<p>if any of parents here have sent thier kids to do college visits by themselves?
I'm hesitant but at this point, because of the stock market crash, we don't really have the money to go with her. We don't have family or friends there so nobody will be waiting for her. I'm not sure is a good idea. Anyone have some suggestions how to make sure she'll have a sucessfull and smooth college visit? she'll be traveling across the country and most likely needs to stay overnight. Any advice would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Last year we sent our D to Cambridge to visit a college by herself. We had contacted the school before she went and they arranged for her to stay in a dorm room with a current student. This not only gave her a great experience but also saved us a bunch of money. We gave her enough cash to travel by taxi to and from the airport. I am sure she will be just fine.</p>
<p>Some schools offer to pick up visiting students at the airport. Call the admissions offices and see what can be worked out. Best of Luck!</p>
<p>My daughter flew out to Colorado to visit the School of Mines. My nephew lives out there and he took care of her. Otherwise she would not have gone.</p>
<p>Some schools are set up to accomodate kids coming from far away by themselves. They will see they get picked up at the airport and have a dorm to stay in. If that were the case, I would not have a problem with it.</p>
<p>Where would she stay? How will she get around?</p>
<p>Thanks all for your replies. Some colleges she's interested have overnight visits, and I feel more at easy with that option. However, others don't have overnight visits hmmm..</p>
<p>Both of my children did several college visits by themselves. They stayed with people they knew at each college. We were confident that they could handle the transportation by themselves, which they did. For example, my son flew to City A to see University A, then flew to City B and say University B, then took a train to City C and saw Universities C, D, & E. I met him there, and we drove to visit two more colleges that were a little tougher to reach without a car. He stayed with friends at Universities A and C for two nights each, didn't overnight at B, and took public transportation from C to visit D and E.</p>
<p>If sending her alone is the only way that you can do it, then, of course, send her. She will eventually have to do this alone anyway, if she chooses this campus.</p>
<p>Preparation is key. Maybe the college will even arrange to pick her up at the airport. They sometimes have shuttles to and from campuses. Colleges will be happy to help, and may even provide her with a campus buddy of sorts. Ask. Make sure that she has cash for tips and knows how to use it. Credit card is a must. As Counting12001 said, have her stay on campus in a dorm, if possible. </p>
<p>I would do it. Good luck!</p>
<p>I sent my oldest by himself to college visits. My feelings were that he would certainly have to get back and forth to school during the holidays and summer visits, etc. so "visiting" was a good test for him. Ironically he ultimately choose the 3 plane ride/or 2 planes and a car school that is difficult to get through. Check with the school about the overnight and where she could stay if they don't offer lodging. But I agree that this would send a warning to me if admissions is not helpful about travel logistics, airport pickups, and recommended hotel lists. Most of all remember, if they "choose" these far away schools in less than a year they will be making these kinds of trips. If you are feeling unsettled about specific schools, do you think you will feel "less unsettled" next year?</p>
<p>It really helps to hear about all your experiences. Since I know admission don't like to speak with parents, I haven't called the admission offices to inquire about how they will help my DD, so all my information is from the web site. But, I think I'll start calling colleges to get more details.</p>
<p>D flew home from a summer program for her first flight, had to change planes in Philly, no problem. She's got a visit schduled for another school in Nov where it is an arranged overnight event. They will pick her up at the airport and provide her a roomie for 2 nights. She gets returned to the airport by the school the second morning for her flight home. She's not particularly a world traveler, but I think she'll be fine. These types of events are obviously the best if you can get them. Agree with other posters, let the school do the work, or at least help. That's what they are there for. They can't show off their school to you if they don't get you there.</p>
<p>Edit - I have called admissions and talked with coaches about logistics for both my D and S for visitations, etc. I usually preface by saying since I am the one driving (or making the arrangements), I need to know x,y and z. I've never detected even a hint of wariness, all were helpful. A lot of kids that are this age have never flown, don't have their own credit cards, etc. They aren't all expected to do everything themselves.</p>
<p>father05, you're right. I think colleges need to make sure parents are at easy, and students will have a safe and smooth visit.</p>
<p>I am going to play devil's advocate here...If you are not able to make those visits with your daughter due to financial reason, are you prepared for your daughter to be so far away next four years and not be able to come regularly?</p>
