First in my family to go to college... Ay yay yay.

College Search & Selection
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<p>My family tries to be as supportive as possible, but the truth is they just aren't sure how to help me right now. I have a totally inept counselor (not even exaggerating), and none of my close friends are going on to college. I have joined this forum with the hope that some of you will be able to help me out.</p>

<p>How should I go about planning a college visit, and when? My parents don't see this as particularly important, and they aren't really encouraging me. To be fair, just because I want to check out colleges in Oregon and Washington (I live in the Bay Area, CA) doesn't mean my parents should feel pressure to shell out the cash... Or should they? If they are willing to pay my tuition, shouldn't they want to see what they're "buying"?</p>

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<p>yayyaa yaay ayay</p>

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<p>I have no idea how else to type it out... "EYE-Y-EYE" just isn't aesthetically pleasing.</p>

<p>:P</p>

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<p>contact the college admissions offices and tell them your story, asking for advice. Many colleges are actively trying to recruit first generation college students and they might be able to help you visit. For right now, don't pay attention to whether you can afford the tuition or whether your parents will pay. You may be able to get a scholarship that will cover your costs. Also, go to your public library and ask them about references for applying to college. Those will help, too.</p>

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<p>We started visiting colleges during spring break of junior year and we did others in conjunction with three day weekends or over summer. DD didn't want to miss any school so most often colleges were a drive away.</p>

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<p>Also check the websites of the colleges that interest you to see if they are coming to the Bay Area for an info session/prospective student program. (For example, I think admissions officers from several selective schools from Pacific Northwest travel in a consortium to various cities for an info session.) That way you can learn about schools and meet admissions officers without the travel.</p>

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<p>You don't say what grade you're in. My son is a rising junior. Here's how we're gonna do it: </p>

<p>First, we are going to have "the talk" with him about what we can afford, what he'll have to pitch in, and things we discourage or encourage. I urge you to request the same talk with your parents. By establishing a common understanding early, you can make it a productive (dare I say fun) experience for all of you.</p>

<p>Next, Son has to have his list of schools picked out by Valentine's Day. We want a pretty long list so all options are open to him. </p>

<p>In the spring we will visit his safeties as well as his matches/reaches with Early Action admission plans. (Well, if a non-EA match or reach is in the same area, we'll probably see it.) But spring of junior year will be focused on safeties and EAs. </p>

<p>During summer before 12th grade, he'll work on apps to the safeties and EAs he likes. He'll also use the summer for visiting the rest of his matches and reaches. (edited) </p>

<p>Fall of senior year is for rounding out the visits and completing the RD apps. </p>

<p>In the middle of all this, we've mapped out his schedule for standardized testing. That is, what dates for the SATs, ACTs, any SAT IIs, etc. </p>

<p>Regarding Washington and Oregon...do you mean that your parents don't want to spend the money it takes to go on a visit? Or do you mean that they don't want to spend their tuition budget at an out of state school?</p>

<p>FWIW, I think a visit is money well spent. Now, maybe you can do the "let me apply, then we'll visit if I'm accepted" approach as a compromise. But, I think it would be very risky to attend a school you've never seen.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>agree with collegiate08. There will be plenty of college information sessions in the bay area. find out who's doing what, and when and where they are. Some of these colleges even travel in packs, and you have the benefit of learning about several in just one session. good luck op.</p>

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<p>Also, look into the possibility joining the family of one of your friends who is also looking at WA and OR schools. It's a common destination for Bay Area residents, and other kids from your school/year may be going up for the same reason. </p>

<p>That said, have you first looked into COSTS of going out of state? Your parents may not be encouraging campus visits because they assume you'll be attending a campus near home.</p>

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<p>Honestly, I would wait until after you get accepted to schools before you start visiting them...there's no reason to visit a college if you don't have a chance to actually go there, plus the best time to see schools is in the spring (after you've gotten your acceptance letters). It will save you a LOT of money, plus give you more time to think about what you want in a school before you actually go look at them.</p>

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<p>I agree with Doug Betsie on their opinion. Narrow out your choices and then if possibe take virtual tours online.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
there's no reason to visit a college if you don't have a chance to actually go there, plus the best time to see schools is in the spring (after you've gotten your acceptance letters).

