<p>She would not go to any school that she had not visited. Unfortunately any flight from our airport will be costly. Time is much more an issue then money at this point. </p>
<p>She will not hear from Tulane, George Washington and BC till April. Cornell Hotel School there is a possibility that she will hear between Feb 15 and early April. She has been to GW and BC but would want to go again for an indepth visit before making a decision. It is also possible she won't get into any of them and that solves the visit dilemma. Cornell would be at least 3 flights and probably a bus at that end so that will be the most diificult to manage.
She will visit Oregon and Denver and Santa Cruz. Since the whole point of the visit is to get a feel for the school that pretty much leaves weekends out. I just can't see how to do it all with out missing a ton of school.
Jamiesmom- do you think it makes much of a difference at Tulane if she visits before April? It is probably her first choice at this point.<br>
Momofonly- H had a unusual year and when we looked into the CSS profile it seemed pointless to even attempt to fill it out. Unfortunately some of the schools would be full freight if she decides to go. That will be a whole thread in itself. I am expecting she will get merit aid from Univ of Denver and she has already gotten some from Univ of Oregon. The rest I would doubt. GW and Tulane she is not at the top of the applicant pool so I would doubt she gets any.</p>
<p>I think it is okay to visit on weekends... The ambiance of the campus on weekends is just as much a part of real life as attending a class... The main point is to see if they can picture themselves in the group of kids, doing what the kids are doing... whether classes, parties, dining halls, or whatever. Just so long as you don't visit during a vacation time when the school is empty.</p>
<p>"I recall that back in the dark ages, when I was a hs senior it was not unusual for students to enroll to colleges sight unseen. "</p>
<p>I remember those days, too. My college boyfriend had never been to Harvard until he arrived there by bus for freshman year. He loved it, and ended up getting his doctorate from it.</p>
<p>I had never seen Stanford or been west of Detroit before I arrived there for grad school. I loved it. </p>
<p>In these days of the Internet and an incredible info explosion of in depth college information, I don't think it's that much risk to send a kid to a college they haven't seen before. The students can do far more research about colleges than most of us parents could do when we were applying. If the students don't like the college, they always can transfer.</p>
<p>I am also a person who a couple of times when I was young accepted jobs in parts of the country where I had never been before until I went to the cities to start working. One time I loved my new city. The other time, I hated it. Neither situation was permanent, but both were great learning experiences. I think that the same can hold true for students applying to college.</p>
<p>One thing that I find interesting is how so many students/parents now seem to think that there must be a perfect fit for college to work. I don't remember us having such high expectations of college back in the old days. I think that there was far more expectation of the student's being flexible enough to fit into the college or to do whatever was necessary to get an education.</p>
<p>I think that we viewed college more like most people view h.s. now. I think that most people don't expect their kids' high schools to be perfect, but we do expect our kids ot adapt. Unless a h.s. is a horrendously bad fit, students are expected to find ways of being successful and happy in college. IMO the same attitude would be useful when it comes to college.</p>
<p>Mom60: My husband & D went ahead and made the trip to the East Coast (Oakland to Baltimore to Philly up through NY to Boston & Providence) during the Spring Break in April before all of the acceptances were in. She had rec'd a couple of good offers from colleges back East, so it was worth it for her to fly back and see them. </p>
<p>It made all the difference in the world. She came back knowing where she wanted to go. A couple of her reach schools announced their acceptances during their travels. I think being there helped her see firsthand what she would be turning down if she chose to go somewhere else. It also helped her deal with an outright rejection because as it turned out, it really wasn't a place she could see herself attending for four years. It helped her clarify the issue of choosing a college for status versus knowing that it just wasn't a good fit and being able to walk away from it with a clear mind & heart. </p>
<p>Being able to make up her own mind with certainy was the biggest benefit of the whole trip and well worth the time and expense.</p>
<p>~Northstarmom~
I loved your post. It's just a matter of perspective and degree. "Fit" is undoubtedly important. I read all the information I can, including this Board, in large part to maximize the chance of finding an outstanding "fit." But, I believe that researching objective information and discerning subjective "fit" is ultimately a process; it's not a "be-all, end-all" and it can't become an obsession. You do your due diligence, get the best "feel" you can for this amorphous "fit," extrapolate as you can, then you move on knowing that your process has been sound, but whether the student will in fact "fit" is now a matter of adaptation, inspiration, and perspiration.</p>
<p>My first peek at Brown was lugging my suitcases into my dorm when I arrived in September. Not only that, my parents' first peek at Brown was at my graduation day. </p>
<p>I had done a junior year trip with my Dad, but several schools that I ultimately liked were not even on my radar yet during junior year. However, I was able to infer things about the unseen schools by hearing comparisons with schools that I <em>had</em> seen. </p>
<p>The very best way to absorb what a school is all about is to talk to current & past students and hear what comments continually arise. Yes, it is great to walk on campus and <em>see</em> smiling, friendly kids & talk to them face to face, but you can email current students and <em>hear</em> that info too. You can ask what they hate about their school, or would change about their school, and that is great info too.</p>
<p>Brown was a perfect fit for me-- though I imagine I would probably be saying the same thing if I had matriculated at any of the other colleges on my list, because schools on my list had similar features. The things I wanted were "broad strokes" things-- personality/environment, direct interaction with faculty, & basic size of student body. Things like bad dining hall food or awful dorm rooms I assumed were ubiquitous and were not considerations. Other potential negatives-- like a dud roommate-- are unavoidable flukes, even if you had the world's best college visit to that particular campus.</p>
<p>If you understand the dominant "personality" and culture of the school and are comfortable with it (and this should largely be decided prior to applying) how bad can it really be? A fresh start with hundreds of other eager kids your same age from around the state/country/world who are generally seeking the same experience you are?-- Heaven!</p>
<p>I think a visit is more useful, however, if a parent thinks their kid may not be realistic about the school. For example, lots of kids think they want "big"-- and they apply to lots of immense schools-- but it may be that they really just want a brand new group of friends after being somewhat stifled in high school. Big schools felt "too big" for my D. When she realized that a college of 1200 like-minded kids would actually <em>feel</em> big enough socially, she opened her mind to many new schools.</p>
<p>NSM, I think you're right about expectations being raised but I don't have a problem of it. Would D be doing okay at Columbia, her #1 on paper? In all likelihood, yes. But she's getting so much more out of where she is and the reasons would not have been apparent without visiting.</p>
<p>SBmom, my D had started out wanting "big" too, feeling that a 3400-student high school was too claustrophobic. She, too, discovered that a smaller school but of like-minded people can feel plenty big. In fact, if anyone makes a list of top things to discover, that should be on it.</p>
<p>I remember when i visited colleges four years ago.. I really was interested in going to Drexel.. and then i went and visited, and i ended up leaving right after the opening part.. didn't even stick around for the tour or anything. Just didn't care for the location or atmosphere of the place. Didn't even bother applying.</p>