<p>I am a junior and I was wondering which option is better for next year when I have to apply to college and decide on which one to attend:</p>
<p>-Applying to the group of schools I want to (based off what I see online, the mail I get, talking to friends and counselors), then seeing which ones accept me, then going on college visits to determine the best school for me </p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>-Going on college visits to decide which schools I want to apply to, and then seeing if they accept me</p>
<p>There are pros and cons to both, but I want your opinion. Thanks!</p>
<p>Narrow down schools before going on a visit. It’ll prevent you from visiting schools you could’ve known you’d hate if you’d just looked up stats and pictures beforehand.</p>
<p>There was actually a thread about a month ago debating exactly this. I am doing the latter (with the exception of like two reaches that are far away/I will visit if I get in). The reason for this is that in the past I have had several experiences where I thought I would like or dislike a school based on various websites/what people have told me and then I visited and had a very different impression. One of my first choices (which I now plan to apply ED to) I originally disliked when somebody told me about it because it seemed too small. Really you need to see the school, talk to the people, experience the life of the campus.</p>
<p>That being said I have the benefit of almost all of my schools being within a 5-6 hour radius of where I live and the only schools that are outside that radius I am not visiting.</p>
<p>I am in the exact same camp as Artsy. If the schools you are considering are farther away though, I would probably wait and see if you get accepted</p>
<p>I would do some college you’re unsure about and closest to before applying (really you got all summer to do it). And then applied. And I recommended visiting all colleges you got accepted in before making your choice. If you have to miss school to do it then do it.</p>
<p>I would make a list of schools and narrow that down to what you like online and visit those. If you apply and then hate the campus that would be a waste of 50+ dollars you could’ve spent on something else.</p>