<p>OP- Tell your dad it will be a "bonding experience"... that worked for me!</p>
<p>"Monydad, I think you have an outdated view of Dartmouth. "</p>
<p>Very possible.</p>
<p>WEENIES! My daughter and I did the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs: Philly to Ithaca to Hamilton to Syracuse to Rochester to Oberlin to Chicago to Appleton to Madison to Bloomington to Gambier to Philly in 5 days (4 nights) and I still wasn't sucking wind. If your dad doesn't want to take you, I will. I'm a road animal. And for my money, stepping on the grounds--whether classes are on or not--is extremely important. Unless you are perception-impaired you will get a "feeling" for the place--people, trees, buildings, air. The rest is cookie crumbs. Oh, and over the span of four years, you WILL be different.</p>
<p>College visits are entirely meaningless unless one has already been accepted to that school and is deciding between that and a rival institution. </p>
<p>Before that, simply construct a list of all the colleges you're interested in, and send in applications.</p>
<p>Only after the acceptances should visits commence.</p>
<p>Otherwise, you're simply wasting your time; going to schools that won't even take you.</p>