<p>When is the best time to visit NU? My daughter, who is a junior, is considering applying to SESP; she is interested in studying social policy in the hopes of becoming probably a social worker but possibly a public interest lawyer.</p>
<p>It depends on what your opinion of "best" is. If you visit during fall quarter, you'll see the most moderate weather of the year and get to see how new freshmen react to the sudden freedom and all the various activities offered (most programs are in recruiting-mode during fall).</p>
<p>If you visit in winter quarter, you get to see the snow and the worst (coldest) weather of the year, the overall lack of greennness, and the most studious time of the year; most people generally dislike winter quarter the most, so if you enjoy that at all you're almost assured to enjoy everything else all the more.</p>
<p>If you visit in the spring you get to see warm weather and new colors and new energy in the students after the long winter; however, a lot of people are very busy with new jobs for the next year and end-of-year activities that take up a lot of time (everything from planning study abroad to applying for internships to figuring out what to do for the rest of their lives).</p>
<p>I probably should have phrased my question differently. The admissions office offers several programs during that fall that are not offered this spring. But, it's much more convenient for to visit this spring. Will we miss a lot visiting this May? Would going thourgh the admissions programs offered only in the fall help my daughter get in?</p>
<p>I never learned much from my fall visit to NU - everything could be found on the website or in brochures that you can pick up in the admissions office. The most helpful thing is the tour, which of course you can take any time of the year. Therefore, go with convenience and visit in the spring. Right now the campus is getting more beautiful every day and many accepted students are visiting to take a second look, which means the admissions office will still be stepping up the quality of their programs and tours. Hope you enjoy your visit!!</p>
<p>We made plans to visit after acceptance but before decision. That seemed to work out for us. It actually changed my mind about Northwestern. She will be attending this fall.</p>
<p>enfall2004, I've never heard that visits at any certain time of year will count more in the admission decision. However, demonstration of early interest does figure in, so sooner might be better. I agree with neom3x11 that the tour is important. Be sure to sign up and fill out the contact card. </p>
<p>My daughter (currently an NU freshman) and I visited at the end of August before her junior year, and we caught both a tour and a financial aid session. The financial aid session was helpful, because other parents asked questions that had not yet occurred to us, especially regarding ED. During that visit we were also able to have a walk-in interview with an admissions officer to address questions we had about homeschooling.</p>
<p>The following summer my daughter attended NHSI, which helped cement her decision to apply ED.</p>
<p>Looking back, any of those contacts might have helped in her admission decision, but we didn't know it at the time. We were simply pursuing her strong interest in NU and our own need for information. Other than registering interest sooner than later, I suggest you plan your trip around what you need to know. Do you want to get to know students? Summer or exam time wouldn't be best for that. Are you curious about how that wind off the lake really feels in the dead of winter? Want to sit in on classes? Plan your trip around the information you will find most helpful.</p>