College Tours In Summer?????????

Parents Forum
21

<p>By the time we got through the info session (about an hour), the campus tour (another 45 min-1 hr.), a visit to the academic dept. of choice and chat with a prof (lots of times this is something you have to arrange separately with each shool - sometimes admissions will handle arrangements for you - ask when you make each appt.) and maybe lunch and a quick drive through the areas of town immediately surrounding the campus, we had spent about 5+ hours at each school...not quite a full day, but really not enough time to hop in the car, get to the next campus and give that one your full attention, too.</p>

<p>Also, if at all possible (I know this one is tough for people coming from overseas), try to limit the number of schools you see on one trip...maybe look at a handful in one part of the country on one trip, then see the ones closer to home on another round. Even though our kids were scribbling notes, making a 'pros/cons' list as we were leaving each campus and their memory was still fresh, by the time we saw 4 schools in 4 days, we had trouble remembering details of each one. Kind of like house-hunting - after you see so many, you can't remember which one had the great fireplace, which needs a new kitchen, which has the fabulous backyard, etc., etc....they all tend to run together!</p>

22

<p>We saw all schools in the summer, too. And each had information sessions, tours, etc. I agree with beachy, though, that they all start to look (and sound) alike after touring a certain number of them. The ones that began to stand out were the ones that were not attempting to look like Oxford and Cambridge. All that grey gothic cold stone architecture got to us after a while...</p>

23

<p>I don't think this has been mentioned here but it is a real problem remembering all these schools. I strongly suggest to anyone starting the tour circuit - take a LOT of pictures. Try to jot down what/where you took them. And after each tour WRITE DOWN some notes about your impressions. You think you will remember everything - but you won't.</p>

<p>We toured most of the schools in the summer - we even had our dog with us!</p>

24

<p>I understand that you've gotta do what you've gotta do, but just realize that you will not get the real feel of a school if students are not there. We made our main college tour over spring break of Junior year. Most schools were in session, but a couple weren't. Without exception, all of us had better feelings toward the schools in session than the ones that weren't. One of the schools not in session was Williams and D came away from the visit with negative feelings compared to the energy she felt on the other campuses. However, because of its reputation, we insisted that she make a return, overnight visit when students were around (which she grudingly agreed to do). After that visit, her opinion changed and that is where she will go next year.</p>

<p>Regarding info sessions: I think they are over rated. After a while they all sound the same. They all tell you about their wonderful international program and that every year they turn down applicants with perfect SAT scores and grades. Rarely do you hear something that you can't read on the web site or in the College Catalogue. Out of session tours are a little better in that you can interact more freely with the tour guide - but that's just one person. If students aren't around, all you are doing is looking at "real estate" and that's not really what you are "buying."</p>

<p>Btw, one of the rare gems that we did gain from an info session is something that I've posted before, but its worth mentioning here again. The top two factors that influence people's feelings about a school during their campus visit are: 1) the weather, and 2) how much they like their tour guide. Just knowing this can help you to avoid making a potential mistake because you visited someplace on a rainy day or got a bad tour.</p>

25

<p>Clayleas: While I think you make some good and valid points about not visiting schools in the summer, I do think just touring around different campuses (even on your own--without the tour guide), attending information sessions (and, yes, they do begin to all sound alike), talking to people, including those in administration--one can really get a feel for what the school and campus are like. A student can get a real feel for a school, and ask: Can I see myself here? There were some we saw, that no matter what time of year we had visited, what my daughter did or didn't like about a school would not have changed-- no matter who was on campus (i.e., too urban; too rural; politically conservative). And sometimes you don't really 'see' this until you actually visit. And then there were schools that she liked (or even 'maybe' schools), so she returned for another visit when school was in session. But the summer can be a wonderful time to visit, because we could really take our time--on each campus, surrounding neighborhood, etc. We saw a lot of schools and at a very leisurely pace.</p>

26

<p>For us, summer visits didn't work out. My daughter and I visited the University of Delaware and Susquehanna University and she refused to apply to either of them and we even got a free application at Susquehanna. At this school we (her first then I was invited in) each had a very nice interview with an admissions counselor and a great tour with a student but there were no students at all on campus. She just couldn't get the picture of the school. It was pretty much the same at U of D except we also had the added bonus of employees bickering at each other everywhere we went. If we had gone when there was a summer session it might have been better.</p>

27

<p>
[Quote]
Regarding info sessions: I think they are over rated. After a while they all sound the same. They all tell you about their wonderful international program and that every year they turn down applicants with perfect SAT scores and grades

[/Quote]
</p>

<p>We did the college tours spring break and you are right on target. The other common thread seems to list the # of clubs (they all # in the hundreds) and acapella groups. They also all emphasize how small the class sizes are. An old Dave Barry column listed this as the true measure of a school's prestige. So much so, that he said Harvard now brags about having 0 students per class.</p>

28

<p>Because of my son's team sports commitments, we had to do many college visits during the summer months. It's not ideal, but we had little choice. We did find that many schools have hundreds of kids on campus, doing research for professors, etc. That helped a little. </p>

