<p>I agree that sophomore year is not too early to start looking around just to get an idea of what different types of schools are out there; also want to note that at some of the highly selective schools we even saw freshmen. I also agree that the visits should be fit into vacation-type activities to make the entire experience more enjoyable. A formal admissions office visit should not be necessary.</p>
<p>A word of advice - make sure the get the girls' impressions in writing right after visiting - the same day if possible. I suggest asking them separately! You don't even have to make them write it down - just ask a few leading questions and jot down their answers. These would be general type questions - what did you think of the size of the school, what do you think about a college in a city/the country/etc., what impressed you the most, what turned you off the most, did anyone say anything that struck you, etc. They will never remember details a year from now! This will help prompt their memories; also a few pictures could help. Actually, I recommend this throughout the process, no matter how much material you pick up. Especially if you visit a dozen or more campuses over a couple of years. Our notes (I took copius notes too!) came in very useful in reviewing.</p>
<p>the good thing about early visits- 10th grade - is your kid hears something from someone other than a parent-so it sinks in----in time to do something about it----I knew one smart momwho took her kid to look at schools where he could aspire if he didn't improve his grades, and then he did.</p>
<p>You're all so serious about this!! You can tell this is my last Admission cycle. I don't think I can go through this again.</p>
<p>When d # 1 was in 9th grade, she became infatuated with Dave Mathews who got started his band in Charlottesville VA.- As there was some connection with the Band and UVA, my d decided that she wanted to check out the school. So this was the basis of how my kid fell in love with UVA--the Dave Mathews Band.
As 10th grade approached, and I checked out the spring calendar, I realized we could
1- check out UVA and William and Mary (if we were driving 400 miles, we might as well check out 2 schools I think we also threw in U of Md. too)</p>
<p>2- As it was Passover week, I could see if the Virginia schools made any provisions for their Jewish students (wise time to visit schools- if you know what I mean)</p>
<p>3- Actually do a family event, and go to the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC. </p>
<p>Can't you guys just chill and not have to rationalize every decision you make??</p>
<p>If all a trip means is to get in a car and drive a few hours to look at a school, I don't think it has to have much more signifigance than that. </p>
<p>And if you throw in a hotel with a pool, or room service at the hotel, your kid will survive the experience. And if you throw in a movie and a trip to the mall, the younger siblings survive quite well too!!
I'm almost outta here!! Holding out for the April Decisions</p>
<p>And Techie Mom- I think you'll do fine. Let the girls have the adventure. Let them do the walking tour- if they seem interested let them do the Admission session too-<br>
Take em to a mall or a movie. And you will all have a nice memory of this "working vacation".<br>
PS D really did love UVA (even without the Dave Mathews connection) Applied ED/ but didn't get in. Their loss.</p>
<p>Having done two trips with my HS juniors in early April, I can tell you that's about the busiest time going -- you have juniors on spring break beginning to look seriously and admitted students trying to decide. 100 people in a meeting room, 30 on a tour? Try 400 and five simultaneous tours of 50-60 apiece at one (very popular) school, with a 6th separate tour group for admitted students! West Coast families trying to see 15 schools in a week with 1000-yard stares . . . . It can be a zoo.</p>
<p>My daughter waited until fall of Senior year to visit schools she was interested in. I just checked with her, and she says that worked very well for her.
She did have some experience. We live on the campus of an urban university. She visited her brother several times at his rural college. She also visited her best friend at a university in a small city. As we live in the Midwest and she was interested in East Coast schools, it wasn't practical to visit early and often.<br>
Another issue was her aspirations. She thought she wanted a top-tier school, but until she had the numbers, it was all just wishful thinking.
