<p>It can really depend upon the schools to which you are applying. For those schools where an interview, demonstrated interest, merit money are all heavy considerations, you should visit after the application has been submitted, while your student is under consideration. With one of my kids, who was a heavy hitter in terms of test scores, visits timed that way, ended up in getting him some special considerations. He was admitted on the spot at one LAC, he was interviewed despite no appointment with the head of admissions who told him she would recommend him for one of their rare merit awards, and we were invited to a special lunch with the president of another university. Those were the match/reach schools for him. The safety/matches all plied him with info on merit money.</p>
<p>For the true reach schools, puh, they did not care. He wasn’t going to get a dime anyways and a he’d be lucky to get accepted, so for them, getting accepted and checking them out after the fact would be favorable. But really, if you are in Boston, and applying to say, Northeastern, BU, Tufts, Harvard, Wheaton, CLark, Holycross. You can try to get a number of those in . You don’t have to do the official visit spins and tours, but sign in so that they know you came buy and visited at some, or just look on your own for those schools that don’t care. But talking personally to the director of admissions at the match/safety category school could make a lot of difference in $s.</p>
<p>I want to add that my good friend’s son was accepted at UMass with a merit award and in state tuition rate which brings the price down for them to a very competitive level over our state schools. Clark is another school that seems to give out good merit. If your DD has very good stats, look at Fordham U in NY. Play with their NPC since it is SAT and GPA driven and you can see what it would take to get a a half price discount there. Loyola U in Baltimore is also good for the money as is Providence in RI. Mt Holyoke is also a good possibility if your DD would be on board for an all women college. I don’t remember what BU will offer: they do have a merit/need matrix, play with that a bit. URochester and RPI would love to see a California girl, as would U Buff. Hobart William Smith and Hofstra are some good bets for big money. UConn has full awards or used to. Check out Brandeis as well.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse - Thanks for the post. Yes, Clark is on my list, as is U Rochester, but brrrrrr…, and Hofstra too. Loyola and Providence may be too Catholic for my liberal freethinking D, and she says “no way” on an all women’s college, although her boyfriend would probably approve. Brandeis would be an excellent option and she’ll probably throw her name in the hat, but seems their merit aid is drying up these days. Cheers.</p>
<p>^ With regard to women’s colleges, Bryn Mawr and Wellesley are as liberal and freethinking as it gets. In my day at least, we at Bryn Mawr all had men in our classes and boyfriends at college (Haverford students).</p>
<p>Barnard started the student sit in movement to protest the fact that Columbia boys could have women in their rooms and no curfew (I think that’s what it was) and Barnard women could not.</p>
<p>All the women’s colleges are very progressive, but I don’t think that’s the reason that the D did not want women’s colleges.</p>
<p>It’s a shame that she feels that way because they are a wonderful option. </p>
<p>I think your D will definitely be disappointed at the academics and social life at Hofstra. I briefly taught there (as a adjunct) and now have a tenured job at a school right across the street. It’s very much a local, commuter college. It empties out weekends.</p>
<p>OTOH, Mary Matalin (campaign director for Bush against Clinton) and Morty Shapiro (president of Northwestern University) both went there. The theater department is very strong, too.</p>
<p>If a college is highly selective and looks at student interest in admissions, it is best to make a registered visit to the college as early as reasonable.</p>
<p>If a college is highly selective, is far away, and does not care about student interest, then it makes sense to wait to visit until after you are admitted. This is for four reasons: </p>
<p>1) to save the costs and time of the trip if you lose interest, are not admitted, or the college proves to be unaffordable; </p>
<p>2) because the student may fall in love with the college and then get greatly disappointed if they are not admitted, or the college is much more expensive than they had hoped after aid. It is better to be rejected by a college you have never seen; </p>
<p>3) because the events for students who have been admitted are much more in-depth and much more targeted to a student’s academic interests than the generic admissions tours; and</p>
<p>4) by this time you will have a better idea of what you are seeking in a college, because you will have narrowed down your choices and have visited competing colleges that were closer to home.</p>
<p>As a result, parents and students should try to set aside substantial time in March and April to be able to make in-depth college visits.</p>
<p>I agree with Charlie. The other problem that comes with looking at highly selective, name brand colleges is that human nature dictates that it becomes the “dream school”. I’ve known families who did college tours, hitting all of the ivies and other hard to get admitted schools, and then it was hard to bring their kids down to the fact that getting accepted to any of them were truly lottery ticket odds. Throw in affordability issue, and it’s really kind of a cruel thing, unless the kid and parent get it that they are really truly just looking. Like having fun looking at Mercedes dealerships when you know you are in the market for a Honda. I’ve seen kids have to be consoled, sobbing when their choices are perfectly good school, great selective school, but they somehow got fixated that they were going ivy. With some of these kids, they have succeeded at nearly every and any goal they have made, and parents have made everything possible for them, and this is their first rejection. </p>
<p>I remember one young woman who has since graduated from Vanderbilt, totally devastated that Dartmouth turned her down. Her first ever rejection! With great test scores, great grades, and coming from a top school where even there she was a top contender, successfully at most everything, that she was turned down as a legacy, really, really hurt. </p>
<p>Check out Fordham. Catholic, but, really a lot of non Catholics there. The Lincoln Center campus has the best housing in NYC for colleges and that is really about as unreligious as it gets. Do call and ask if the NPC is accurate for that, however. I’m not sure if it is. It works very well for Rose Hill, also a great campus. Lunch on me if you guys visit–just let me know.</p>
<p>If California State schools are in your price range, have you looked into the WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange) program? She could stay on the coast in Oregon or Washington and look into some excellent State schools with tuition much lower than “out of state” pricetag. I can’t post a link but Google it. Many States offer exchange programs.</p>