Senior year of high school starts in about 3 weeks (August 26th), and I was stupid and procrastinated on college visits during the summer. I was going to visit as soon as junior year ended but there were initially timing issues with vacation but I kept putting tours off out of stress.
Most open house/admission events seem to be over and not open until September/October/November which is fine regular decision but I’m afraid I might be cutting it too close for early decision. I searched visiting days for the colleges I’m interested in, and my safety schools are still offering tours but the ones that are more selective seem to be booked until later. Should visiting colleges be a top priority for me? I think I want to be a nursing or physician assistant major but I’m not sure.
Visiting these schools could be highly beneficial in answering questions and knowing if the school is right for me, but I’m afraid I’m going to run out of time to visit and not know where to apply to. My sister told me I could always visit after applying but I’m not sure what the time frame for confirming your college acceptances are. Sorry if this comes off as ignorant, I’m the worst with time management and keep putting things off that stress me out which results in even more stress. Any advice is much appreciated!
OK, deep breaths. While I’m a big believer in starting early, it’s not always possible. So start to line up visits to your top choices, and narrow down what you think you want-- distance, large/small, urban/suburban/rural, and so on.
My son found his school on a sunny August afternoon. My daughter found hers on a cold February night. She hadn’t been happy with the acceptances she had at Christmas time, so she sent out another round of apps. One of her new acceptances was the school she fell in love with.
So do all you can online, and don’t be afraid to email questions to the people in schools you’re thinking of. Take virtual tours. And try hard to see the schools you’re really thinking of before May 1.
Do the colleges on your list consider demonstrated interest? If they do, and they’re close, I would use the next week or so to visit them, or plan a trip for Labor Day weekend. You can walk a campus without scheduling a formal tour, and you can even stop in the admissions office to fill out a card so they know you were there.
Many colleges and the common app already have their applications and essay prompts out, so get started now. You’ll be in much better shape when school starts if you already have a head start. Good luck!
I agree that it’s important to visit an ED school. Also there are schools that take visits into account. You can visit after you apply, and send a personal note to admissions when you do do, but skipping out on that could be a deal breaker unless you are from a low income situation that makes it unaffordable. In that case , Admissions should be apprised.