<p>A multi-school summer visit confirmed to my S that what he preferred was a small, liberal arts college (LAC) in a rural setting. At one in particular, he loved the campus, the facilities, and the surrounding area. However, a second visit to the same school in October, including an overnight stay, created an impression that it was not such a good fit for him socially. </p>
<p>He’ll be attending another LAC with some similar physical features and similar academic quality, but an apparently more relaxed social scene. He did not visit this school until April, after all the decisions rolled in, because it was distant. But by then he had a clearer idea of what he liked and did not like.</p>
<p>In other words, his visiting strategy was to go broad in the summer to narrow down the desired size and setting, do some in-person fact-finding, then go deep at particular schools in the fall and following spring. Seems to have worked for him.</p>