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I completely disagree with this. There's plenty of reason to visit a college before you're accepted: you want to know whether it's a good fit and worth the time and trouble of applying. So if you can afford it, visit before you apply. But the problem here is, the OP may not be able to visit colleges. That's OK. You can learn a ton by carefully perusing the college websites, going to info sessions they bring to the Bay Area, attending upcoming college fairs and talking to their admissions staff (there's one coming up in San Francisco on April 4, 2009), perusing the pages of CC on particular colleges that interest you, and asking your own questions on those pages. Once you've narrowed your search to a few colleges that interest you I think you'll be in a better position to put the argument to your parents that you don't want to put their money on the line for college tuition unless you're sure the college is the right one for you, and to know that you'll need to visit and check it out first-hand. Maybe they'll bite, maybe not. Plenty of people end up applying to colleges they've never seen, and most manage to end up with the college they want.</p>

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<p>yes, but plenty of those people can afford it. as opposed to, apparently, OP.</p>

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<p>bclintonk --</p>

<p>I wonder if the "time and trouble to fill out an application" isn't <em>less</em> than the time and trouble to visit a college. Time: Maybe 3 hours additional to tailor an essay, or fill out an uncommon app, and what $60?</p>

<p>How much time and money does it take to visit a college?</p>

<p>With the resources we have now, a resourceful person can feel like they've actually been on campus:</p>

<ul>
<li>University website with pics</li>
<li>flickr or photobucket with public pics</li>
<li>google earth to zoom in an see the entire campus</li>
<li>weather.com to see about temperature and humidity all months of the year</li>
</ul>

<p>Then the numerous college guides to get a feel for the kind of students, plus this website and others.</p>

<p>It seems to me an actual visit is nothing more than an ill conceived love-at-first-sight excercise, at best.</p>

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<p>Well, if your parents won't let you visit out of state schools you visit some closer schools to see how you like them. To be honest, most people dont see their top 20 schools like people on this site seem to do. My brother never saw the school he attends and loves it, and so do many of my friends' siblings. You just need to visit different types of schools to get a feel for what you want.&lt;/p>

<p>EDIT: Ah, Dunninla beat me to it.</p>

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<p>Visiting colleges before you apply or are accepted is worthwhile so you get some idea of what you want in a college experience. You may think you want to go to a small LAC or a big state university until you visit one and realize that you want the opposite. Since the Bay Area has a number of fine schools of various shapes and sizes, I would suggest the OP start by spending a few hours each at a couple schools in his area of various types (big, small, urban, suburban, rural, public, private, etc.) to get a better feel for what he/she wants. Take a tour, walk the campus, chat up some students, sit in on a class, etc. Once you get a better idea of <em>kind</em> of school you want, research some that you think would fit you well and plan visits to them.</p>

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<p>


</p>

<p>Sorry to keep disagreeing with you Dunn, but I don't think so. I've done quite a few college visits with my D. Every one of them gave us important new information about the school that couldn't be gleaned from websites, virtual tours, college guides, etc. We did all that before the visits. In some cases, maybe about a third, the visit confirmed what she expected from all the other information. In another large fraction, something about a school that had looked good on paper and in cyberspace raised a big red flag and caused her to downgrade it on her list, or in some cases to eliminate it entirely. In other cases there were unexpected insights that boosted her estimation of the school. No way to tell in advance which of those categories the school will fall into. None of this was "love at first sight" because these were all schools she was already attracted to. The other thing that's happened in the process is that as we've visited more schools both she and I have become much clearer about just what her criteria are in a school, and she's better able to articulate it and compare and contrast schools on that basis. So I think it's been a huge boon in our college search process.</p>

<p>As for the time and trouble to fill out the application: look, my expectation is that full attention to 6 to 8 applications to schools D really wants to attend will produce 6 to 8 high quality applications, with essays that speak clearly to why the school is a good fit. That's a whole lot better than a bunch of applications to schools she may or may not want to attend in the end and is simply less informed about in the meantime. There's a huge opportunity cost associated with those applications to schools that she may not end up liking. Yes, there's a cost to the visit, but if it avoids wasting her precious application-writing time on a school that's a bad fit, it's time well spent.</p>

<p>Problem is, visiting schools is expensive. I know it's a luxury many people can't afford, and in the end you have to go with the best information you've got. But I say, if you can, do it.</p>

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<p>bclintonk--</p>

<p>no worries, that's what a discussion board is for. We're not supposed to agree!</p>

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<p>Wow, thank you for all of the input.</p>

<p>I'll be a senior in a few weeks; I apologize for not clarifying this earlier.</p>

<p>Also, I have not begun filling out apps. Is this normal? I'm definitely getting conflicting messages...</p>

<p>Thanks so much for all the advice; it means a lot!</p>

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<p>Haha, I'm definitely not an expert on the actual process but I'm pretty sure a lot of people (that do not frequent CC), or actually most people, have not started their applications. Maybe start on essays?</p>