<p>Taking son for first college visits this week. He is a junior and I want him to get the most out of the tour and info sessions. Any suggestions on making these visits most useful?</p>
<p>Oh yes! </p>
<p>If you are going out of the area and need to spend the night, make sure that you spend the night in the college town so you are already there in the morning and can check the area out the night before.</p>
<p>Talk first about what he would like to know and then encourage (highly encourage) him to be the one to ask the questions. When you are doing the tour, get in the front of the group so you can hear everything and interact with the tour guide. I’ve found most of these people to be refreshingly honest and they love to answer questions.</p>
<p>Eat lunch on campus and eavesdrop!</p>
<p>If at all possible, meet up with a current student and pick their brain about the college. We’ve been lucky enough to do this with a couple of students in my son’s potential major and it was very helpful. If your son knows what he wants to major in, have him talk with the head of the department. This was key to my youngest son but it took us a little while to figure it out.</p>
<p>Relax! When you are visiting a college it should be an enjoyable day. Don’t stress.</p>
<p>All of the above. The college visits are the only thing I miss about the application process as they were an opportunity for some quality time with my kids and each a small adventure. </p>
<p>A few additional notes:
– If you have time, see if it is possible to sit in on a class. No necessary at every school or really for any insight into the school (though it might offer some) but more as an inspiration. My kids were excitied about going to college – and more ready for the process of getting there – when they saw what the classes were like.
– Ask the tour guides why they picked this college and which ones they turned down, and why. This can yield some interesting comparisons.
– If you have any extra time and there is another school nearby to drop in on, take advantage of that even if there’s no reason to have any interest. It is useful to have comparisons. In fact, all the schools we visited seem so great that we purposefully identified and visited a school we felt would not be on the list to get some sense of what a “no” would be like. </p>
<p>Most of all, remember that this is just one day and one set of interactions. A bad guide or a silly comment at an information session can turn you off for not very good reasons. If that happens at a school that seems like it should be right, consider going back again later.</p>
<p>If there is a school your son is particularly interested in, see if he can arrange an overnight with a current student. This gives a fuller picture of what the experience is likely to be. I concur about sitting in for a class. He should make sure it is something he is especially interested in and email first to see if this is possible. Finally, (the hardest part as a parent), if you have strong opinions, keep them to yourself. Gushing over a school you are sure is perfect for your kid has a way of backfiring. Stay neutral and ask (as casually as you can) afterwards, “so, what did you think?”</p>
<p>Ask the tour guide if there was one thing they could change about the college what it would be. That usually gets some reasonably honest answers. We always either ate in the dining hall or whatever on campus coffee shop was available.</p>
<p>Keep a list of the important aspects of the school- and fill it in as soon after the visit as possible. Some items on the list can be:
Location: urban/ suburban/rural
Size of school
Facilities (are they well kept)
Dorms
Food- eat in the dining halls if possible
Adjacent Neighborhood
Weather on the day of the visit (it matters more than you think!)
Tour guide.</p>
<p>Keep a running list of the schools so you can refer to it as you compare and cross schools off the list.</p>
<p>If a college that is a top choice has an open house, try to go to it, instead of just a standard presentation and tour. The open house usually includes presentations and Q and A with representatives of various programs. There also may be specialized presentations about athletics, detailed presentations about financial aid, etc. </p>
<p>Some open houses are specialized - such as one for engineering, one for sciences, one for liberal arts, etc. However, they are often held only once or twice a year, so you need to plan ahead. Some open houses also fill up to capacity and people are turned away if you don’t register early enough.</p>
<p>Also, if the college is in an urban area, make an effort to take a close look at the surrounding neighborhood - on all sides. Colleges have become experts in presenting a really nice front door and they try to get visitors to use the nicest route to their admissions office. However, there may be a dangerous slum on the other side of that big building. Every college is also required by the Federal Cleary Act to compile and make public data on crime on their campus. That is often posted on their website if you google Clery Act and the name of the college.</p>
<p>In the spring, see if you can do the interviews at schools. We are scrambling now to figure out how to fit in interviews.</p>
<p>Also, when visiting, try to see if some of the things he likes pertain to a large school or small school. Early in the process you may find yourself attracted to certain feature of a college which will help a lot to narrow down choices. That will make it easier to find schools that may fit that are not in your location. </p>
<p>Also, read the funny comments to your student about why people reject a school, so they don’t put too much stock in ugly buildings or tour guides shoes.</p>
