<p>I know the number one thing most people look for in a school is academics, but has the beauty/ugliness of a campus ever been a make or break for you?</p>
<p>I have a friend going to UNL because they offered him full tuition - he's going there now and he HATES it, he doesn't like the campus, the town, and especially the weather, he's freezing (we're from south Texas).</p>
<p>I wonder because there aren't any "well known" colleges within 6 or 7 hours, and at that it's only 3 (Rice, UT Austin, and Texas A&M). I'm still a junior, but I'm starting to think about visiting campuses, just that the colleges I'm looking at aren't close together at all...they go from Atlanta to Boston to Chicago, and that kind of distance for a visit gets pricey.</p>
<p>I too am a junior, and i have visited some campuses.</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend it for the following reasons.</p>
<p>How do you know what TYPE of school you want? Visit the schools near you- (for me that was rutgers). I realized i wanted a school with a walkable campus- when i visited RU, i had to use the bus system etc.. and realized i definitely want to be able to walk or bike around.</p>
<p>Secondly, it gives you a basis for when you actually DO visit schools you’re interested in. After visiting RU, i went out to California to visit schools i actually want to go to. I was able to compare the different experiences, and better understand what i was looking for.</p>
<p>I would HIGHLY recommend trying to visit some schools (ideally ones you’re interested in) as soon as possible.</p>
<p>at least visit schools that you can reach without making a true trip. Definitely do that. </p>
<p>If possible, try to see the schools you want to go to (if they aren’t the ones near you), but i know this can be expensive and not easy to do. Atleast if you saw some local schools, you can begin to narrow down your interests. </p>
<p>If you see UT or a*m, and decide you dont want a big school, you wouldnt waste your time visiting…Michigan or Berkeley.</p>
<p>My best friend and I have very similar college choices, and our families will be taking a road trip (eeergh) to visit the southern schools during spring break.</p>
<p>I don’t mind if it’s a big school as long as I could get into an Honors program with smaller classes…or any way to get smaller classes, period. I’m not saying < 20 size classes either, just as long as it’s no more than 50-ish. I don’t want to be a number. I enjoy knowing my teachers.</p>
<p>Campus visits are very important. Be sure to visit before committing. You will be spending 4 very intense years of your life there and you need to assess if you will enjoy the environment.</p>
<p>Very important. After visiting 3 campuses on the same trip, my daughter rejected what had been her first choice “on paper” and decided to attend what had been her third choice. The third choice school turned out to be an incredibly good match and she is happy and thriving there. A visit will tell you a great deal about a school that you just can’t get from books and websites.</p>
<p>The best thing about a campus visit is being around the students and going to a class or two. I agree that going to ANY campus helps you focus your search, figure out your likes and dislikes and learn to ask questions that are importnat to you. Reading college guide books like the Fiske or Insiders guides is also helpful because they describe the students, social life on the weekends, etc. Being socially comfortable will help you take best advantage of the whole experience.</p>
<p>I think it is wise to visit the schools that you are most interested in. it gives you an idea of the type of campus you want and the area that you will live in.</p>
<p>My daughter who is a senior has visited most of the schools , but has applied to two that she never got the chance to see. She knows she wants to be in Boston definately. Her guidance councilor suggested a couple of schools that would be good for her, in addition to the schools she chose to apply to.</p>
<p>On paper, some of the schools seemed great…upon visiting , she knew it was not the right environment that she wanted to spend 4 yrs studying and living.
She wouldn’t have known simply by visiting their web-site or viewing a catalogue.</p>
<p>It’s important to visit at least some of your potential schools well before acceptances come out. Once they are issued, you have one month (for the vast majority of schools) to decide where you want to go. That month, April, is also host to the final weeks of AP preparation, spring sports, concerts and many final, senior year happenings that you won’t want to miss. Having to schedule multiple visits with very little time is a sure invitation to major stress. You will also pay dearly for those last-minute airline tickets.</p>
<p>When you are compiling information about a school, make a note of their Accepted Student Days. You’ll find that most schools avoid the first and last weekends in April, making your scheduling that much more difficult.</p>
<p>One good thing about 2008 is that Easter is unusually early, March 23, while Passover and Orthodox Easter are the last weeks of April. You may have to work around these holidays. Even if they don’t affect you, you shouldn’t leave your decision to the final days of April. Make a decision, and give yourself a few days to live with it - kind of a “cooling off” period.</p>
<p>I visited two schools, one I loved on paper, and one that didn’t meet my wishlist. I ended up hating the one I like on paper, and falling in love with the school that didn’t meet my “demands”.</p>
<p>i just went on a college trip and i saw somethign that had sort of been my second choice on paper…</p>
<p>i loathed it in every piossible sense of the word. the students were stupid, the classes were big , the campus was atrocious— i’m not applying there, but id never have known if i hadnt visited</p>
<p>its very important to visit a school.but you might want to apply first and then visit the schools you get accepted to. while academic fit is very important social and geographical fit carry the same weight. good luck making the right choice means looking at the whole picture.</p>