She thinks visits any earlier wouldn't have been worthwhile for her.</p>
<p>This thread has been interesting and quite relevant to my upcoming situation. Right now, of course, we're focused on our oldest D's college selection and getting her off to a good start at whichever school she chooses to attend. </p>
<p>However, next year D2 will be a HS sophomore, and will already have taken the PSAT for the first time. D2 has already expressed a lot interest in colleges. Originally, we were thinking of starting college visits for D2 during the summer before her junior year in high school, like we did for D1. However, I have to agree with TheDad that, while a summer visit is better than nothing, you just don't get quite the same feel for the student atmosphere and culture of a school during the summertime. Logistically, it's very difficult, to cram visits to geographically diverse schools all into the Junior year spring break. And based upon D1's experience, by the time she got to the Fall of her Senior year, her college visits were focused on admissions interviews of schools that she had previously decided on. So I think that it's a great idea, and my daughter is interested, to visit a few colleges--just the info session and walking tour, nothing more--during spring break of her sophomore year, while the college is in session, rather than waiting a few more months and going during the summer. </p>
<p>Like I mentioned, D2 really likes the idea--we'll save the more competitive "dream" schools, until the spring of her Junior year--although she's a bit worried that somehow that the Admissions Dept.'s of the schools that she visits Sophomore year will think that it's weird that a kid would visit a college as a sophomore. After reading this thread, I really don't think that she has anything to worry about in that regard.</p>
<p>Marilyn's Post #41 indicated that "they even saw high school freshman at the highly selective colleges." To me, this is sad. What on earth is a ninth-grader doing visiting highly selective colleges? For someone to be that "Ivy-Obsessed" at that age, there must be someone pushing them to look at those types of schools.</p>
<p>I hope that these students are not spending their entire adolescence focused on getting into the "right" (Ivy) school! Adolescence is a time for exploration, enjoyment and growth. Too many teens are spending their adolescent years focused doing "all the right things" to get into an Ivy. They are obsessed with getting straight A's, getting high SAT's, being overscheduled in extracurriculars, etc. In the process, they often lose out on the enjoyment of their adolescent years. The worst scenario is when these overachieving students fall victim to eating disorders, anxiety attacks, depression, low self-esteem, etc.</p>
<p>Personallly, I believe that it's not a healthy thing for ninth-graders to be visiting highly-selective colleges.</p>
<p>To sacrifice high school, by looking so far ahead to college, just makes no sense to me. Overemphasis on achievement, at the expense of sports, arts, leadership, puts kids at risk for depression, among other maladies.</p>
<p>There is plenty of time to think about college....but not when kids are in 9th grade. Geesh. No wonder so many kids are on anti-depressants.</p>
<p>Actually, it wasn't the Ivies where we saw freshman but places like MIT. Maybe they were there to make sure they structured their high school classes to meet the requirements?</p>
<p>MomOTH reminded me of our actual first tour- It was Feb. break in d's sophomore year. As we did not want my kids "dream school" (UVA) to be her first college tour and we wanted her to get the MOST out of it. Since it was a 400 mile drive we weren't going back so soon. Therefore , we did a "preview" tour of NYU. It's a trainride away from my house. (also did lunch and shopping in the village- so no complaints from my kids). D had no intention of going to school in NYC, so this really was a good way to see what college tours were all about.<br>
But--this reminded me- that our most CROWDED tours in the Northeast were always during the February Break (President's week). For those not from NY, our public school kids get the week off (Long Island and Westchester (?) too).
The Feb tours were always way more crowded at the NE schools in comparison to the April tours. I think our most crowded tour was Tufts in February. Lots of NY kids checking it out!! So keep that in mind when touring NE schools in Feb.
But the colleges are well aware of the crowds in February as well as April. Some schools seemed to separate the soph/juniors touring in April from the Admitted students so I never found the April tours too bad.<br>
FYI- have fun planning spring 2008 visits- Easter and Passover are a month apart next year. Don't know how the school districts are going to decide spring break.
