<p>As we are coming down to the wire..we are trying to visit her top 4 schools again. Unfortunately the ones that are far we might not be able to. I stupidly made vacations plans(thinking this is the last easter break she will have off) so this leaves us little time. How many of you only saw the college your son/daughter is going to once?. If my daughter decides to go to clemson we only visited it once last summer. Didnt see the dorm she would be living in, the science dept...She actually said its fine..its me having the tough time. </p>
<p>Just wondering how many of you went far away with only one visit?</p>
<p>We went once, after son admitted. He spent time in classes and spoke to profs.
To be fair, son had spent time on 3 colege campuses for summer programs, so he had an idea of what to expect.</p>
<p>OP, if your daughter feels fine making a decision, so be it.</p>
<p>We went without visiting. First time we/she stepped on campus was moving in. Timing (offered a place off the waitlist and only had a few days to make a decision) and $ (over 1300 miles away) prevented us from visiting. She took an online tour and had received a DVD in the mail.</p>
<p>When she moved in, we asked her if she thought her decision would have been any different if she could have visited first. She said no.</p>
<p>Both my son and daughter visited their intended schools twice – but that was mainly because they had time to visit conveniently during Admitted Students Days. They would have been fine without the second visit.</p>
<p>Ds twice, me once. His first visit was over the summer with a friend and his mom. Ds and I went that last week in April when he had narrowed it down to two colleges.</p>
<p>I never visited my son’s first choice. It felt strange I will admit, but we sent him on his own and that’s the one he picked. We saw it when we dropped him off in August. We did visit both of S1 and S2’s choices (with the exception of the one I mentioned) one time.</p>
<p>H & S visited once. Offered to let S go again for admitted student day or an overnight but he declined. Fine. Kids adapt. If your D isn’t the type to get nervous and worried over new situations I would just let it go. I haven’t seen the school so S & I are going for a preview orientation type thing in a few months. He will get to meet his advisor, choose classes, see his assigned dorm and possibly meet his room mate if he is also there.</p>
<p>We saw all schools once and there were a few apps for safeties we didnt visit…would have if needed.
Kiddo did visit the top 2 choices a second time for an overnight on campus.</p>
<p>Yup, they do. Actually, I think that over-analysis of a visit can be a negative. In a one-day visit, students are often compelled to make decisions based upon a knee-jerk reaction to the architecture, the charm (or lack thereof) of a student tour guide, and a couple of random interactions with faculty or staff members who they may never see again. I think that much more valid impressions can be gained by thorough research from a distance.</p>
<p>valerie: we are going to visit Clemson in two weeks. We’ve been before for a summer program for my younger daughter and the dorms were nothing to write home about. Reminded me of rustic summer camp cabins at Barrier Island. (basic, bare bones, no frills, very small, older, kinda creepy, some hall bathrooms out of order, etc.) I don’t know if that is where freshman are housed, but it would make sense they put their younger kids in the worst housing, but honestly have no idea if that is fact. I’ll post a visit report when we get back - we’re doing the regular tour/info in the a.m. and then the school of agriculture/sci in the afternoon.</p>
<p>Only once AND in the summer would worry me! The summer just doesn’t give you the whole picture. I would really try to make a trip back there during the school year. What always amazes me on this forum, are the people who say they can’t visit because of their son or daughter’s ECs. One year from now, that missed lacrosse game will be a very distant memory.</p>
<p>DD1 only visited right before decisions were due, but it wasn’t very far away, so an easy day trip. </p>
<p>DD2 visited in 7th grade when she rode there with a friend’s dad to drop off a sibling at a sports camp. They just walked around on their own.</p>
<p>DD3 visited her sister several times and ended up at the same school. </p>
<p>We never did the “spring break college tours” during junior year either. No one did that on the west coast and when we moved to the east coast, I was surprised they were so common.</p>
<p>We went twice. It was very hectic and costly to take the second trip, but it was necessary for him to visit a second time (they encouraged meeting with an advisor at that point, etc). I have no regrets. I did stress about his missing a day of high school, but it ended being fine.</p>
<p>For D1, we visited each school she applied to once. </p>
<p>When it came down to the top/final 3 choices, we scheduled a second visit-- no regrets with the second visit as we we’re able to look at these schools realistically after the initial “awe” or whatever wore off…</p>
<p>My older two each visited twice, once when window shopping(pre app) and once when buying (post acceptance). My youngest only visited his school once prior to deciding. We offered a second visit to the top two contenders, but he said he was comfortable making his decision and didn’t want to take the time to go revisit. Like you, I was a little uneasy with this, but he knew himself. He’s a junior now and has been thrilled with his school and college experience. </p>
<p>I think it’s great if you can revisit, but if your D is comfortable deciding without going back, I wouldn’t worry about it. Good luck.</p>
<p>For older son once. The colleges he visited didn’t accept him, so he visited the ones he got into during accepted students days. </p>
<p>Son two twice for 3 of the 4 places that accepted him. He had visited most of the places he applied spring junior year or fall senior year, and once for the accepted student events where he had overnights in 3 out of the 4 events (he hadn’t done overnights for the initial visits.) The second visits really were crucial for him. A lot of the decision came down to the presentation that the Institute for Global Leadership made at Tufts - he’s been heavily involved in their offerings.</p>
<p>My son was deferred, waitlisted, and given a transfer option by his top choice. He’d done a summer program there and his brother graduated from there, so he was very very familiar with the place.</p>
<p>His top two choices for Fall 2010 he visited twice. Once to tour and once as accepted student. They are only 2-1/2 to 3 hours away. He could have chosen without the accepted student day. Neither school would have made the final cut without an initial tour – in fact he would not apply to any school he hadn’t visited. However we are in the middle of college world here on the east coast.</p>
<p>One time for each college (for each DD). Where possible we did overnight visits with the students. Some schools were dropped immediately after or during the visit (“I will NEVER go here. Can we leave now?”). For the final list we went by memory and financial offers. Like CNP55, without the visits I don’t think most of the schools would have been on the list.</p>
<p>Older D had spent a lot of time on her college campus growing up. They offered free concerts and 4th of July fireworks which we attended while she was growing up. She did do an overnight for an admitted students event, just to be sure before I sent in the deposit.</p>
<p>Older S visited his campus twice - once for a tour and once for the interview.</p>
<p>Younger D visited her original campus a couple times, mostly to sort out issues with financial aid and her class schedule. When she transferred, though, she only visited that campus once. There just wasn’t enough time to do more.</p>
<p>Younger S visited his campus last year - it was the first college he visited in fact. We returned a couple days ago for an admitted student day - we had already mailed the deposit so the decision was already made. I doubt we will be back again before orientation.</p>