But that's our list.</p>
<p>If your D went to the trouble to apply to the schools where she's been accepted, I'd say she did her "homework" on them already. At this point in the game, it really may just be a matter of "gut feelings". (That and financial considerations once the dust has settled there).</p>
<p>What a wonderful situation to have options to choose from and to be able to give them each one last look! Best of luck to you and your D.</p>
<p>"It really may just be a matter of "gut feelings"." That may be, but those gut feelings can change considerably if you spend the time to sit in on several classes, meet faculty and students, spend some time in the dorms and spend some time observing the atmosphere around campus in the evenings and weekends. Spend some time in the surrounding communities. Most students want to get off campus on occasion. Be sure to visit the libraries, exercise and sports facilities. Be sure to ask the financial questions. Find out about fees and charges for taking more than the usual course load. Learn about dorm policies. Do the dorms close during the year, forcing students to find alternate housing or return home?
The list is endless. Then you consider your gut feelings.</p>
<p>This is an interesting question. Truthfully, I don't know of any magic formula for making a college choice. Nor do I think the risk of a bad choice is very high, at least from the point of view of not asking the "right" questions in advance. </p>
<p>Look at the level of satisfaction most have with their alma mater. (of course, as one poster said here some time ago, anything is better than four more years at home with parents!, so the bar may be low.)</p>
<p>At any rate, yes, by all means look into what ever seems appropriate or of interest. But, by all means, don't sweat it.</p>
<p>It might help to understand what happened to my D two years ago. She made her trip herself by plane to what appeared to be her first choice. Thursday night, she came down with something and spent the wee hours of the morning vomiting. This grossed out her host who abandoned her, not that they had bonded in any way. We learned of this via text message about 7 AM Friday AM, while doing a parent mini vacation many miles away. We spent a frantic hour calling the U to get help, only to get the infamous voice mail. Finally someone called back, and the rescue began.</p>
<p>Turns out the admissions associate director was (and still is) a resident master of one of the dorms. He took her to his suite, washed her sleeping bag and clothes, and arranged for a string of undergrads to gently stop in and check on her during the day. She spent the day in bed, missing all the key stuff she had scheduled for Friday, but survived. Had a better night Friday night and came home on schedule Saturday.</p>
<p>End result: First choice stayed first choice, and she has loved her past two years. She found the caring and help she saw those days were not an exception!</p>
<p>So, my best advice is to relax and enjoy. You ALL have earned it. I think the decision will be obvious after the visits.</p>
<p>Fourkidsmom:</p>
<p>Congrats on so many great choices!</p>
<p>I agree with sjmom's list. </p>
<p>Often when high school students visit a college, they are driven there by mom and dad and don't take into account the ease of transportation, including to airport, train station, etc... But that becomes an important issue several times a year.
I would not pay as much importance about the oersonality of one's host. It 's totally the luck of the draw whom one gets. My S was supposed to be hosted by a guy who completely forgot about it and did not return to his dorm room until quite late in the evening. So my S was left sitting in the hallway with sleeping bag and knapsack until a nice female student (this being a coed dorm) not only let him stow his gear in her room but volunteered to show him around. The so-called host meanwhile ignored my S for the rest of the visit. But my S chose to attend the college and made some good friends while there.
It is also important, as NMD suggests, to find out how satisifed the students are with the education they are receiving and the quality of the social life. This may be better than sitting in on individual classes whose contents, formats, and overall quality may vary a lot. In fact, it might be better to seek out upperclassmen than freshmen as they would have more experience to draw from.</p>
<p>edad, I agree with what you had to say. I guess I assumed that fourkidsmom's D was, at this late date, making a choice between many great choices that were previously well researched. In rereading her OP it seems that they may not have ever been to the schools to which she's been admitted. That certainly changes the question tremendously. Your advice to her was right on the money.</p>
<p>fourkidsmom, if you have never visited these schools, definately check out all the wonderful CC postings regarding trip reports, suggestions for visits, etc. We found them very helpful over the years.</p>
<p>Again, best of luck and congratulations to your D.</p>
<p>We visited a bunch of schools Prez Weekend '05 and got a feel of what she wanted as a junior. She got deferred from her ED choice so in those mad rush of two weeks, it was enough to get them done by the deadlines. She's been accepted to one she's seen and two she did not.
We'll hear from the bid guns tomorrow and through the weekend and then we are flying east early next week. I'm trying to get organized so we can see and observe and she can make the decision with as much information as we can gather in a relatively short time.
This board has been a tremendous help and guidance. By the time I'm done with my fourth (he's only in 4th grade) I'll be a relative expert. With this being the first, it's unknown territory!</p>
<p>I know what you mean! I credit this board's good tips, etc. in part for the sucess of my 2 kiddos getting into some great schools. (Happy to say I'm now finished guiding kids through the process!) </p>
<p>My DS is attending a school that he did not step foot onto until after being admitted. It was actually wonderful to visit under those circumstances. The tables are turned so to speak. For years the student has "courted" the school. Now that they are admitted, the school is now "courting" the student for a change! The admitted student weekends have a bit of a sales pitch feel to them. It really is nice for the student to visit a school without having to feel like they are on one big long interview! They can relax and enjoy and really get a feel for things without worrying about trying to impress. Your D should have a great time.</p>
<p>Wishing you safe travels!</p>
<p>HoyaMom: sorry, I get a little crazy about the words fit and feel. I know we all make our decisions based on emotional factors, but I would like to believe there is some logic in the process.</p>
<p>edad, no problem. I'm a big logic fan myself! But it's my experience, both as a high school senior many moons ago and now as a mother who has guided two through this process, that even very bright kids are often overpowered by emotion rather than logic. To choose logic against a "gut feeling" is a very mature maneuver that these kids are still mastering.</p>
<p>For my family, logic was in play at those times the college list was being made and the applications were being completed. But when it came time to choose among the final few, gut feeling had to be considered in a big way. As my grandfather used to say, you cant push a wet noodle. Highly selective schools far from home are a difficult enough adjustment. If the student isnt excited to be there, they will not succeed. </p>
<p>Just my two cents worth...</p>
<p>As someone who started life as an engineering student, I'll stake out a view that logic is also over-rated. It's a great tool for some problems, not so great for others. There's an old Star Trek fan question: is it better to be Spock or Bones? One answer is that it depends on the situation. A better answer, imo, is "both." Using the brain and gut to cross-check the other isn't a bad thing to do.</p>
<p>Over the years, I've learned to pay a lot more attention to my gut intincts and they've kept me from mistakes that logic wouldn't have.</p>
<p>I just read two books that discuss this very topic. One called "Blink! The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" (Sorry, can't figure out how to underline on this thing!) and the other called "Think! Why Important Decisions Cant Be Made In The Blink of An Eye". Both books had persuasive arguments but ultimately I concur with TheDad. A cross-check is the best route to go. I think often our gut instinct actually subconsciously includes a lot of logical input. And our purely intellectual decisions are, whether we admit it or not, influenced by our emotions. In the Bones vs. Spock argument, a good blend of the best qualities of them both would make one fine human being.</p>