<p>with emory being high on my list of choices, I really want to visit sometime in august or september. but the airfare is 300 and i cant afford paying that for visiting ONE school! i also want to visit michigan and thats another 300 (i live in NJ). does anyone have any suggestions to somehow lower this cost (good websites, another way of traveling...etc) thankkkksssss</p>
<p>If airfare is a huge problem just to visit once it may not be the best place to consider going; you'd have to make that flight more than once as a student...</p>
<p>Are you EDing? I didn't get into one school I visited and got into 100% of the ones I didn't, so there is no need to honestly visit until you get in if you are doing RD. Michigan, for example, is rolling, so why visit until all your acceptances come in. Plus you learn much more on those weekends anyway.</p>
<p>well see thats not what my problem is...im willing to make the trips if i GET IN, but its the college visits thats costing me in the thousands... so this brings me to the question: if the school's over 500 miles away, will it hurt my chances much if i dont visit</p>
<p>happybugs614,</p>
<p>Why don't you Google for college video tours? My S has used <a href="http://www.collegiatechoice.com/%5B/url%5D">www.collegiatechoice.com/</a> but there are some others, too.</p>
<p>These aren't Hollywood-quality but you do get the routine admissions tour, all filmed from the participants point of view.</p>
<p>When you apply, be sure to mention ("how did you hear about us?") that you have viewed tour videos, and that you hope to be able to visit in person later. All they want to see is that you are a serious applicant.</p>
<p>I have seen CollegiateChoice videos in some high school guidance counselors' offices, so you might check and see if you can even borrow a copy for free.</p>
<p>Amtrak has a special 2 for 1 discount for college visits. Go to their website and search for campusvisit.</p>
<p>There's lots of info out there in terms of video, forums, books, etc so for the schools you can't visit on one big trip just apply and see how it works out. Not visiting won't hurt your chances at all.</p>
<p>Happybug,</p>
<p>I gather that you have already done sufficient research on your desired schools and are seeking to maximize your chances for accceptance at this time. You are correct in that Emory does "consider" the applicant's level of interest; however, they do not expect that all applicants will be able to visit the campus. There are other ways you can satisfy Emory that you have "demonstrated interest". One thing you can do is to attend a regional visit by an Emory admissions representative when they do their fall tour of schools/communities. Perhaps the easiest way for you to demonstrate interest is to merely order a DVD/video, which is free and takes only minutes online. By ordering the video, your information will be noted by Emory. If you are accepted, you can then plan a campus visit to determine your fit to the school's atmosphere. My only caveat is that you consider a trip if you plan to apply ED to Emory. I would say the same for any school that you plan to apply ED since acceptance carries a binding commitment to enroll.</p>
<p>Order Emory's Video Visit: <a href="http://www.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/admission-aid/order-video-dvd.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/admission-aid/order-video-dvd.htm</a></p>
<p>Order VIDEC online DVD/Video:
<a href="http://www.videc.com/videoidx.cfm%5B/url%5D">http://www.videc.com/videoidx.cfm</a></p>
<p>(Note that the VIDEC link will take you to a site in which you can order DVD's not only for Emory but other schools as well. Most of these schools are in the South/Southeast, and the DVD's are all free.)</p>
<p>This is why I cringe just a bit when I hear someone recommend that an applicant visit more than a few colleges. Sure, in an ideal world, an applicant should visit all of his preferred choices, but I'll wager that many applicants's families are like the original poster and therefore cannot afford the cash or the time to visit more than one or two colleges, unless the schools are within a reasonable driving distance.</p>
<p>That's why it is imperative for the applicant and family to prepare and DO HOMEWORK in researching a campus. Ultimately, it's a leap of faith anyway. You don't know what to expect until you're sitting in Freshman Orientation. You are an adult now and it's time to take risks.</p>
<p>Ask the admissions office to have a student rep give you a call. Talk to old and recent alumni in your area. Read the college's online student newspaper, and consult a travel guide if you're unfamiliar with the region your school is situated in. Good Luck.</p>
<p>If you have never been there, I would encourage a visit, for you're own benefit. It could be before or after acceptance, but before has the benefit of eliminating a school if you really don't like the climate, atmosphere, facilities, etc. It's expensive, but not as expensive as being somewhere you're unhappy for a year or four. I wouldn't visit just to accumulate "interest" points. You can do that other ways, phone calls, emails to the regional adcom for your school, etc. Also, your counselor can tell the adcom that a school is your first choice (if it's true).</p>
<p>My son will be attending a school that he did not visit until after he was accepted. He visited two schools out of state by himself (drove to RIT, and flew to a school in Illinois - special discounted rate) but we just couldn't find the time or justify the expense to visit one college six hours away. He applied, was accepted, had all the financial information from all his acceptances and then did an overnight. Worked out fine for us. By waiting for the acceptance and finaid package he knew that we could afford the college.</p>
<p>One of the advantages of seeing so many other colleges first was that he had a lot of room for comparison. By the time he saw the school where he will be attending he knew what he didn't want.</p>
<p>Just wait until your acceptances and financial aid packages. Many times you won't be able to attend a school even if you are admitted to it. I'm sure you don't need a campus visit to tell you to apply somewhere or not.</p>
<p>
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I'm sure you don't need a campus visit to tell you to apply somewhere or not.
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</p>
<p>This may be true for most RD applicants; however, if one is applying Early Decision (ED), I would highly recommend a campus visit(s) prior to submitting the ED application. The reason for this is evident -- there is a binding commitment to attend and to withdraw all other applications filed with other schools. </p>
<p>There can be detrimental impact to taking a visit to a college subsequent to ED acceptance by a college -- with the impact affecting the student, the student's parents, the H.S. counselor, other students at that H.S., and the college. </p>
<p>If a student visits the school after ED acceptance and finds out that it is simply NOT the kind of "fit" s/he was hoping to find, that will not be sufficient reason in the eyes of that college's adcom to default on your commitment. The student would then be "stuck" with his/her choice. If s/he breaks the commitment, there are ramifications for that student that may force him/her to "settle" for a state school or less than selective school. This may come about through the college notifying other schools of what you have done -- a form of "blacklisting" that occurs in the admissions process. </p>
<p>In some cases colleges have established mandates with H.S. counselors that they will not further submit transcripts to other colleges for that student. (Obviously, such a counselor is placed in a difficult role, becuase the counselor must also think about the future of that high school's relationship with that college's adcom.) Finally, there are colleges who have resorted to "highly recommending" or "requiring" a visit prior to submitting an ED application -- often for the purpose of doing a personal interview but also for the purpose of assuring that the student is applying ED for the right reasons.</p>
<p>On the subject of "right reasons", we come back to the THE reason for applying ED -- because the college is the "dream school" and financial considerations are of no concern. An example: My daughter has a very good friend who had her sights set on Swarthmore. She was certain that based on all the information she had, this was her "dream school", and she was set to apply early. She was even lobbying my daughter to also apply to Swarthmore -- up until she visited and became entirely disenchanted with the "fit" to her personality. She eventually decided against applying to Swarthmore, was wait-listed at one Ivy, accepted at others, and eventually chose to stay closer to home, deciding on Stanford. Imagine if she had not visited the school! If a student has any doubts, do NOT apply ED, if for no other reason than to keep your options open.</p>
<p>I am fortunate to be living in Massachusetts near Boston. So many good colleges are nearby. Every week, we drive to one or two. It is fun!</p>
<p>Agreed, norcadad, my kids had no intentions of applying ed anywhere. ED is only for people who are willing to pay full price and know for sure where they want to go. Good point though!</p>