<p>We visited my one daughter’s school several times before she applied. The first time as because it was for just a tour because it was the same city as her older sister went to school in. When she became more serious and focused , it became more detailed and she went looking for more precise answers. We attended wanna be weekends , accepted student weekends until she chose it
And she loves her school …it has been wonderful all around , given her awesome opportunities. No regrets whatsoever…they delivered what the advertised and so much more
Funny thing is , she told me ( now that she is involved in a co-teaching , mentoring program for this year’s incoming freshman in her major ) that they are smarter and more competitive than her class and she questions whether or not she would have a harder time with her high school stats than today’s applicants</p>
<p>I agree with every one else, but a few practical suggestions: </p>
<p>Wear comfortable shoes. </p>
<p>Bring an umbrella if it’s raining. </p>
<p>Walk right next to the tourguide so you can hear everything. It’s easy to get lost in the middle of the pack and miss information. One question I really liked to hear was: “Tell me the best thing about this college that I wouldn’t find in a brochure or on the website.” </p>
<p>Also, with my daughters, we found one thing for them that was a dealbreaker and made sure we saw/asked about them. For my oldest, it was the library/ies on campus. She wanted to see them included on the tour. If they weren’t, she felt that the school didn’t value them and they were off her list. For my second daughter, it was terms abroad. If a school said: “We have you look for your own and then bring them to us for approval” she wanted no part of it; if they said: “We have 180 programs in 150 countries”, it made the cut. </p>
<p>Most of all - have fun. Honestly, some of the best times I’ve had with my girls have been on our college road trips. We made our own version of “college bingo” - every time a tour guide mentioned “acapella groups” we’d whisper “Bingo!” or “green initiatives” (Bingo!) or “global leadership” (Bingo!) or “the food is actually really good!” (bingo!)</p>
<p>Oh, we have more bingo itens-study abroad, great relationship with faculty, and how greek life is very service-oriented, but that it is not a big deal. </p>
<p>Also practical, we always asked random students how the campus security was regarding partying. It was easy to get them to talk about the campus party culture in general and about their feeling toward administration.</p>
<p>nj - Every kid’s different. Hang around CC long enough and you’ll hear that attending a class was really helpful, or an overnight was beneficial, or having a good campus tour was crucial, or none of the above. I agree that college visits are an excellent opportunity to have some quality time with your young adult. If the visit helps him/her make a better college choice, so much the better. Good luck. Enjoy!</p>
<p>Oh, one thegreatest things will be the conversations with your child, alone in the car on the way home. one reason that I am not so maudlin about him leaving is that we are creating wonderful memories- cockroahces at a motel, counting beautiful girls on each campus, honest discussions about the schools, and life in general on the ride home.</p>
<p>Pick up the student newspaper & look at the flyers posted around the buildings/dorms, etc. It will give you an idea of what’s going on around campus, how much greek life dominates (or doesn’t) the social scene, etc.</p>
<p>With both of Ds we tried to just walk around campus after the tour. Seeing students walking around, goofing off with each other, going to class, etc gave us a better idea if Ds thought they would fit in. Also at some schools students seemed helpful and engaging, asking us if we needed help, offering opinions, etc. At other schools the students just looked right past us. While not necessarily a deal breaker, the casual walking around was very helpful.</p>
<p>I hope this isn’t just a girl thing, but we got a postcard at each school to remember the trip and wrote notes of impressions. Someone advised us to stay away from buying lots of college clothes (before getting in), but D wanted to see the bookstore–so we have 20 or so postcards of our experience. Also, in mapping out the schools to visit, many smartly advised to be including seeing safeties, because you want them to have one of those they like enough to attend.</p>
<p>Sign in before the info session. Some colleges track interest shown in the school.</p>
<p>Ask everyone what they like least. Or, if they could change one thing, what would it be?</p>
<p>I always recommend a Thursday overnight. I think you get the best possible feel for a campus that way.</p>
<p>And yes, I believe your d/s should be allowed to eliminate colleges based on what might be considered to be small details or arbitrary events. There are so many fine colleges and universities to choose from that “feel” is very important, even “feel” based on limited exposure.</p>
<p>If your child thinks there’s an EC (s)he’d like to continue in college, check it out.</p>
<p>At some schools, it can be highly competitive to join ECs. For example, there are colleges where only journalism majors can work on the school paper. Most colleges have a strict limit on the # of students who can join mock trial. Some colleges have a drama club and students audition. If you don’t make it, you can’t be in any plays.</p>
<p>So, if your child WANTS to continue ECs, make sure it’s possible.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great suggestions! We are headed to Boston later this week and Philadelphia in a few weeks. I am excited to spend some quality time with him! I do think that the ECs might be an issue for him, because he is interested in music and that could be competitive.</p>