<p>I'm considering applying to a small LAC on the West Coast ED1. I've researched it thoroughly and am certain I want to be in California. It matches my athletic and academic interests perfectly, but the only issue is that I cannot travel to California to visit the school. I really want to end up attending this school, and since my stats are slightly below average, I feel that applying ED is my only shot. Is it stupid to apply ED without visiting?</p>
<p>Looking at the three schools you’re considering, I would say that yes, it would be foolish for you to apply ED without visiting. The location and feel of the California school is very very different than the two DC-area schools on your list.</p>
<p>STRONGLY recommend not applying ED to a place you’ve never visited.</p>
<p>The thing is that I think it is a better fit for me than the DC schools. I want to go to a smaller school and being in California is important.</p>
<p>Cannot express how bad a choice that could be. You’ve got to get out there to visit it if you’re going to apply ED. If you apply RD or EA you could always visit after you’ve been accepted. But ED is binding. If you go out there and find out you <em>don’t</em> like that particular school after all, tough cookies.</p>
<p>If you’re going to apply ED, then take a greyhound and eat ramen if that’s what it takes to make a trip out there.</p>
<p>Not to mention that the school you have your eye on is certainly not the only small school in California. There are others you could apply RD.</p>
<p>Which other schools in California, specifically?</p>
<p>As a parent I would never let my kid apply ED without visiting. Way back in my day, I liked a school on paper. Knew a few folks who attended. Liked them. Visited for the interview & HATED the area due to a huge long term construction project just down the street. It wasn’t a project at the school, so without visiting I would have had no idea it existed. But this one thing changed how I felt about the school, ease of parking, etc.</p>
<p>Is not visiting because you can’t take the time or is it $?</p>
<p>I ask because my son & I got a good deal on Southwest ($240 round trip). If it is $ you may want to sign-up for SW Dings if you are near an airport that flies SW. Also, be sure you look at fares in surrounding airports, not just LAX. We chose to fly into Ontario (we’ll be looking at the Claremont schools as well as Oxy).</p>
<p>About a month ago, I went on my college trip. I thought I wanted to apply to UVA ED, but once I visisted William & Mary, I knew that was where I wanted to go. Going to a campus can really change your opinion. I’d suggest not applying ED until you can arrange some sort of visit.</p>
<p>I agree with the others: All the materials you get on a school are marketing materials. They are designed to put the best face on everything and to ‘skim over’ any weaknesses or reframe them as positives. ‘Objective’ reviews like College Prow ler, and others are often written by students who attend or are significantly out of date - they are not useless, but they are not a substitute for visiting. I’d feel less strongly if you were talking about a mid-sized or large school, where you are sure to find a group ‘like you,’ but at a LAC, fit matters a lot. S’s first choice on paper was quite different from S’s first choice once he visited and he is not unusual in that way.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I will try my best to make a trip to LA within the next few weeks, but both money and time are an issue. I’ll basically need to fly in and out of LA in one day. I found several flights where this would be possible, and they’re all fairly cheap. Is Ontario or Burbank airport closer to Oxy?</p>
<p>maps.google.com</p>
<p>Just presenting another point of view: I went to a high school in a VERY geographically isolated place and no one visited colleges before going! Almost everyone was happy at his or her college. Are you the type of person who has liked just about everything that you have ever done? Do you have a positive attitude and are you willing to agree that no place is perfect but that you can make the best of anything and get the most out of somewhere if you put in the effort? Are you in a military family that has moved and adapted a lot? If any of these are true, you might be the exception to the idea that everyone has to visit.</p>