<p>good Q, oldfort. At the moment, we're changing gears since we didn't expect the stock market to trash us to the floor...anyhow, we'll see how things go and make a decision once we know where my D gets accepted.</p>
<p>I would have no hesitation about calling the admissions office regarding logistics. Very different in my mind from calling the office to discuss what else needs to be sent in to finish an application (e.g. all the students responsibility). </p>
<p>Having sent my DS off a couple of times on his own for visits, I would say having enough cash as well as a credit card and cell phone would be key for me. I would send him only to places where they would arrange for a overnight stay as someone under 18 (as he is) would have extreme difficulty in getting a hotel room. </p>
<p>Rather than a taxi, I would look into a car service to pick him up. In many cities it costs less than a cab and seems safer to me than a random cab. Ideally however, the school should be able to arrange for a ride - they did for my DS.</p>
<p>"If you are not able to make those visits with your daughter due to financial reason, are you prepared for your daughter to be so far away next four years and not be able to come regularly?"</p>
<p>Exactly what I thought. </p>
<p>Not too mention, if this school is truly in the mix, I would be hesistant to not be in on observing the school along with my child. At least one additional prospective is a good thing, I think.</p>
<p>If you're planning on your child taking a cab in a strange city. Do make sure they know how to get a cab. Have them program one or two taxi company phone numbers in their cell phone, so they don't have to depend on someone else to call. In a very urban setting, ask where the nearest cab stand is. </p>
<p>I am a seasoned traveler all over the world, and I'll never forget my surprise in NYC when I discovered on a rainy evening that you can't call cabs there. Fortunately, it was only a few blocks. </p>
<p>In some cities it's very easy to hail a cab, but if the college is in a more secluded location, it may not be as easy.</p>
<p>Where are you and where is she interested in looking? Not sure about everyone else but I'm in CA and would be willing to help her out or have her stay for a night if she is looking around CA.</p>
<p>S visited several schools solo last year. We travel a lot as a family, so the logistics weren't too intimidating. We thought it was important for him to know what it's like to travel solo, and if he'd be OK dealing with the inevitable complications that arise -- esp. since his top three schools covered both coasts and the midwest. He also attended a couple of other programs that involved travel and were not in major metro areas, so he had to navigate that, too.</p>
<p>We used frequent flyer miles to pay for planes and trains. He used public transit from the airport to the schools whenever possible, since the long-standing agreement in our family is that our EFC does not include a car. Having phone numbers of Super Shuttle or a local cab pre-programmed on the cell is handy. S was able to make ground transportation arrangements prior to his trip in most cases. S also has a prepaid MasterCard through USAA which he can use for emergencies -- and we can load it remotely and immediately should he need funds.</p>
<p>Some schools include a transportation allowance in the cost of attendance; others do not. Check that when determining the "true cost" of a school.</p>
<p>If your student goes to visit on a weekend where the school already has a big event planned for prospies, they may have ground transportation available. Everywhere S visited had meal vouchers, so he never had to pay for food (and checking out the cuisine and social vibe in the dining halls is important, anyway). Other folks have contacted the school directly and if you are likely to need lots of FA or are a particularly interesting candidate, the school would pay for a visit.</p>
<p>Other posters have already made other excellent comments and suggestions.</p>
<p>When making his decisions in 2007, my S visited colleges by himself. I did the same thing back in the dark ages (1968). Both of us had traveled without parents prior to the college visits.</p>
<p>Perhaps the issue could be: what is your student's comfort level? And, you might just discuss the logistics (the flight and transportation issues) and let the student figure out the on campus part.</p>
<p>There may be a real issue if the student needs to rent a hotel room. My S didn't have to do it to visit, but he had to rent one on Spring Break. He called ahead to (1) make the reservation and (2) make sure they would rent to an 18 years old. </p>
<p>Some places require a credit card or cash deposit. That is something to consider.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>D has so far gone on overnights to Rhodes and Davidson, and plans to go to Bowdoin in November. The only concern we have had is the possibility of an airport transfer going haywire, since there never seems to be many non-stop flights from Rochester, and as a previous poster mentioned getting a hotel room if you are under 18 is difficult. I have brothers in two of the cities, and a brother used to live in the third, so we have/had emergency contacts for every trip. You can't be too safe....</p>
<p>Tango - D did get a quick lesson in getting a cab in Memphis - when she told me how much she tipped the driver I about dropped to the floor, must have made his day!!!</p>