<p>Anyone have a perspective on interviews (& guided tours)? One school we called that offers travel interviews gently encouraged an onsite interview. Are we inconveniencing schools asking for summer or fall weekend interviews? Are traveling interviews a disadvantage if you can make it to the school? No doubt this varies by school.</p>
<p>There will be variety by school, so start by looking at the website for each school, then contact the school to schedule something, or to get a feel for what they are suggesting.</p>
<p>If the school offers weekend interviews then it is not an inconvenience at all. Many boarding schools have Saturday interviews (some have Saturday classes, so there are kids/staff around). Some request that local folks leave the weekends for out-of-towners. One school offered to do interviews by skype for people who can’t come to campus. Some schools do summer interviews, some wait until September. </p>
<p>There was a good thread about visiting multiple schools in a day - someone was in New England for several days and went to many schools. </p>
<p>It is great to get to campus and have a tour and meet people in person. Sometimes it doesn’t work, or doesn’t work in the time frame for the application process. That is why schools have other options. If you can’t travel then consider the options.</p>
<p>I recommend visiting campus if you can. No brochure can convey the differences in atmosphere and culture. You may love a school your brother’s family hates. There is no substitute.</p>
<p>I think it depends upon “who you are.” If you live far from the school, and cannot afford to visit campus, I would not worry about the difference between a travel interview and an onsite interview in the admission process.</p>
<p>However…remember, if you apply for FA, the schools know your income. They know what you can afford. If you don’t apply for FA, they know you could have visited campus. If you didn’t, the admissions officers might wonder if that were a subtle signal of their schools’ comparative ranking. Did you visit their rival school, and the schools everyone visits? </p>
<p>Many schools reserve weekend interviews for candidates who travel great distances to reach campus.</p>
<p>If you can get to the school, you should.</p>
<p>And, no, you’re not inconveniencing anyone by asking for a weekend interview. Some schools offer them; others don’t. But I guarantee that the schools that do offer them are going to have their schedules booked sooner rather than later . . . so if that’s what you need, don’t delay.</p>
<p>Summer interviews both times worked out well for us. The schools however might encourage you to come back in the Fall when school is in session. Although it was good to do that, it’s not necessary. In some ways, the Fall seemed more pressured, with AO’s needing to see more kids in a finite amount of time.</p>
<p>Ask the schools when their interview schedules go up, get the correct phone number, plan your tentative visit days in advance, and call the day the interview schedule opens in the fall. Hundreds of people will be doing the same thing. In particular, weekend interviews are hard to get when they are offered. Some schools (Deerfield) will not accept your application without an on-site interview unless you live more than 700 miles away.</p>
<p>Has anyone ever toured two schools nearby schools in one day or is that too much?</p>
<p>Yes, it is possible to visit two schools in one day. I would suggest planning about 3 hours for each school, and remember to plan for travel, traffic, rest stops etc. Also, have your tentative schedule and times that would work for you all planned out before calling each of the schools. We did this for our kids (two) and it worked beautifully each time!</p>
<p>@Sundlun - Here’s our plan for next week. We have two interviews and will visit five schools in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. We will pick up our final school in Delaware the end of the August. Next Tuesday, we will visit a school in the Boston area (tour) and then drive to New Hampshire (tour) with a mere 60 miles between the two. </p>
<p>On the same day (Tuesday) after touring, drive to Connecticut to rest up overnight and on Wednesday tour two schools with an interview/tour with one on Thursday. Since the schools are so close, we decided to come to Connecticut on Wednesday to do a walkabout tour leisurely both schools even though we have a tour/interview with one.</p>
<p>Then after the Thursday Connecticut interview, back to Massachusetts to rest up for Friday’s interview/tour. But on Thursday, we will do the same thing and take a leisurely walkabout of the town and campus even though we will have a tour after the interview on Friday.</p>
<p>Then it’s back to the airport Friday evening and home to really take in everything. Road warriors again the end of August to Delaware.</p>
<p>So, I share my travel log with you that it can be done but we also anticipate returning during the school year if warranted. We don’t have much choice but to hit the schools as we need to cover as much territory as we can while we can.</p>
<p>This might be helpful:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1235999-school-visit-planning.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1235999-school-visit-planning.html</a></p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I’ll definitely consider it.</p>