<p>We visited several schools during a spring break road trip junior year and definitively figured out what his “type” was, which was very helpful (no rural schools, had to be suburb or city, and sized between 10,000 and 20,000). This ruled out a lot of schools. Maybe you could do a road trip with a variety of types to narrow down her preferences and then apply and visit her top two or three once she has acceptances under her belt. Good luck, I am sure she will be fine!</p>
<p>Our daughter is currently a junior. She/We had visited 10 colleges so far, 3 on the west coast and 7 in northeast. Of the 10, she loves three, likes 2, has no feelings on 2, and dislikes 3. </p>
<p>Some of the visits (info sessions, tours, etc) reenforced her perceptions on the schools, while others completely changed her minds.</p>
<p>D applied to 13 schools. She was accepted at 2, which she had never visited; waitlisted at 4, 1 of which she had visited, rejected at 7 (4 of which she had visited). Plus she visited 2 schools she didn’t apply to. So total visits = 7.</p>
<p>Between the schools we visited and/or toured for S at which D was also present (>=8th grader), the schools we have been to because I worked there, the schools she has been to for athletic/EC events, and the schools we toured just for D, she has been at 29 schools. I say that she has seen “one of each”. After acceptances, she can narrow 3-4 for overnights or additional visits.</p>
<p>Classof2015–Ouch 2 for 13??</p>
<p>We’ve visited probably 30 schools but we have twins going off to college. They have taken 3 schools we have visited off their lists, DD applied to 2 schools we have not visited that are recruiting her for her sport. DD applied to 9 schools, DS 12.</p>
<p>My daughter (so far) has visited schools only in Pennsylvania. We visited 8 in PA… I feel like I should have pushed her to make more time to visit schools in other parts of the US over the summer, but she didn’t want to take a drive up north at all. We don’t even live in PA…
Haha</p>
<p>^yep. Very painful. I put together a bad list. I’ll do better with S’14 (I hope…)</p>
<p>1st kid: visited 2 but applied only to 1 of the visited colleges
2nd kid: none</p>
<p>Wow, you guys are amazing! Thanks so much! I have to admit I feel, um, inept with this “regular” (read: academic) admissions process. Ask me anything (almost!) about acting or musical theater auditions and I feel qualified to at least venture a coherent response. But I honestly feel ill prepared for regular old college admissions, where you send test scores and essays and applications and maybe do an interview without also having to prepare two 16-bar cuts and a Shakespeare monologue! 
(I am not kidding. Both girls went to a performing arts high school where grades are not weighted, there is no class rank, etc. I have some catching up to do! I just discovered today that many high schools, including my #2 daughter’s, have weighted GPAs and class ranks!)</p>
<p>The thing is, Girl #2 actually really likes both of the schools that I referred to before, and we are going back for a second visit to each of them in October. I am kind of thinking that if she twigs onto one more than the other, it might be worth encouraging her to apply ED to her favorite. But then I stop myself and think “Her sister auditioned at a dozen places, and she is going to apply to ONE?” But then I think “Why the heck not? School A has pretty much what she wants and she likes it, so why go through all the other applications, expense and so on? If she gets in, she can be done with all this by Dec. 1.” </p>
<p>But are we maybe depriving her of the opportunity to apply to/explore another, say, 6 or so schools (I keep hearing most kids apply to 8) by not spreading the joy around and having her submit applications, go through the regular admissions process, and then visit the ones that seem most promising?</p>
<p>Op, I actually think that it is more “straightforward” to apply to a more traditional, “academic” college rather than to a college or major that requires auditions and portfolios because evaluation of artistic talent may be subjective. That being said, many people will apply to many schools: 25% reaches, 50% targets, and 25 %safeties. It may be good for d to see some schools in your area on the weekends just to get an idea if she likes the environment of a LAC, research uni, big, med, small, public, private, urban, suburban, or rural. Then pick possible schools based on characteristics that she liked from your local tours. To apply ED to one school is not odd, but she needs to have a back up plan if she does not get accepted to the one. ED notifications are maybe 12/15 (totally can’t remember) so if she does not get accepted would need to have a plan because the RD apps may be due only 2 weeks later. Thus many people have already completed their RD apps (but may or may not have submitted them) before they have gotten the ED result. No problem visiting schools after acceptance when she is trying to decide among multi acceptances.</p>
<p>She can also upload a short video of her dancing as a supplement to her “academic” college app.</p>
<p>I occasionally lurk in here and saw this thread. 
Especially relevant to me because I am a sister of a current applicant. </p>
<p>I visited 2 schools before applying; my sister visited 3. For me, the visits didn’t really make a huge difference, except to emphasize how much I liked both schools I visited. Can’t speak for my sister, but I may be able to ask her. </p>
<p>I feel like my best knowledge of the schools came from the internet and the admissions officers who visited my school (because I feel like I went to a lot of those presentations). </p>
<p>Hugs to your daughter. Both my sister and I are arts kids, and I know how hard it can be to battle injuries like that. </p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you feel a need to bounce ideas off an impartial 3rd party!</p>
<p>NotMamaRose-not all high schools weight grades and even those that do, colleges apply their own grading scale to those grades. That information comes across on the GC report sent with the transcripts. Also, every school ranks, many schools SAY they don’t rank or don’t make it public knowledge but when the information gets sent over there is always some kind of rank, either straight number rank or percentile ranking. I know people here will disagree but according to the ad comms we’ve talked to, this is what they said. The process isn’t nearly as complicated as people here seem to want to make it. You apply, send over the information the schools ask for, they make a decision. It’s really that easy. The hard part is picking the schools where you want to apply.</p>
<p>I was a transfer student so I did the whole college application thing twice. I found it a lot easier to write why school x, when I had visited before. That being said, it wasn’t always possible to do this. Watching you tube videos, having alum interviews, and talking to current students helped me get a feel for the school (and give me those “specific details” for those essays). It might be helpful for your D to visit nearby schools to get a feel for the types of colleges-- urban versus rural, liberal arts versus research universities, etc. </p>
<p>Another possible time to visit is during your D’s spring break. Hopefully, these schools won’t have the same spring break as your D.</p>
<p>I found it harder to get a feel for a school when I was attending a special program for prospective/ admitted students versus visiting on my own. </p>
<p>The second time I applied to colleges (as a transfer) I got the process down right. I knew what I was looking for, so I applied to a narrower range of schools. I had alum interviews whenever possible before I submitted my application. Most of the applications were due before I could visit. I visited schools over my spring break, and ranked them in an order of preference. Luckily, I was accepted into my first choice school.</p>
<p>" Also, every school ranks, many schools SAY they don’t rank or don’t make it public knowledge but when the information gets sent over there is always some kind of rank, either straight number rank or percentile ranking."</p>
<p>This is not true. More and more high schools have stopped ranking their students, and college adcoms (at least HYPS) have confirmed that they do not have HS rankings for a growing number of their applicants.</p>
<p>^ However, HSs send their school profile which lists information that allows the college to infer the general rank of the student.</p>
<p>"^ However, HSs send their school profile which lists information that allows the college to infer the general rank of the student."</p>
<p>Absolutely. Adcoms will have a good sense of your general standing (i.e. top 5%) from your GPA and your HS profile. What they do not have is your specific ranking (i.e. no. 3 or no. 5). One still needs to be really good (however that is defined) to have a shot at any top schools.</p>