Accepted Students Days Question

Parents Forum
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<p>We attended Admitted Students Days for the top contenders on our kids' lists. I found that my kids paid much more attention to the details of each school's offerings when they were buying (Admitted Students Days) than when they were window shopping (pre-app visits). We also found breakout groups for honors, scholars, premed, etc were much more specific and detailed than during Open Houses and general visits. The kids also liked interacting with the other admits that would be their potential classmates to get a feel for the kids that would become their "family" away from home.</p>

<p>We felt that the price of the visits was a sound research investment when making a $160+K purchase. Although by no means a necessity, I think these events can be very helpful in making a final decision.</p>

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<p>My child was not able to attend the officially designated "admitted students" weekend of one of the schools she had narrowed her list to. She was permitted spend a different weekend. The experience was, perhaps, an even more legitimate slice of college life and really sealed the deal. There were none of the special events she encountered at the other schools, but she did room with with freshmen, interact with students, attend classes and probably began to picture herself there. That was sufficiently exciting and enlightening to dispel some misconceptions and quell some concerns. She had toured the campus before, but this visit, at this time in the whole process, was really helpful to her decision.</p>

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<p>I think part of what makes any of these visits successful after acceptance is the mindset. I cautioned my kids not to fall in love with any school when they were first visiting in case the finances wouldn't work or if they weren't accepted. However, when it came time for the visits after acceptance they were seriously thinking if that College was where they wanted to spend four years. Without that second (or first or third) visit, they're left trying to gauge fit and feel by what they see in the viewbooks or what they might remember from a visit they made months ago. Especially hard if the student visited several colleges and they're blending together. These admitted student events or just second visits can help clarify a decision.</p>

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<p>We found it more helpful to go to the smaller in-home receptions held locally for the schools D was accepted to last year. D was being wined and dined by USC to attend.......lots of offers for honors college, scholarships, etc. etc. The more receptions she attended, the more D realized that USC was so wrong for her. She had more than her fill of "Fight On!" and the "Trojan Family" thing to realize that she did not belong in that environment. She ended up falling in love with Tufts, which was not at the top of her list initially. The in-home reception made a huge impact when the Dean and several other high ranking administrators were there to personally sit and talk to the prospective students.</p>

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<p>I would echo the above comments. My kids each attended an Accepted Students Day at their probable top choice school, and these were valuable, esp. the overnight aspect. They were able to report back to me positive impressions and details that they hadn't noticed when just "shopping"--now that they were "buying."</p>

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<p>okay, so I have not visited any of my schools. If I am accepted (knock on wood) should I do the accepted days? Or should I do the standard visit? Or both?</p>

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<p>blucroo, what are these in-home receptions you're referring to? Do they take place on campus, or locally in someone's home? I'm not familiar with the concept.</p>

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<p>Congratulations on your acceptances and class of 2011.
I truly found re visits priceless. Last April we were in your shoes, feeling giddy with choices (3 of the top 4 LAC and 5 of the top 10 national ranked). As parents our questions became very different, but most importantly... DD's seemed more engaged in the process. Of our schools we revisited 3 of 5 that were in state, and 2 of the 3 out-of-state; I think we were able to look at the programs in a more holistic way and from an eliminative perspective, something as little as 1000 students was a plus or minus in a heretofore desirous Ivy, even though we had this information prior somehow it appeared that we noted the ‘feel’ on revisit.
But as someone said previously, we used the reception activities, their organization, and especially how informed and accessible the lesser associated offices of the school were as good markers.
We (returning parents) asked the really tough Qs, and now could really compare the consistency of rhetoric at this time. I strongly recommend revisits especially if your decisions are close.
Good luck!</p>

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<p>It worked out for us to have S1 go to the Accepted Student Day visits by himself, with plenty of money for cab fare and arrangements made in advance for overnights in the dorm. We figured he might as well see what it was like to travel from home to the college on his own. (And this alone might have dropped Cornell out of the running for our CA boy.) Being on his own forced him to talk to other students and ask questions and it gave him a true sense of how he would like living there. He called me, bored, from one of the colleges, where not much effort seemed to have been made to make the place welcoming and said, "I'm just not feeling it here." No such impersonal vibe at the college he chose to attend. I think that being on campus on his own, as if he were a freshman, helped him make a firm decision. And, of course, it also saved us a bundle in parental airfare and hotel bills.</p>

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<p>We debated whether Dad should go with D....D is pretty independent and could have handled it all on her own, but Dad has been kind of the "check writer" and emotional supporter in all this, so his going to NYC with her is kind of a treat for him- seeing his girl all growed up and showing him HER city...knid of cool</p>

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<p>I understand your H's enthusiasm. A visit to NYC with D is right up there with the best don't-miss experiences. When it came to narrowing down the choices from all acceptances to the ones S really wanted to visit again, there were three. One instate (UCLA) and two out of state and I had been on the initial visits to both so didn't feel a need to go back and H was willing to leave it up to S to decide on his own. Many parents may feel they want to go back a second time to satisfy all questions....I just wanted to throw it (going it alone) out there as a possibility.</p>

