<p>Is missing school to visit colleges a bad idea? I'm conflicted.</p>
<p>Our high school allows one day during the junior year and two during the senior year.</p>
<p>My daughter missed a couple more than that, but we tried to schedule things during school breaks - which tend to be different in high school than college.</p>
<p>We created a few 4-day weekends when we were in college-visit mode. My kid just found out from his teachers what was assigned or due on days he missed and got it in early or later with the teachers’ OK. He had a friend take notes for him in classes he missed. It was not a big deal.</p>
<p>My daughter’s district allowed two days total to be ‘excused’ for college visits, but the school permits up to 6 unexcused absences before consequences really start affecting grades.</p>
<p>She did use her two days, but we were fortunate that a few schools were close enough to get to by car and had their open house days on a Saturday.</p>
<p>All her teachers were very understanding of the need to be out of class for these visits. We did them DURING school so that we would have a chance to see what the campus was like while classes were in session. With other students conducting tours and socializing with us during the breaks, it was a great chance to talk to current students about the school and their likes/dislikes.</p>
<p>If you talk to the kids, find out when they have a day off (which most schools have sporadically) and make sure you stay off mid-term exams or final exams it works just fine. My feeling is that most college bound kids aren’t going to suffer from a few days of missed class, that would occur if they got sick, too. Unlike illness, which is unplanned, for the visits the kids can notify the teachers and retreive any homework or reading assignments before they go. I, too, never thought it was a big deal.</p>
<p>College visits are an excused absence at our local high school, but it’s up to the student to schedule them to minimize disruption to his/her own schedule and to arrange to make up any missed work.</p>
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<p>Same here. We had to do this as two of D’s top schools (including her #1 choice) had the same spring break as our school and we wanted to visit when school was in session.</p>
<p>Good suggestions from other posters.</p>
<p>In addition to school vacations, we were able to utilize some days when the school was closed, e.g., Yom Kippur, to visit colleges. And for one, D had to skip volleyball practice to attend a minority weekend, but with the coach’s blessing.</p>
<p>No, missing school to make visits to colleges is not a bad idea. just be sensible about it. When we started out and were in the “visit a college-any college” stage of helping son get the feel for the differences between large/small,m rural/urban, we stuck closer to home and didn’t need to take too much time. Once you have you list winnowed, I think the benefit of the visits outweigh any downside of a couple of days’ missed school.</p>
<p>There was the “official” policy, and then there was the “actual” policy.
Most of the kids here go to school in state, so the official policy of something like 3 excused college visit days worked when combines with the other breaks. I spoke to the principal, explained that the colleges we wanted to visit were each 2 plane rides away, so getting there and back would take 2 days. He said not to worry about it, just inform his office of our plans. Son communicated with teachers about assignments, kept his grades up, and all was fine.</p>
<p>We did much of this in the spring of Junior year, because son was in a fall varsity sport. Missing those practices and games would have been a bigger deal than the classes! LOL</p>
<p>My Ds school officially allowed 3 days to be missed specifically for college tours. Obvioulsy some just took a few “sick” days as well. I saw absolutely no harm in it as we coordinated the days missed specifically to work with her high school responsibilities. It’s a stressful time and college selection is a BIG, often expensive decision. </p>
<p>So, I think it’s a good idea 
if the family needs it.</p>
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Ours too. There is a specific form to fill out. There is probably a limit to the number of days you can take, but I have never heard of this being a problem.</p>
<p>We won’t be missing school for college visits. We did them over Feb & April breaks, and during the summer. Our school allows excused absences to visit colleges, but D is taking courses that are difficult for her, and neither she nor we think that missing class is going to do her grades any good (although she would be allowed to make up the work). </p>
<p>Many kids do, though.</p>
<p>Our school policy was 2 days for a senior. I think D missed 4 (maybe 5) times that many for scholarship weekends alone. Possible wrath of the school vs. reasonable shot $100K+? Hmmmm. </p>
<p>Now, OTOH, she didn’t miss many at all (maybe 3 days senior year) for “regular” visits. We’d been doing marathon trips every spring break since soph year.</p>
<p>We did our own visits over school vacation weeks in April…and also over the summers. My youngest did his “official” athletic visits in the fall of senior year…and many of those visits expected the student to stay for a class or two on Monday…since there was a fall sport involved…we tried to go on those weekends when the game was on Friday night vs Saturday or Saturday night… we had to call the schools on Monday am to ensure they knew he was absent with an approved reason. It is always nice if the student is already done on the SAT type tests…so their weekends don’t have that consideration also…between tests and playoffs, fall seasons can be very demanding. </p>
<p>We left Maine one April on a Thursday nite (no school on Friday) and visited 6 schools as far away as Virginia…back on Monday nite to Maine for a Tuesday all day track meet. I was unable to tour the 6th and final school on Monday because my back was completely shot from all the time in the car…however, I will say it was worth it…had a great time with my son and also enjoyed every school we visited…U Penn, James Madison, U of Virginia, U of Richmond, Connecticut College and Brown University. </p>
<p>I did a different pass with older child 6 yrs ago over the summer… Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA, Cal Tech, Pomona, Stanford…also a great trip…I have wonderful memories of both trips and feel extremely fortunate that I got to share that time with my kids. For me, these trips were gifts to them…where they had a chance to explore who they might be if they went to school X or Y or Z… we have visited other schools too on different jaunts…but these power trips where you cram in 6 schools in 4 days is just FUN!!</p>
<p>I was able to do the college trips as others have mentioned (one day here, during breaks) but this year with this son, I’m not quite sure how it will work. We have one nice break in February for Presidents day but that’s a very iffy time to travel and make travel arrangements in advance. When my older son was looking at colleges we went up to Vermont for a visit during President’s day weekend and hit a snow squall during the drive.</p>
<p>Our Spring break is just a Thursday to Monday with Easter in the middle and I always do the Easter dinner. Maybe I’ll forgo that this time. </p>
<p>I’m a little worried about the big AP crunch at that time combined with a new state testing schedule. All the state tests are to be given in April which is going to make the AP teachers and students a little nutso. </p>
<p>I guess it will all work out. Junior son has seen 3 colleges so far and we have another one scheduled for the end of this month and two in October. We’re also planning to do the College Fair on November 15th in Philadelphia so that may help him decide what colleges will be worth visiting. [2009</a> Fall NCF Philadelphia](<a href=“http://www.nacacnet.org/EventsTraining/CollegeFairs/ncf/Fall/Pages/09FPhi.aspx]2009”>http://www.nacacnet.org/EventsTraining/CollegeFairs/ncf/Fall/Pages/09FPhi.aspx)</p>
<p>Our school does allow students to miss a few days of school for college visits, it’s my son that doesn’t like to do that!</p>