<p>One school my son liked a lot on a summer visit - UVA - was deserted in July. I didn't think my son could get a true sense of the school. If it had turned out that this school was an option for him, I would have insisted that he do an overnight visit during the school year to see what it was really like. So I guess you can at least view summer visits as preliminary screenings.</p>

29

<p>I think summer visits can be fine, unless a school is really closed down, with no summer programs for students at all (which wasn't our experience). It's probably not ideal to visit on a truly dead holiday weekend--we happened to be at Stanford one Labor Day, and it did feel like a ghost town--but almost any other time should be OK.</p>

<p>My daughter, who has just finished her freshman year, fell in love with her college on a rainy day in July. She followed up that visit with an overnight stay in the dorms in the fall, which confirmed how much she liked it. If you draw up a short list of preferred schools over the summer, I do recommend overnight visits where feasible to give your daughter a true sense of campus life.</p>

30

<p>I definitely recommend trying to do other activities so you avoid 'college tour burnout'. My S and I did a number of small trips and one big road trip (through southern california). We both like music, so we found all-ages music venues to go to. In LA, we spent about 10 minutes at UCLA and mainly visited with family. Even so, things started to blur, but overall we did get a good sense of the schools we visited. </p>

<p>What was interesting, is that he started out discounting Berkeley (too close to home), but after the tours of the other schools, Berkeley moved to the top of his list (and happily he was accepted there)</p>

31

<p>Narrowing down a list through summer visits is ok, tho not ideal--a visit is a snapshot at best, and there is often a totally different vibe with students there. Perhaps once the list is down to a handful, or certainly if an early application is being considered, you can go back during the fall.</p>

32

<p>
[quote]
So I guess you can at least view summer visits as preliminary screenings.

[/quote]
That's how we looked at them, and they were very helpful in that regard. You can get the lay of the land, a feel for the place physically, talk to students who are there for the summer, take the tours, info sessions, etc. We visited 16 schools between trips taken during spring break junior year and the following summer. The whole family went, including the dog, and they were some of the best vacation trips we've had (by all means, see the surrounding sights as well!)</p>

<p>In reality, a busy HS senior doesn't have time for more than two or three visits-at the most--with overnights and classes--during the first semester of the school year, so if you don't use the summer for "preliminary screening" you may find yourself scrambling in the fall as application deadlines loom.</p>

33

<p>
[quote]
Clayleas writes: The top two factors that influence people's feelings about a school during their campus visit are: 1) the weather, and 2) how much they like their tour guide.

[/quote]
There is probably a lot of truth in this, because this would be a manifestation of the well-known "halo effect" where a strong positive/negative impression can color an entire evaluation.</p>

<p>There are ways to avoid this. The first, of course, is to know it exists; forewarned is forearmed, or so they say. </p>

<p>But the best tool is to have a list of things you want to learn about every school and fill it in. By filling in a list you are led past the effect to concentrate on items of interest; "yeah, maybe the guide was pompous but now that I'm thinking about it what did I learn about how much help you get from your advisor?" And so on. A lot of people go on visits and rely on general impressions of like/dislike rather than looking for specific factors that matter to them in a college. This just sets you up for the halo effect since the thing it does is color overall impressions.</p>

<p>I recommend creating a sheet that lists things that are important to your kid. It may include housing, class size, study abroad, intramural sports, friendliness of students, liberal/conservative bent, and so on. Pick some of the most important ones and xerox off a sheet that has the questions with space to jot down a few sentences. Creating the list, BTW, can be a good springboard for a discussion between parent & student about what is important in college.</p>

<p>Fill in the sheet right after each visit, when the impressions are fresh in your mind. I'd suggest 3 questions in addition to the ones above. 1) The thing I liked most was ... 2) The thing I disliked most was ... 3) The thing that surprised me most was ...</p>

34

<p>This is probably weird, contrarian advice, but I actually don't recommend worrying very much about taking notes and photos during college visits. IMHO, if a school isn't all that memorable on its own--or if the gut impression is negative, even though it has all kinds of positive attributes on paper--it probably isn't the best school for your child.</p>