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<p>If my H couldn't go, D would have gone alone, she did other visits alone</p>

<p>They are seeing a broadway show, she gets to show him she can handle NYC and its kind of the last time the two will have a chance for it to be just the two of them</p>

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<p>i suggest that people who are invited to stay at campus (like preview schools) to do so. Depending on the school, it really teaches you what the campus and the life is like. At northwestern, the prospective student (before acceptance) is touring the campus, sitting in classes, seeing what everything's like. It's a sunday-monday thing. i think the preview nights are later in the week (read: parties) if you want to know how social life is and that sort of thing. It's probably a good idea so you get a bit acclimatized to school.</p>

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<p>I posted most of this on another thread, but I think some of it's relevant to this one. I'm not sure what would work forothers, but I'll share what we did last spring about visiting schools after acceptances. My daughter had already made at least preliminary visits during the summers before applying.</p>

<p>I think some of the official "admitted students" days are helpful in a way, because they do give students a chance to meet and mingle with other admitted students. On the other hand, they give an artificial view of the school and are, as others have said, really the final sales pitch by the school. They're still useful, but not in the same way as an overnight on a regular day would be.</p>

<p>With my own D, she visited MIT's official days (CPW) and decided MIT was not for her. I honestly think that if she had visited at another time, she might be there now, but she did not care for a lot of the activities that were arranged for the prospective students. She visited Harvard on an ordinary day after she was admitted, and she felt she got a very realistic view of how students were on a regular basis and not when they were putting on a show for prospective students. Of course, I should add that her visit to Harvard was enhanced by contact with the wonderful children of a couple of extraordinarily kind CC parents who were kind enough to put their kids in touch with my D on her visit. </p>

<p>We sent my D solo on her visits to schools after she was admitted. Part of that decision was that we had another child at home, I couldn't afford the time away from work at that time, but perhaps most importantly, we wanted to make sure she was comfortable traveling all over and negotiating planes, trains, subways, etc. in unfamiliar cities. It was a good test and adventure for her. In the end, her visit to Stanford's admitted students days turned out to be a bigger travel hassle (complete with lost baggage) than she thought she might want to do several times a year. Her experiences flying into Boston and getting around on public transportation were much better. </p>

<p>Trying to bring the whole family on these visits would definitely have added a big expense, not just in airfare, because you would have had hotels, too. As an admitted student visiting schools, the main expense was just getting there. The schools were all very good about providing a student host, and in the case of official admitted student days, providing free food and entertainment as well.</p>

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<p>I'm going to urge DS to attend at least one overnight at his top 2 or 3 candidate schools. I feel like he should do it sooner rather than later, and prior to the Accepted Student (Potentially) Canned Dog and Ponies.</p>

<p>I will most likely send him by himself to experience what the college is truly about. I also think I can trust his judgement. </p>

<p>I think it will be a valuable input into a crucial decision.</p>

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<p>It helped D make her final decision. One of the schools had the various departments have booths and she was able to talk to the profs and find out what was offered in many different departments. She soon saw which schools offered more and which offered less. Also, it was good for her to go and meet other kids that she might be with, to see if there would be a fit. She started making her decision based on different criteria. Definitely beneficial. She wouldn't be at her current college if it hadn't been for Accepted Students' Weekends.</p>

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<p>It helped D make her final decision. One of the schools had the various departments have booths and she was able to talk to the profs and find out what was offered in many different departments. She soon saw which schools offered more and which offered less. Also, it was good for her to go and meet other kids that she might be with, to see if there would be a fit. She started making her decision based on different criteria. Definitely beneficial. She wouldn't be at her current college if it hadn't been for Accepted Students' Weekends. I was able to talk with the FA people directly, and make personal contact wherever needed.</p>

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<p>pjp, My son went to an accepted student visit by himself and my husband went to another one with him. Both schools had seperate events for parents and the opportunity, like ej1 mentioned, where parents could talk to a finaid person. Oftentimes it's logistically easier and even enjoyable to have a parent or two along for the ride to and from the college. It's not a matter of trusting their judgement as everyone getting the information they need.</p>

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<p>One interesting note about meeting other accepted students -- one of my daughter's best friends at the school she ended up at is a girl whom she met at another college's admitted student days.</p>

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<p>kathiep. I wasn't implying that those that chose to attend these events with their kids didnt trust the kids judgement. What I was saying is thatwhile DS may attend one of these accepted students events, and if they have programs for parents we would attend as well, but that I am urging DS to go to the campus and stay an overnighter, shadow another student to get a real flavor for things in advance of these planned events.</p>

<p>Believe me. When I have particular questions or want to clear something up, I go to the source. Sometimes its like extrtacting molars to get the skinny from a 17/18 yo. Besides, DS potential schools are relatively close (within a hundred miles or so).</p>