<p>I'm going into my senior year of high school in the fall and I'm still figuring out what I'm interested in to study in the future (business/engineering/pre-med/math etc). I have an older brother and have visited several colleges by tagging along with him when he goes places (UChicago, NWU, and UofM). On all of these visits, both formal and informal, I didn't seem to get a lot out of the experience. The campuses seemed nice and all, and people were friendly, nothing I didn't expect. Sadly, nothing really stood out to me about anything in these visits to make the college choice unique or change my opinion. </p>
<p>This got me wondering, are college visits really worth the time and effort to travel? I can't help but think that just about any decent college will have put in the effort to make their campuses decent and enjoyable. The "campus vibe" or whatever tour guides call it all seem the same to me: content and nice, like how all campuses should be.</p>
<p>I've read through plenty of help forums and advice on websites about what to look for in a college visit, and based off of my experiences, I can't see myself being all that picky about the things they mention. The facility conditions don't really deviate from campus to campus, campus life is active everywhere, bookstores/libraries are standard, and dorms are mostly similar. The only things that vary to me seem to be the small things, like the food quality and school spirit...
These websites, counselors and anything else that advise that college visits are important seem to think that moving to a campus will be like moving to a foreign country that'll have varying foreign "student culture" and totally radical things to sway opinions on the college. Does anyone have any insight that I might not have to whether college visits really necessary?</p>
<p>You can get a decent feel of campus life and culture by the websites and by comments on CC and other sites.</p>
<p>I enjoyed visiting colleges with my sons. They responded differently to some than I did, and I think they learned what to look for. It probably doesn’t make a difference at huge universities, and the most selective colleges don’t worry too much about “demonstrated interest,” but I think that some colleges will wonder why you haven’t bothered to visit them if the demands on your time and finances would not be unreasonable. You might think about how your remarks would sound to an admissions officer. They want to know what you find especially attractive about their specific college (other than its US News & World Report ranking). They understand that not everybody has the means to visit, but utter indifference doesn’t make a great impression.</p>
<p>Perhaps the colleges you visited with your brother just were not the right colleges for you. I visited a lot of colleges and was definitely overwhelmed by all of them, and I agree that some aspects were very similar. However, my top colleges became my top colleges because something on the visits stood out to me and made me feel like the campus was a place I could see myself for four years. Other colleges got completely crossed off my list because I simply could not see myself there. I think college visits are necessary–they helped me figure out what I wanted in a college (big/small, urban/rural, etc.) and really helped me make my selection. I couldn’t imagine attending a college I hadn’t visited.</p>
<p>Attending as a tagalong to an older sibling will likely be very different than visiting with your future in mind. It is possible that you aren’t that picky, but I’d visit a few schools not to far away just to see if the thought of YOU going there, not your brother, has the ability to focus the mind. I mean go on a visit and tell yourself that you have to make a final decision based on this visit, yes or no, and yes in the sense that you will go there and the search stops.</p>
<p>I’m willing to bet you won’t be so indifferent now.</p>
<p>Alright, my mind has changed some. But one more question, is it important to visit colleges before applying rather than after? Because I understand that in some cases there’s the possibility that I may decide to not even consider applying after visiting a college, but I don’t have much more time to visit colleges (going into senior year and a lot of work this summer). I know these visits should’ve been made sooner if anything, but how bad is it to just visit colleges after I get accepted, to help me choose where I want to go? Do you guys think it’s vital to try to push for at least a few visits to seek out more of my preferences before applying everywhere?
Thanks for the responses guys</p>
<p>You don’t have to visit every college you are going to apply, especially under the constraints of time and money. But it is recommended to visit 1-3 colleges of you really want to go (of course, after your college research). The college visits will definitely help you write the “Why College A” essay. </p>
<p>If a school disappoints you after the visit, you can save the time and money for applying to that school. You can wait to visit your safety schools in April as admitted students if you need to pick one from them. Do visit your favorite matches. It is OK to skip visiting the elite schools like HYPSM.</p>