35

<p>We did 3 weeks and 3500 miles last summer. It will be beneficial, because you will be basing all the schools on the same criteria - summer session. We broke it up with trips to theme parks, etc., and it definitely narrowed down the field. Advice - go to the info sessions, because there is a question/answer session at the end, and bring a list of questions about things that are important to you - study abroad (be specific - get numbers of programs, where, what qualifications to go, etc., if the university has colleges, how easy is it to take classes in one outside your major, medical care and costs, (anything that you want to know specific to you) - take notes at the info sessions because if you attend 10 like we did, you might mix up what they said. If you pay attention, you will find bits of info different for each school, and listen to the questions and answers. We eliminated a couple schools for various reasons. The adcom that gave the session was not enthusiastic. (Yes, I know - it's like having a good/bad tour guide) And she put us to sleep. My D's comment was if she doesn't seem to really like the school, why would I? But we learned an important answer to a question about taking classes in the different colleges of the university, so we didn't even stay for the tour. It just wasn't student centered, and the school's attitude of we are so terrific you should bow down to us came across very strongly. A lot about the school climate can come across in the info session. Realize, too, that most schools will not let you into the dorms to see them. Exceptions - American and Trinity (SA), and I am sure they are others that other posters can let you know about. At W&M, we were in a huge room with MANY people, and the tour guides (they broke us into 10 groups) introduced themselves and all were greek, and very proud of the fact that Greek life started there. Definitely an inkling into what was important in a large segment of the social life there, and we eliminated that. The results were very interesting. The 2 schools that were my D's favorites after the trip stayed that way. Rejected at 1st choice, accepted at second, but the FA package wasn't sufficient. Other acceptances were to 2 other schools we hadn't visited, but she decided to add to her list after much more research. One of those schools she visited while in session, and although she liked the kids, didn't care for it. I knew within 15 minutes of our arrival that she wouldn't based on how the summer visits went adn what was really important to her. The second she visited on accepted students' weekend, and that is where she will attend. Also, based on our experience, we realized she would have liked it during the summer, as well, based on the criteria we had established. So, do not go blindly ahead. Prepare. Make a list of schools after much research. Determine what is most important to you. Make a list of questions based on your criteria. Take notes. Take pictures. Talk to the tour guides and stop students to get a feel for the school climate. As to doing more than 2 schools in a day - impossible even if they are close to one another. Morning and afternoon sessions. Used the Princeton Reviews 500 most visited colleges book and it gave info about the sessions, etc. Many religiously affiliated schools require an appointment. And call or check the school's website to verify the info in the book. And if attending the session at UTx, Austin, get there 45 -1 hour early, because you have to ride a bus to the point of the tour beginning (it leaves 1/2 hour before tour time). Most schools we visited had regularly scheduled times, and you just showed up. Also, if your school requires an interview as part of the process, see if you can schedule that to coincide with your visit - a couple of our schools did that even though no app was on file as yet. Also, if you feel your questions are not relevant for the general session, and you feel you need to meet with an adcom, schedule that in advance, as well. Remember, for some of the more selective schools, showing interest (attending sessions, tours, meeting with the adcom, the interview) are very important in the selection process. Good luck to you. Summer is just fine.</p>

36

<p>
[quote]
a glorious, leafy June day

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Williamstown in the summer is heaven on earth. I made the mistake of going home after freshman year. But, from there on out, spend summers in Vermont or the Greater Williamstown area.</p>

<p>New Hampshire's pretty sweet in the summer, too....except the traffic is bad.</p>

37

<p>I agree - Williamstown is fabulous in the summer. I definitely got the impression at Williams that the students never wanted to leave - for summer, for junior year abroad, etc.</p>

38

<p>Good points about the fact that many college students don't leave their new "homes" during the summer. I know I only made that "mistake" once. :D</p>

<p>I've enjoyed reading everyone's opinions and experiences. It certainly sounds as though "it all depends" is really the upshot of whether or not it's worth making these summer time college visits. </p>

<p>What happened to the good old days when many of us didn't even visit colleges we ended up attending? ;)</p>

39

<p>We only found maybe 3 out of about 20 schools between 2 kids' visiting that didn't allow you into an actual dorm. All the others had the tour guides stop at the front desk of at least one dorm and either show their ID and indicate they were leading a tour or ask for a key to the designated room, plus show you some of the common areas. It was very odd to see most everything you wanted about the school, but not one of the most important things. It was off-putting to our 2 not to be able to do this, and it affected their thoughts on said school, even if they liked other things about it.</p>

<p>Note to college reps: Doesn't matter how extensive your online dorm info is: floor plans, still photos, 360 degree camera tours, etc. - students want to actually SEE a room, to visualize themselves and their things in place by standing in a real room - even if there are 10 other people jammed in there with them!</p>

<p>There is no good reason not to do this, and in summer it's much easier to do - just put the normal furniture in place, throw in a couple blankets, pennants, mugs with college logo about, and voila! During school year, schools could have one room designated for tours, or set up agreements with a few students in a dorm to show off their rooms.</p>

<p>The security argument really doesn't wash, as you could nearly have an armed guard at the front door, but if residents want to wedge open an out of the way door for their own convenience, there's not much a school can do to keep up with them. Keep the tours small enough so the guide can keep track of all people on the tour...and so people can HEAR the guide and not be strung out on a sidewalk as he talks while walking backwards (quite a nice acquired skill, I must say), and only the front 3 people can hear.</p>

40

<p>I spent two summers in Williamstown, doing research for professors. It was wonderful.</p>

<p>Williams was one of the schools my son toured last summer where there were many students on campus (mostly working for professors), so I'm surprised by the post above saying that the poster's D found the Wms campus deserted/low in energy in the summer. Glad she went back and visited during the school year!</p>