<p>Since i can't get out of school, I'm visiting colleges over the weekend. However that means I can't do any tours or info sessions. Will this be a useless trip?
Does anyone have any ideas as to how i can get a feel for the school minus the help of these tools?</p>
<p>Are you a senior?
Some schools do have Saturday info sessions and tours…you may want to check their websites.
You might have fun attending an athletic event, like a football game.
Be aware that walking around most college campuses on a weekend morning is not the most accurate way to get a sense of the students…they might still be sleeping!</p>
<p>Yes I am a senior. I’ve looked into it and none of the schools have Saturday activities except for Yale and Olin (and they are at the same time so I’ll have to choose. MIT, Harvard, Smith, and BU, I’ll be on my own(with my parents that is).</p>
<p>If you visit on the weekend, try to hang out and observe students in gathering areas - college center, dining hall and even the library. Try to strike up some conversations with students and ask questions about things that are important to you whether it is social life, academics, etc. Look and see what type of posters and flyers are posted around campus - they may give you a clue as to what type of clubs and activities exist and how engaged the students are. Explore the school’s websites. Some are very good at giving you a feel as to what campus life is like. Some even have a page where you can ask a current student questions. Get on their mailing list before you go. Does your high school have college rep visits? Take advantage of them and ask questions. Do you know anyone from your high school who is attending any of the schools you are interested in? Even if you don’t know them well, they might be willing to meet you when you visit and show you a few things. You can send them a message on Facebook even if you’re not “friends” with them.</p>
<p>Many schools have at least one Saturday tour, many also have Saturday information sessions. Smith, for example, has Saturday tours at 10 am and noon, and Saturday info sessions at 9 am and 11 am.</p>
<p>[Smith</a> College: Scheduling a Campus Visit](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/admission/campusvisit/]Smith”>Visits & Programs | Smith College)</p>
<p>Harvard also has a 10 am info session and 11 am tour most Saturdays:</p>
<p>[Harvard</a> College Admissions § Visit Harvard: Calendar](<a href=“http://calexport.fas.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/calendar/exporter.cgi?view=monthview&cal=117046&template_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.admissions.college.harvard.edu%2Fvisit%2Fcalendar.html]Harvard”>http://calexport.fas.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/calendar/exporter.cgi?view=monthview&cal=117046&template_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.admissions.college.harvard.edu%2Fvisit%2Fcalendar.html)</p>
<p>Many colleges that don’t offer weekend tours have campus maps and directions for a self-guided tour. Check with the admissions office for availability.</p>
<p>It’s worth doing the Saturday morning tours and info sessions because generally you won’t see much activity on campus before 11 am or so on weekends, except for a few athletes going off to their athletic contests. After that, I second the suggestion to hang out in the student center, browse the bulletin boards, strike up a conversation with a student or group of students in a lounge or coffee shop. Most are happy to play the expert on their school, and many will seize any opportunity to procrastinate on their studying. A “prospie” is all the excuse they’ll need. Visit the campus bookstore; it will give you an idea of what students are studying, which majors appear to be popular, how interesting/challenging are the assigned readings. When doing college visits my D also liked to spend a little time on the student-oriented business strip that is a ubiquitous feature of almost every college town. The college experience is often not just the campus, it’s the town, but most students will spend most of their time within a few blocks from campus.</p>
<p>Are you planning on looking at all 6 schools in one weekend?</p>
<p>We have rep visits, but so far none of the schools I am applying to have come. 
Why is that? Also, I don’t want to tour all six schools necessary, I’m mostly interested in Olin, Yale, and MIT. However, Yale and Olin’s are at the same time. This essentially means that I will be touring yale and then spending the rest of Saturday and Sunday in Massachusetts. Without tours, I figure I might as well look at many schools because there won’t be much to do at each school… Is that not a good idea?</p>
<p>Assuming you’re driving, it’s certainly possible to do Yale’s Saturday tour, then drive 90 minutes north to Northampton, hang around Smith (and Northampton, a lovely, lively little college town) for a few hours, then still get to the Boston area by Saturday night. Harvard, MIT, and BU are all very close to each other, so it’s not inconceivable you could devote a couple of good hours to each of them. If your priority schools in the Boston area are MIT and Olin, though, I’d do those two on Sunday and drop the idea of seeing Harvard and BU. Driving in and around Boston/Cambridge can be a headache, and parking is hard (and often expensive). If you tried to do all 4 schools in one day, you’d spend most of your time just getting from one school to another, figuring out where you are and where you’re going, and figuring out what to do with your car. </p>
<p>Besides, it’s too confusing to see multiple schools in one day. I toured a lot of schools with my D1 (now a freshman at Haverford) and this summer visited a bunch more schools with my D2 (HS sophomore). We’ve had a firm rule on these trips: no more than 2 schools in one day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. One school in a day is preferable if our time allows. And between schools, they get out their computers and write a little memo to themselves, setting down their impressions, what they especially liked, what they didn’t like or had questions about, etc. If you don’t take it slowly and methodically, allowing sufficient time to really get a feel for the place, and WRITE THINGS DOWN, you’ll get mixed up about what was at school A and what at school B; or you’ll forget things; or it will all just blur into one big jumbled mess.</p>
<p>I think Yale and Harvard on Saturday would be a viable option because Yale has an open house, and my sister will be touring Harvard that day, so we’ll probably look around with her.</p>
<p>So you think a self guided tour of MIT and Olin on Sunday would be effective?
