<p>Hi, first post : )
hopefully somebody'll see this and help me :S </p>
<p>I wanted to go to California this coming long weekend to visit some schools that I might be interested in (Pomona, UCLA, Berkley, Stanford and stuff) but my parents are kind of ****ed at me because they don't understand why I want to visit. </p>
<p>Is it worth it or should I stay home and look through the online virtual tours? : (</p>
<p>It is certainly worth it - schools have certain vibe and personalities that may or may not be a good fit for you. </p>
<p>But if money is an issue you could consider applying first, and then visiting only those schools to which you’ve been admitted.</p>
<p>As far as visits. The short answer is yes. You can get a generalized intuitive impression of a school by visiting, that is valuable. If you are happy, then it will be easier to do well academically.</p>
<p>Some things about applying in general:</p>
<p>I say, apply anywhere that you think you will like, even if you did not visit. It seems like a lot of work at the time, but really? What else would you be doing senior year. After now getting into a bunch of colleges, I kinda regret only applying to ten.</p>
<p>If money is a problem, then you need to choose your safeties very carefully. They need to be places you are willing to go. As much as we all want to go to Stanford, very few of us do.</p>
<p>Just do what feels right. even if you do not visit, you should still apply, especially if you are interested enough to visit.</p>
<p>Thanks 
</p>
<p>um, i don’t think money is an issue, my parents just think it’s a lot of hassle.
as to safeties I think Canadian schools will be my safeties, because international tuition is just crazy high 
</p>
<p>but just out of curiosity what’s a school that a lot of people apply to as a safety?</p>
<p>There isn’t really “a school” that’s a safety, it all depends on the area and the student. For many kids, their safety is a local state college/university. But it can be any school,public or private, where the applicant’s grades/scores are high enough for a guaranteed/very high likelihood of admission.</p>
<p>If you are really gung ho about things, you might be able to find scholarships to US universities.</p>
<p>An example of a safety, in my case: I live in Virginia. In-state we have some great schools. My scores are on par to get into UVA, but I felt like it was kinda 50/50. I applied to William and Mary, but that is only a little less selective (not safeties). Money is not a huge issue, so i did not need to find somewhere that would give me loads of money, just somewhere that i would 100% get in and not be upset going there. My choice was VaTech. My SAT’s are well above their IQR. I am about .4 above their average GPA. But they have a fine economics major and I was able to get into their Honors Program.</p>
<p>So it depends on your scores, your application, what you like, and what money they are willing to give you. The important thing about safeties is that you would be happy going there.</p>
<p>A good safety might be UWO…jk.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks!
& about the “what are my chances” section on cc, is it actually realistic because i’ve heard a lot of not-so-good things about the system there.</p>
<p>I hardly ever respond to “what are my chances” threads, as I would just be blowing smoke. I prefer to recommend schools that I know are respected for a particular major, ranging from highly selective to easy to get in but still good. Do you have a particular major in mind?</p>
<p>nooope, im screwed.
i’m interested in psychology and philosophy , but i’m not sure how to make a career out of that haha. hoping that i’ll be struck by a ray of inspiration between now and next fall : S</p>
<p>the chances section is dumb because it’s essentially a bunch of high schoolers chancing each other back and forth lol. talk about the blind leading the blind.</p>
<p>visiting schools is not a bad idea if it isn’t a significant financial burden to your family. just be aware that if you go to visit a school on the weekend (when students aren’t all over campus) it may not be representative of the actual atmosphere.</p>
<p>If it were up to me, I’d choose psychology over philosophy. If you pack the grades, being out-of-state, you’d likely get a better financial aid offer from private schools like Stanford and USC. Although, it may be worth it to go to Berkeley as well, even if you have to pay full freight. Also, considering the long distance, I’d just go ahead and apply to them, and only visit after you get accepted, when you are making your final decision.</p>
<p>i think i might just visit the west coast schools first, since i also live on the west coast so it’s about a 2 hour flight : ) </p>
<p>other schools, maybe ill visit if i get in…?</p>
<p>I’ll tout my own school, UC Davis, ranked #23 nationally in psychology by US News. :)</p>