<p>I am a sophomore and my brother is a junior. There are some colleges on the east coast that we really like from what we've researched about them, but we want to visit them before applying. At the end of March we are flying across the country with our dad to visit Duke, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia. I'm worried because it is way far off from when I'll be applying. (fall of 2014) However, it will be the optimal time for my brother to go. Due to financial matters, we can't go 2 separate times. So basically, if I get into any of those schools I'll have to partially make my decision based off of my opinions from this trip. What should I do to make sure I get everything I can out of this trip??</p>
<p>are you going to drive to or from duke to new jersey /new york?
also while at duke you can see unc chapel hill it is 15 minutes at most from duke.
and nc state is just up the road.</p>
<p>We did this with two girls, four years apart and our little one who was 5 years younger. They both had questions and yes, the colleges did target the eldest, but the younger one learned a lot. We flew from California into JFK and drove up to Connecticutt and went the NE route and then drove back down to JFK. We visited 9 colleges in 7 days. Wasn’t too bad but we parents were extremely tired. Some days we went to 2 in one day. </p>
<p>You will get a bunch of literature and will be tired of carrying it. sort of -Empty backpacks for everyone with:
-a bottle of water in each pack
-2-3 really large-sized rubber bands (office depot)
-or manila envelopes (to group all of the papers and odd-sized brochures together.)
-optional mini clipboard to write down notes
-pen/highlighter
Everything else is about comfort for you because you will be walking, eating and sleeping there.<br>
Ask if that university’s housing will allow early shipping before you arrive for move-in . Dorm tours and get in to see closets, shared restrooms.
Campus cash for local vendors?</p>
<p>@zobroward I don’t know the order in which we’ll visit them. We have family in NYC and New Haven area so I imagine we’ll spend more time in those places. Duke is kind of out of the way, we are only going there because it is in mine and my brother’s top three. And maybe we’ll visit UNC! Thanks!
@aunt bea Wow 9 colleges! That’s a huge undertaking. Glad it went well! Thanks so much for the list of items. I’ll save that for sure.</p>
<p>My son actually started visiting colleges in 9th grade (due to vacations in the area or tagging along with my niece). Only one of those visited by the end of 10th grade remained a “top choice” and it was then knocked off for financial reasons, but the visits were really a great aid in crafting his list. He got quite a bit out of those early visits. He knew immediately schools he did not like, but not why. Looking back at “patterns” helped him determine the why. And the why helped find schools that fir him better.</p>
<p>I suggest taking basic notes on campus layout (my kid determined that roads thru campus were a big con). Columbia and Princeton are VERY different - most will have an immediate reaction to a preferred layout between the two.</p>
<p>Due to your age, you probably cannot sit in on classes. If that is the case, hang out at the school cafe & ease drop. Talk to the student workers if they aren’t too busy.</p>
<p>DO NOT be intimidated to ask questions simply because you are not in the target age group.</p>
<p>Grab copies of any school newspapers or magazines.</p>
<p>Ask about upcoming construction over the next few years.</p>
<p>It is tempting to squeeze in visits to multiple colleges, but spend a lot of time just “hangin” on the campus and main residential area to get an impression. For example, Nassau St in Princeton deserves a walk. It is the “easiest” shopping, food off-campus for Princeton students. If you attend Princeton, it becomes a large part of your living experience. </p>
<p>Yale has a bit of “tourist” stuff - while a great thing to see, try to avoid the tourist tour and focus more on the undergrad areas.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Take pictures.
Ask questions.
Take notes.
Have fun.</p>
<p>DEFINITELY take notes. Otherwise they’ll all blend together, especially a year later. Take them and SAVE them some place so you can refer to them in a year or two.</p>
<p>Those schools are big reaches, of course, for most students so I wonder if you should try to see even two other schools that are slightly easier to get into. And maybe LACs for comparison. Haverford when you’re at Princeton, maybe Conn College, Trinity or Wesleyan when you’re at Yale.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! Your responses have been really helpful. My dad just told me that we are going to fly to North Carolina, then 1.5 days later fly to NYC and stay there for the rest of the week, commuting back and forth from there to the other colleges. So I guess it isn’t really a road trip.</p>