<p>I was wondering if it was worth it to travel far to colleges just to see the campus during the summer. I thought that it was better to do it during the school so you can see people there. Is it worth it to go even if it means just driving through the campus?</p>
<p>for me...i dont go anywhere beyond 5 hr drive</p>
<p>for the other schools im interested in i just stay in contact with people and their office to show im interested</p>
<p>Im a New Yorker and when i called Wake Forest i actually had a funny conversation with the director of admissions lol...she liked me "northern accent"</p>
<p>Don't go now. Just as you say, "driving thru the campus" isn't going to give you a sense of what it would be like to be a student there. I have to add one small caveat; some people know within minutes of visiting a place that it isn't right for them, just a gut feel. And you could get this during the summer as well, I suppose. But unless travel funds are unlimited, I'd save the visits for when school is in session so you can talk to the kids, attend a class, eat a few meals, etc.</p>
<p>BTW I'd suggest a 2-pronged approach for visits. First, visit some nearby schools of different types just to get a feel for which you feel more comfortable at. This means a large U, a medium sized U, a LAC in a suburb, a rural LAC, etc. Being there first-hand lets you decide where you want to focus your efforts later.</p>
<p>Unless they are near you or where you're travelling, I'd save the trips to the reaches until you get accepted. Most colleges will have an "admit weekend". Spend your time learning about your matches. The admission office at most schools can arrange for you to spend a nite in the dorms with a volunteer host, a great way to see what the school is really like because you'll see what kids are doing with their free time, talk to them in the cafeteria, etc. And I want to add my plug about finding a safety you LOVE, which means visiting.</p>
<p>There's lots of info on the web about visiting, such as <a href="http://tinyurl.com/dzbao%5B/url%5D">http://tinyurl.com/dzbao</a> or <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4lfu9%5B/url%5D">http://tinyurl.com/4lfu9</a></p>
<p>when i looked for a school i went during the spring for that very reason. i wanted to see how to campus operated during a busy semester. i looked at traffic at peak times and everything; i'm so crazy 'bout those kind of things, lol! but a lot of schools are busy in the summer too so you could always check then!</p>
<p><-=Kayla=-></p>
<p>It is better to visit in the fall or spring, but it may not be an option--it wasn't an option for me, so I did all of mine in the summer, and I think you can tell almost as much in the summer as you can during session. I talked to students who were taking summer classes, and some things won't change from summer to fall: you can walk around campus to see if you like the layout, the architecture, etc; you can walk or drive through the surrounding area (which I think is one of the most important things to do when visiting) because it woun't change from one month to the next unless the college is the whole town. If you have to visit in the summer, you won't be at any serious disadvantage.</p>