<p>I'm think about applying to Exeter, SPS, and Middlesex next year, and i just wanted to know when you guys think the best time is for a campus tour and interview
thanks</p>
<p>woops, i just found a similar thread - <a href=“Fall 2014 applicants- Best time to interview- before or after SSAT scores are in? - Prep School Parents - College Confidential Forums”>Fall 2014 applicants- Best time to interview- before or after SSAT scores are in? - Prep School Parents - College Confidential Forums;
<p>sorry, you can disregard this thread</p>
<p>Your question seems specific so I’ll answer it here. If you have the opportunity, do Exeter in the Fall and SPS in the winter. This is when I thought each school looked its best, even though they both look great year round. I don’t really know much about Middlesex.</p>
<p>I would consider three things: the time of year, the school itself, and you.</p>
<p>The time of year matters because you want to be impressed with the school. Your impressions, whether good or bad, will shine through. Additionally, it’s fun to see the school at its best. You have a better chance of making a real, heartfelt connection that will help you later on. Seeing the school at its best will also allow you to see the happy, true students that attend. Gray, rainy days often make for groggy, uninterested students, which isn’t what you want.</p>
<p>The school itself matters because you want to visit and tour when it’s optimal. First, you want to choose a normal day, preferably a school day. I would tour anytime during the week or Saturday mornings (if classes are applicable). Don’t tour over breaks or exams. Try to go during actual school hours, not afterwards. Try scheduling a day when the admissions office won’t be super swamped, like late December/early January or early November. Before Christmas is the peak time. </p>
<p>You matter because you’re trying to make a good impression. Pick a time of day that you’ll be at your best; namely, if you’re not a morning person, don’t pick the first slot. You want to be interactive and engaged. Pick a time when you can spend a while on campus to walk around a bit, meet with faculty and coaches, etc. Don’t be afraid to request what you want, as well. If you want to tour before your interview, ask. Be upbeat and alert and choose a time that is good for you.</p>
<p>thanks @needtoboard @pdl100 </p>
<p>P.S. Pick a time when you won’t be late. If you live three hours away, don’t sign up for 8:00 in the morning!</p>
<p>Lawrenceville springtime is supposedly the best.</p>
<p>Does anyone know about Andover and Deerfield?</p>
<p>Deerfield was gorgeous in the wintertime with the snow. Andover would probably be great in the fall.</p>
<p>Most schools are only ugly around mid-November. I visited Deerfield then and it was all brown and icky. </p>
<p>@needtoboard makes me laugh. </p>
<p>Exeter and St. Paul’s are 20 minutes apart from one another (and not in a very longitudinal way so I doubt there is much difference in weather). The best advice is to see the two in tandem as they are so close geographically so it is expedient for purposes of the road trip. They both have gorgeus campuses, They are both respenant during the fall, and have hard winters. </p>
<p>(And Middlesex isn’t much farther. They all have pretty much the same weather and will look the best around the same time.)</p>
<p>Sorry meant gorgeous. fat fingers on the phone and please excuse the other typos.</p>
<p>Deerfield is probably best in October.</p>
<p>NONONONONONONONO Don’t go to Deerfield in October it’s really leafy and the mud… THE MUD!!!</p>
<p>What??? October is beautiful. Mud season is March (usually-- except it was frozen this year). November starts to look a little bleak-- leaves off the trees but no snow yet. Maybe you came in the middle of a rainstorm? Usually grass still green, peak leaf color is mid October. </p>
<p>I went in October this year. The mud was ugh… And it rains in October too, so that might be the reason.</p>
<p>In New England, I have to say that October leaves are awesome. It looks like @mrnephew just got unlucky. :p</p>
<p>@gratefulmom89,</p>
<p>The two campuses are set up differently; Exeter has many trees that look great in the fall and SPS looks amazing when snow is on the ground, the lake is frozen over, and the windows are frosted.</p>
<p>I think almost all of these New England- and other northern- campuses are beautiful, but all can be really depressing on raw, gray, rainy days. The same is true for colleges in this climate too, of course. And, of course, you have no way of knowing what the weather will be when you set up your interview date. Just try not to get TOO influenced by the weather, wherever you are. Not only are the campuses less pretty in rainy weather, but all the kids walk around with their heads down, rushing between buildings. It can’t be helped, I guess. Still, I’d avoid November, if possible.</p>