<p>Is it worth it to visit colleges? Personally, I'll be fine visiting the ones I got accepted to for their college admit days, but does it actually help in admissions? BTW, I'm going to be a sophomore, so I'm trying to schedule visits (If they are worth it) as early as possible.</p>
<p>Thanks all!</p>
<p>It really depends on the school. Some put quite a bit of weight on what they perceive as your level of interest. Personally, I highly recommend going on as many visits as you possibly can. It changed my views drastically on many colleges. For example, my dream school for many years was Brown. After visiting, I realized that it definitely was not for me. Not only is it no longer my number one school, I will not even be applying there.</p>
<p>So where can you find out which schools place weight on level of interest?</p>
<p>Generally speaking, the smaller the school the more they care about your interest.</p>
<p>I think they’re worth it because they help you get a better idea of the school. I visited a school that I thought I would love, wasn’t impressed at all, and didn’t apply because of that. On the other hand, after being admitted to a bunch of schools, I visited 2. I loved the feel of one, but wasn’t in love with the campus. I liked the feel of the other and adored the campus. I chose the second.</p>
<p>Visiting does demonstrate “interest,” which is important to some colleges – especially those which, based on your stats, might think you’re using them as a safety (search CC for “Tufts syndrome”). There are other ways to demonstrate interest – interviews, regional recruiting presentations, applying early, et cetera – so students who can’t afford to visit shouldn’t worry about it.</p>
<p>Visiting also helps you write the “Why this college?” essay that’s required with so many applications. If you’ve visited, you can credibly picture yourself there; perhaps you’ve met some current students and/or faculty, seen that a certain facility would be uniquely helpful to your academic interests, or noticed some other details that you can point to and say, “This is home.” And at colleges that prize “fit,” that’s very helpful – both that you’ve taken the time to learn about the college, and that you’ve determined that it’s a fit for you.</p>
<p>Most importantly, though, visiting helps you determine what’s important to you. If you visit several colleges, you’ll start to notice patterns in where you feel most at home. Is it large or small? Rural or urban? Laid-back, type A, or work hard/play hard? Athletic, artsy, bookish? What kind of personalities? What about the weather? Could you stand to eat the food for four years? ;)</p>
<p>What you figure out about the colleges you visit will help you decide which ones to apply to and help you find other colleges that might also appeal to you.</p>
<p>My son’s dream college was barely on his radar before we visited; he’d loved their junk mail, but that was all he knew about the place. During the visit, he had an impromptu lunch with a prof and a group of students… and felt like he’d found “his people.” After that, everything he found out just made it better and better. He ended up applying Early Decision and will attend there in a few months. That kind of story may or may not be yours in a few years, but visiting a fair number of colleges will help you make informed decisions and target your applications.</p>
<p>Oh… about this:
[QUOTE=simo14]
I’m going to be a sophomore
[/quote]
Please don’t take the College Confidential forums too seriously. All those “chance me” threads and “baaaaw, I got a 760 on an SAT subject, my life is over!” posts are just garbage. If you spend too much time here and pay too much attention to that kind of stuff, you may end up with anxiety that’s unnecessary and fruitless. You’re young, bright, and focused. Work hard and have some fun along the way, and you’ll do fine in the college app season. :)</p>
<p>There is no magic list of those colleges that consider showing interest such as by visiting as a factor in admissions. For most top ranked private schools, it means essentially nothing (one exception is Emory). Also for public universities, it means nothing.</p>
<p>If a college offers an opportunity to do an on-campus interview, I believe that college holds campus visits as, at the very least, a minor boon to your application. If cost and time are of no concern to you, I say go for it. You may discover your own love for a school waxing or waning with a visit, but either way, you’ll get a better picture of what it is like to go there.</p>
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<p>Look at Common Data Set (aka CDS) for the school you’re interested in. There’s a sticky at the top of the College Search and Selection forum listing links to CDSs. There will be a specific line in each CDS about how much an individual school considers demonstrated interest in making admissions decisions.</p>
<p>The schools that care about visits tend not to be Ivies or public institutions.</p>
<p>^ Listen to her; she knows of what she speaks. 
I don’t know who she is, or where she lives, but this lady knows the way it is and offers sound advice.</p>
<p>Smaller, LACs want you to visit. But even if you don’t care about that admissions angle, you should visit colleges to help YOU figure out where is the best place for YOU!!! </p>
<p>It is fun to visit schools if you plan well, allow plenty of time, and keep your sense of humor. Last year at this time my mom and I had just returned from our month-long trip. Not all of it was school visiting, but we did see a lot of places from New Hampshire to North Carolina, to Tennessee and Illinois and lots in between and we kept the laughter going, finding the funny sides to things whenever possible. That is what made the trip bearable; in fact it was fun. Definitely visit any school you’re considering attending. Check the feedback on campus visits for the schools you’re interested in. GOOD LUCK!!!</p>