<p>Here it is, the second half of August. School starts in two+ weeks. And I don't feel that we've visited enough colleges this year. How many have you gone to? </p>
<p>We went to a hotel 'talk' tonight by a nameless school. It was dreadful: the same message just like every other school we've seen/heard. (the teachers, the research opportunities, study abroad, need-blind, lots of ecs, terrific school spirit, and then lots of stuff you can find on their website. (acceptance rate, 5 who live on campus, racial diversity, costs) and then the very worse redundancy: how to apply.</p>
<p>I suppose the biggest advantage of visiting a school vs anything else is the opportunity to get the "campus feel". Of course, there's also 'demonstrated interest'. So how many schools did you visit?</p>
<p>I’m in college now, but I visited 22 schools before I chose. Some I just drove through and left because I didn’t like the campus, some I crossed off the list because of the vibe given off by the admissions staff and/or student tour guides. </p>
<p>I think you might be underestimating the strength of the “feel of campus”. Walking through during the summer or going to a presentation isn’t going to fuel the decision too much… those are too detached. My recommendation is to pick a few schools at the top of your list, then stay overnight or shadow a student. Most schools have programs for this, and they give you a feel of how well you fit into the student body/school community.</p>
<p>I can’t exactly drive anywhere to visit (unless I want to spend a week on the Alcan). But we’re trying to work visits into other trips (to visit family, etc.)</p>
<p>We visited a lot of colleges since last year, I think 15-16, and plan to return in the fall to the 2-3 colleges that seem at the top of the list at this point. A second visit and overnight stay will be helpful. We do need to look at a few more safety schools though. It is tough in fall since our school schedule does not have a lot of available days when it is closed and a few of the October Saturdays conflict with the ACT and SAT exams. We may apply to some schools and do the follow up visit in the spring.</p>
<p>We have taken DD on 8 or so visits so far. Our deal was we had no problem going to schools that we could drive to (6 hrs or less). The schools she is interested in that would require a plane trip are on hold until acceptance/merit awards come through. Any far away schools that she gets a good offer from will get a visit/overnight.</p>