<p>When is the best time to go on your college visit trips?</p>
<p>I went during the summer because the weather is really nice so you can walk around the campus. The drawback, however, was that there weren't any students there, so I didn't get a great feel for the environment.</p>
<p>When did all of you go? Or when are you going (if you haven't gone yet)?</p>
<p>For small schools that offer interviews it is worth going when you can fit in the interview at the same time. Some don’t offer them until May of junior year and many don’t do them after December of senior year, so you have that window of opportunity. Call weeks ahead to schedule—especially if you want a Friday or Monday. Maybe combine going on Friday to see a school that does give interviews and then on Saturday to one that doesn’t (i.e. Brandeis then Tufts). If any school you are interested in offers overnight visits (I think Oberlin and Carnegie Mellon have them, for example), it may be worth doing even if the school isn’t your top choice because you will learn something about the type of school (i.e. LAC vs. university, suburban vs. urban etc.) Check their calendars for any odd breaks they may have. May is great because it isn’t too early or too late and the colleges are in session. But you can get some sense of things in July too.</p>
<p>Go during a time when the students are there. My d visited a school during a break on a gray, rainy day and hated it. I had heard so much about it and how perfect it was for her. On a trip somewhere else we visited again and she saw the type of student and spoke to a professor. She ended up applying ed–and is thrilled that they accepted her!</p>
<p>I planned out all my college visits late just around the time school started. I told my parents which days to take off from work and which weekends we would be staying over night and when and where to book hotels. I visited about a dozen schools all around New England and the Mid-Atlantic in just under two months. I think my first visit was the end of September and my last one was right before Thanksgiving. </p>
<p>Best time to do them IMO, I had set up all my on-campus interviews which was awesome. I wasn’t really applying to far away schools so I didn’t have to both with off-campus alumni interviews. I even did interviews with ones I didn’t even end up applying to. It did rain on two of my campus tours but it was still pretty fun to walk around campus under the rain, for me at least. I just wish I wore rain boots.</p>
<p>Go during Spring Break. If you had planned on going on vacation, then you can squeeze in a college visit or two. If not, you can road trip to some of your favorite schools that are near each other. You get to see what the campus is really like with students on it, and that way you get the whole picture of the school.</p>
<p>I second spring break. The most common high school breaks are in April and don’t overlap with college breaks, which are typically in March. Some high schools–especially the private ones–do have spring breaks that coincide with college breaks. But there is enough variation in the latter that you can usually still put together an itinerary that includes only (or at least mostly) colleges with students on campus.</p>
<p>I think the best time to go is earlier in the school week, when classes are in session.</p>
<p>I don’t like going when school is closed.</p>
<p>We had some problems with visiting during April weekends due to conflicts with admitted students weekends.</p>
<p>That’s a good point. In fact, whenever you’re planning a campus visit, be sure to check with the admission folks to see if it conflicts with other admissions events, with graduation, or with any other happenings that bring droves to campus.</p>
<p>I would say during the spring of your Junior Year, specifically during your Spring Break. If not, I would recommend late August before your Senior Year since many schools started already. It’s best to visit when classes are in session and aren’t in their finals week or dead week. It gives you the opportunity to shadow students, know the feeling of how it’s like when classes are in session, see other students, etc. You should try to have a college list planned out by February of your Junior year though so you can research a bit more and find the dates of different events such as open house for perspective students, etc.</p>
<p>The best time, if you don’t leave nearby, is after you’re accepted. However, it’s always a good idea to visit SOME colleges (no need to visit a dozen if it’s too difficult, though) to get an idea of what you like. I live a state over, but me and my mom went to visit Berkeley and Stanford just to get a feel for some of my “reach” schools. It helped in determining the types of schools I applied to, as I’d only really been exposed to my local state U, and it’s hard to imagine that college can be something other than that unless you’re exposed to it. Then, I decided to save my travel money until I’d been admitted.</p>
<p>You should be able to learn enough about colleges without ever visiting any, though it’s tougher to get that “feel” for what college life can be like. But after you’re admitted, you should definitely make all the candidates’ weekends you can (and preferably without a parent) so that you can get a vibe on what the school’s all about.</p>
<p>My D and I agree that the summer visits weren’t helpful. I guess if it’s the only time that’s open, you could see the layout of the school and the surrounding community, but it is such a different feeling to visit when the college is in action.</p>
<p>(1) spring break is good, colleges are in full swing, you’re off from high school</p>
<p>(2) I like very end of summer even better, you’re not yet back in high school, but colleges start earlier. Colleges are in full swing, and most importantly, the admissions office has not yet gotten swamped. They will actually have time for you, especially since everybody else visits during spring break. :)</p>
<p>DEFINITELY when college is in session, they all tell you this and it’s true. BUT…beyond that…?</p>
<p>If you’re from a warm climate, and you visit a beautiful Fall foliage traditional campus…and don’t see it in the drudge of cold slick dark winter…you might be in for a rude awakening after matriculation. </p>
<p>Try to go when you can attend a class. I think this makes a huge difference.</p>
<p>DON’T wait until you get your offers THEN try to fit in any reasonable choices. Because THIS is what we’re waiting for in our house and it’s a mess. I mean…unless you HAVE to, like us. I’m a single working mother with my own business and I’m the only employee. So I can rarely EVER leave the office. So, we really didn’t have the time or money to visit many. </p>
<p>FYI about going “end of summer” (last post)…I noticed most colleges have calendars online, and many do not offer tours during those first weeks when everyone is still getting settled.</p>
<p>I would say go during your spring break. Hopefully the school you visit is in session at that time and then you can get a feel for the campus because students will be walking around</p>
<p>Fall. …</p>
<p>R124687: I agree about the weather thing - DD & I are heading up to Boston this weekend so she can see it in the middle of winter. Then, we’ll go back in late spring if she really falls in love with one of them. Two years ago my S & I toured SoCal schools in August - there were a few people on campus but it didn’t take away from the feel of the schools. I seriously wouldn’t stress about whether one time is better than the other - you can get out of the wrong side of the bed and hate the perfect school… We found taking LOTS of pictures really helps when you are back home and trying to remember it all.</p>
<p>Best Time to go on College Visits?
After being accepted.</p>