Last time that happened- we got 3 days off around Easter and 4 around Passover (or was it the other way??)</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice and opinions. Several points were raised that I hadn't thought about. Both of the girls are honor roll students who are out going, organized, and like to have fun. They're parrothead fans, enjoy their familes, and can be a bit crazy.</p>
<p>My daughter right now is looking at liberal arts which is probably a good choice since so far she hasn't fallen in love with anything enough to claim it as her own. She knows she doesn't like math.</p>
<p>She also has a brother who is currently a high school senior. He has known his path since 6th grade and has spent years doing everything he can related to his interests so it was pretty easy for him. She met with her guidance counselor yesterday to confirm classes for junior year. The counselor told her she was surprised and pleased her parents were supportive of her liberal arts choice considering the path her brother took. Her response was - he's unusual (she meant that in a good way). She is certainly her own person.</p>
<p>The guidance counselor also told her that a lot of parents are making their kids choose a major because they don't want to pay for an undecided experience. Ironically on Yahoo today there is an article about the value of a liberal arts education and cultivating a love for learning. </p>
<p>We did college tours with our son as a sophomore and it was a huge help. He used the information he learned to choose his high school classes and change his portfolio. He had amazing one on one interviews with department heads and made great connections. They were really impressed that he was only a sophomore. For him it worked well.</p>
<p>I want to give our daughter the same opportunity but its a little more tricky since she's vague. We'll probably go about 4 hours away just to give her some perspective and a change of location.</p>
<p>As far as the best friend - who knows. Maybe they'll fall in love with different places and maybe they'll end up together. For now they'll have someone fun to share the experience with.</p>
<p>We saw a group of 11-12 year olds (!!) being escorted on an unofficial tour around Caltech when we visited over the summer. These kids weren't even five feet tall and looked scared to death.</p>
<p>DS2 visited Claremont McKenna last summer as he was entering 9th grade. No flames, please! We were visiting Mudd for DS1; DS2 is interested in CMC and he wanted to have a look-see while we were in the area. We did not do the CMC tour, but we walked around, popped into a couple buildings, and he signed in at the admissions office (came out with his own packet of college stuff, which he thought was cool). It was actually a good motivational tool for him, as he could visualize the opportunities and think about what he'll need to do academically to achieve at that level.</p>
<p>We visited five schools last summer after DS1's soph year, tied to family travel plans. We didn't get to see classes in session, but it gave him a sense of what's out there and what he liked/disliked. Gotta agree that at some level, one has to take a 15 yo's impressions with a grain of salt. On the other hand, it definitely gave both my kids something to aspire to, which is a good thing in and of itself -- even if they apply to none of the schools they visited that early. When DS1 visited another school in January, he was prepared to look at it more seriously and knew what he wanted in comparison to other schools he's visited.</p>
<p>DH and DS1 are doing a Spring Break trip in early April -- looking at a couple of match/safeties and a couple of liberal arts schools (large school vs. very small, urban vs. rural, LAC vs. engineering). He plans to sit in on some classes and gather more data points. I don't expect he'll apply to all of them, but I hope it will help change some assumptions/clarify what's important to him.</p>
<p>My then 8th grader adored Caltech. The only problem is that he hates math and science (unlike big brother) so it's not in the cards for him. I don't think it was probably good for him to see nevertheless. Small and quirky may well be a good fit for him.</p>
<p>Hmmm...I think younger kids should usually try to stay away from official tours, mostly because, quite frankly, tours are crowded and Juniors, Seniors, and possibly Sophmores should have precedence over Freshmen age and younger kids. I do think that an official tour for younger kids might also really be intimidating. On the other hand, my parents took me to visit HYP all before I even got to HS, and it was truly just to see the colleges and my parents knew that I would not feel pressured by such a visit (and I did not feel pressured). So, I can't make blanket statements that all younger kids who go to see colleges are being pressured to go for the Ivies. I would also caution against lumping a goal (attending a highly-selective college) in with an obsession (NEEDING to get into an Ivy). People, even 9th graders down, can have goals that they want to work towards without being obsessed or pressured to do so.</p>
<p>I respectfully disagree with Old and Wise (who, apparently, disagrees with me).</p>
<p>You will not harm your 9th grader by walking around a pretty campus, having lunch, checking out the vibe of the place. I'm not talking about an admissions interview, I'm saying kids need to be exposed to possibilities. </p>
<p>Also, there's a very small window for us to visit schools while students are in session (three weeks over the span of three years) so I'm going on a laid-back visit this year.</p>
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I don't think it was probably good for him to see nevertheless.
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<p>Ugh, I hate rereading posts that I have totally garbled. I changed something mid stream and left half of it dangling. What I meant to say was, I thought it was a good thing for my 8th grader to see Caltech even though as a math/science school it is obviously not going to be on his list. But a LAC with some of the same characteristics might be very good for him. And I think he's a kid who needs to see the light at the end of the tunnel that is high school.</p>