<p>I found a school that I am pretty sure I will apply to ED. I did a campus visit and tour this summer and fell in love, and I have read student reviews online, and I don't really have any concerns about student life or anything. So, should I do an overnight visit before I apply ED? I ask because, while I can afford to do so, I have a full time job over the next year (I am taking a gap year) and taking two days off in the fall trimester would be pretty difficult for me to schedule. Also, if you have any suggestions for things that may serve kind of like a "substitute" for an overnight, let me know. Thanks :)</p>
<p>Absolutely do an overnight visit! D1 changed her mind after the overnight and loves the college she ended up at. I have heard so many cases where the student is unhappy with their college choice and didn’t thoroughly research their school by doing the overnight or accepted student visit day. </p>
<p>If you can it would be good to at least pay another visit to the school while it is in session. My D shadowed a student for a day (not an overnight) and felt that it was a great experience (met a lot of students, sat in on classes, ate in the cafeteria with students etc.) and after that visit she was certain she wanted to apply to that school ED (and she got in and loves it). Another option is to see if you can visit and stay over Friday so you only miss one day of school and you get more of a sense of a weekend night at college.</p>
<p>If you really cannot afford the time for an overnight, at least you should visit the campus again and attend a class to have a taste of the campus vibe. Summer visit usually lack the presence of the regular student body there and you may not get the accurate feeling for social fit. If you only cares about academics, you can skip the opportunity to learn about your social life on campus. But most people will care about the social fit in a school.</p>
<p>Someone I know loved a school during a summer visit. He liked it so much that he did not think he needed to have an overnight to see the student life even though he had the opportunity for a trip paid by the school. He applied ED there and got in. Everything is fine as expected except that his social life is not as ideal as he would like to have. He does not regret about it for he values academics most and that is the best school he can get in. He also visited another school with the typical info session and campus tour. He liked it but changed his mind after an invited overnight visit. He found that he was not comfortable when a certain type of students dominated the campus activities.</p>
<p>Another athlete student had made up his decision and attended the overnight for the admitted students. He found out he could not bear the talks of his teammates-to-be. They were totally different types of students. He gave up the better scholarship offered at the school and chose another smaller school with congenial teammates. He did that only through overnight visits.</p>
<p>The more appropriate question is…‘is an overnight visit important TO YOU?’ Why or why not?</p>
<p>@LakeWashington I believe completely in the power of a campus visit to make or break one’s impression of the school, but I’m just wondering if someone was completely in love with a school from an initial campus visit, if an overnight could reverse that person’s opinion. Everything that I’ve read about this student body fit exactly with my wishes in a college community, and all the anonymous student reviews I’ve read give the dorms pretty high marks. So, a visit is important to me, but I’m not sure how important I think an overnight is. </p>
<p>I don’t think an overnight visit is that important in most cases. If you have done your research and are satisfied you should be fine. My daughter did a few overnights, but was unable to do one at the school she ended up at. She had toured in the summer and got back to campus for a visit in January after she applied. She was not able to get to accepted students day because she was in a spring sport. None of my 3 kids did overnight visits at their colleges and they were all very happy at them. I have seen stories here of kids who love a school and get a bad match for an overnight host, so they turn down a school that would have been great for them. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone! Based off of suggestions, I’ll probably revisit the school unofficially once it’s in session, and probably just attend a class if possible. I really appreciate all of the speedy responses!</p>