I just don’t want to get a bad impression because I didn’t attend their tours…</p>
<p>I’m just kind of upset, because there are so many students, but when I contact the admissions offices to see if there is any way I can meet with one, they are kind of curt. I know that the admissions offices are closed but it’s hard for me to get transportation all the way up there on a weekday… Haha I know it is dumb to pick a college based on how friendly the admissions people are, but it turns me off (yeah i guess i’m sensitive).</p>
<p>I agree with bclintonk. More than 2 schools per day is too confusing. Take pictures, too - it helps you remember.</p>
<p>Yale to Harvard is a 2 - 3 hour drive depending on traffic, parking etc., so while it’s possible to do both the same day the aggravation of driving in the Northeast may put you in a somewhat foul mood. You need to prioritize your schools and recognize that geography makes Smith the most likely to get axed.</p>
<p>You could do Harvard, MIT and BU in a single day. MIT and Harvard are not far apart and are pretty clearly defined (though Harvard Square has turned into a tourist attraction in its own right), you could ride the Red Line between the two and easily walk around and get a feel for both. BU has no campus (I know the BUers will disagree), most of its main building are on Commonwealth Avenue and you can just drive through campus.</p>
<p>I’d suggest the Yale tour then driving to Olin Saturday afternoon and walking around on your own, then getting to a hotel in or near Harvard (you could even drive through BU on your way to the hotel). Then spend Sunday walking around Harvard and MIT; of course Sunday morning on any college campus is pretty desolate.</p>
<p>Contact Olin’s admissions and let them know you really want to visit but can’t make their tour time. Ask them if a student might be available at a specified time (give them some choices) to show you around and answer your questions. Olin has lots of students trained in giving tours and I think it’s likely you could get one to help you out. If you just wander around Olin alone, you may not have the best experience simply because there aren’t <em>that</em> many students and you may get the impression it’s a ghost town. It’s not, they just are probably all inside if it’s a cold day, for instance. Or visiting places in Boston if it’s not. Olin’s admission officers are very helpful.</p>
<p>i think i’m getting a little car sick</p>
<p>I really question whether you will get much out of visiting any school on a weekend if you are not attending their info session/tour. Yes, you will get to see the layout of the campus, but you will have little opportunity to interact with current students and you will not be able to go into dorms or classrooms or labs to see what they are really like. At Harvard you won’t even be able to try the dining halls. You might be better off visiting these schools when you are on a break.</p>
<p>There is value in college visits. But NO value in seeing too many in too short a time. TAKE TIME FROM SCHOOL to do this, fall break, whatever, if you can. If that is impossible, then wait until April when you know where you are accepted and their financial aid/scholarship offers and then compare between 3 schools or 2. </p>
<p>In the meantime, pick 2 for THIS weekend. One Sat and one on Sunday. What you will see is pretty buildings and get a "feel’ even by strolling through the quad and/or library or into any buildings that are open to the public. Be certain to meet and greet students and ask pointed questions, not the glossy crap they give you on tours. </p>
<p>Its not just about academics. Its about social fit and financial fit and geographic fit. Good luck.</p>
<p>BU offers campus tours as well as info sessions on Saturday: [Schedule</a> Your Visit | Boston University Admissions](<a href=“Visiting Boston University's Campus | Admissions”>Visiting Boston University's Campus | Admissions). What we found when visiting campuses on weekends was to visit places where students would congregate - student centers, art galleries (students are often the gallery attendants), sports events, etc. You can get a good sense of the atmosphere on campus from talking with random students.</p>
<p>If you plan to visit more than two campuses in one day, take copious notes and/or take photos. Otherwise, it’ll be a blur.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I contacted Olin admissions and they said they could not help me :(. I contacted mit and olin and they both said the same thing… Do you think the Smith admissions officers would be more helpful. I would take time from school but my parents work a lot, and this was a rare weekend. I just really need to narrow my list and I thought visiting would help.</p>
<p>Thanks ghostbustter, I think I’ll do Yale and MIT. Plus Ill briefly be at Harvard to get my sister. I agree its not just about academics and I want to get the best impression possible of the school. 
I’m just really worried about talking to students randomly as opposed to something that has previously been set up because I don’t want to be bothersome</p>
<p>writergrl - do you have any alum from your h.s. currently attending any of the schools you’re interested in visiting? If so, maybe your GC can put you in touch with them and they’d be willing to show you around.</p>
<p>If this is the only time that you have to look at these colleges by all means do so. Yes it is true you won’t get the weekday vibe, or the offical tour but you’ll have a feel if the school is for you or not. I like the previous post reccommending that your GC hook you up with an alumni who is attending that university to possibly give you a school tour. Being on the West Coast and having a child who wanted to attend an East Coast University left us applying to many colleges without an official visit. Yes - it was a little more costly, $50 to $75.00 a pop, but less so than all the travel costs and time involved for multiple visits. Plus I knew my son would want one more look see when he had his acceptances. Come spring many schools were offering to fly my son back to visit the school; for others who were closer they were providing bus transporation. With this type of visit you usually arrived on a Saturday and stayed through until Monday afternoon. These were the most beneficial visits that my son participated in. We all finally went back in April to the schools that accepted him (not during spring break as many of the spring breaks tend to overlap with the Universities) and it took the edge off the visits as he was already in.</p>