<p>We are going on a one week, nine college whirlwind of campus tours next month ... in FLORIDA.</p>
<p>Wish us luck! :)</p>
<p>If cost is not an issue, why not visit? You can acquire info on colleges while visiting.</p>
<p>"wigwam, my S thought that Yale would be his first choice and that he would love it. When he visited, he hated it because of the location."</p>
<p>^Yup. That's exactly why I want to visit Columbia.</p>
<p>My dad's friend had a bad experience on his way to the Columbia campus, so I think my dad may be extra wary of visiting. His friend, a chubby white tourist with a huge camera, attempted to take the subway to campus and got off at the wrong stop, in Harlem. A lady came up to him and put him back on the subway because she could tell he was out of place. This was circa 1982, though, and I've heard the area has improved a lot since then.</p>
<p>Two people have suggested that I visit colleges in the Midwest similar to my school, but how do you emulate the urban environment of NYC or DC? Aren't Creighton or Marquette nowhere near the same as Columbia or Georgetown?</p>
<p>EDIT: All this advice is excellent. What would I do without CC?</p>
<p>It's not the money (at least I don't think it is), it's that my dad doesn't want to take me because:
A) he hates big cities, and lots of the campuses are urban.
B) this isn't his idea of a trip.</p>
<p>I can't exactly go alone.</p>
<p>I will ask my aunt but will feel mildly guilty for requesting that she give me my graduation gift early. I don't know if she will want to, anyway.</p>
<p>Can you go with friends? Are there people at your school who are also planning on visiting colleges that you are interested in?</p>
<p>The area around Columbia has certainly been gentrified since 1982. It is now much more upscale, and is one of the safer areas in NY. Your dad's friend would not have had a problem today. (And look at the flip side - rather than being the "cold, aloof" New Yorkers of stereotype, some nice, helpful New Yorker actually assisted, unasked, to help him get back to where he wanted to go. Why is that a "bad experience"? I'd think that was a good one!)</p>
<p>If you're thinking of going to school in a big city, you might want to recalibrate your idea of a bad experience. A New Yorker would not consider getting off at the wrong subway stop a "bad experience." That term would be reserved for something like getting mugged at knifepoint.</p>
<p>Well, I suppose that his experience was positive, in that a New Yorker helped him. However, it has done nothing to reassure my father that Columbia is in a safe location, and thus it is one of my father's excuses not to visit ("Well, but look at what almost happened to my friend...").</p>
<p>What almost happened to his friend? All you've told us is that he got off at the wrong subway stop. That's a bit of a nuisance, to be sure, but people get lost in rural areas too.</p>
<p>Could you go by yourself? Big city schools like Columbia and Georgetown are easy to get to. I'm sure the admissions offices will help by giving clear directions. If you visit while school is in session, you could stay with a student-- no small consideration when you realize what a hotel room costs in New York City.</p>
<p>Supposedly the woman approached him and escorted him back onto the subway not only because he looked lost, but also because he was an easy target for muggers--expensive camera, obvious tourist, unaware of his surroundings. She told him to be more cautious next time. </p>
<p>I know this really isn't that bad of a scenario, what the woman did for this man was a great service, but logically or illogically my father has decided that he is afraid to visit an area where if one gets off the subway at the wrong stop, one seriously risks being mugged. I know this kind of thing can happen anywhere and may be avoided with some caution, but it is my dad's excuse for why he refuses to visit, not mine.</p>
<p>Thanks for your suggestion; I really like the idea of spending the night on campus and seeing the dorms. It would be helpful in deciding.</p>
<p>My aunt is getting back from vacation soon, so I will call her upon her return. I think this problem will be solved shortly.</p>
<p>Eh, if you are applying to LACS I think a visit is a must. They really vet applicants and not visiting can be considered a red flag for "not really interested" or "using us as a safety." So especially visit your safeties,or at least one of them. Also, don't you want to see for yourself?</p>
<p>It's important to visit LACs, because some of them may be located in desolate, rural towns, while others may be located near lively metropolitan areas or picturesque New England towns.</p>
<p>It's a bit daunting for many of us who first stepped foot on our campuses when we arrived in the fall, to see the big emphasis on visiting. THere were also not as many choices back then, and most kids had a pretty good idea where they were going. Many times those schools were nearby and already familiar. This whole college tour, visit, overnight thing has really taken off.</p>
<p>Now days in our area, most families take their kids on the college visits so they can figure out where they will apply. Sometimes there are trips preliminary to that to narrow the field. Then when the list is done, there is the interview and official visit to let the college know you want to go there. When accepted, you then go to visit the choice to refresh your memory, and take a final look before making the final decision. Then there may be an accepted student reception/event. Some schools are doing orientation way before the school year, which can mean another visit. By the time the parents drop the kid and stuff off at the dorms, it has become tiresome, not to mention expensive. I know some Family Weekend cards that were not well received! And then Thanksgiving is just around the corner!</p>
<p>Seriously, visits have become important as the costs of college has increased so that the investment has become that much more, and admissions has become more difficult. Not so easy to transfer, and who wants to go through all of that again? Some schools make it clear that it will be noted if you visit (or don't) so it can affect your admissions chances. Also as we broaden the types and locations of schools we consider, visits become more important as we are really venturing into the unknown. </p>
<p>In our case, there were a number of visits that were very much the same. We did the NE catholic colleges tour, and after the first few, it was a bit old. Yes, there were preferences, but we got the drift. However, S had some unusual schools on his list that I felt we needed to visit, and he needed to spend some time at the campus, in the area. For us to invest so much to send him to a school that is an unknown to us was enough of a risk that we wanted to see first. So we did spend a few days at those schools that were some distance from home and very different from what we knew. </p>
<p>My oldest son was all for remote in the hills LACs, until he visited on for a couple of days. Off the list they went. He did not think he wanted a city school. He visited NYU with a friend, and liked it better than the friend. Noticed he like GW better than GT. Schools like Drexel, NE, BU, Pitt, GW that were not considered because he thought he wanted to be out in the sticks, were reconsidered. How much this all counts in the end, I don't know. It seems to me that most kids do end up liking where they go. With gas prices going as they are, I think some visiting may be curtailed.</p>
<p>i would recomend visiting, it gives you a better perspective on the college as a whole</p>