As a junior in high school, I naturally want to start visiting colleges ASAP. I have a list of 8 schools that I want to apply to, and I don’t expect to visit all of them by the time I send in my applications. However, my mom (who would be taking me to these visits) wants me to narrow my list down to 2 or 3 colleges before we start touring. I find this simply ridiculous, although I see where she got that number from. My sister only applied to one college (SUNY Brockport) and got in. Now, I feel that my mom thinks that I should apply to a similar amount of schools.
My problem is that I don’t feel like I can narrow it down any further, especially without visiting the campuses of at least a few of these colleges, but my mom refuses to take me on a tour! So my thought is to get a list of the “top” few colleges and ask to visit those, and just apply to all of the schools on my list of 8 schools. Would that be a good thing to do?
In case you were wondering, these are the schools I’m considering (as a NYS resident)
SUNY Brockport
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Cortland
SUNY Geneseo
SUNY Potsdam
Kent State University
Slippery Rock University
Massachusetts College for Liberal Arts
Of the non-SUNY schools, SRU and MCLA offer a discounted tuition for NYS residents, and Kent is my mom’s alma mater and I qualify for a legacy scholarship.
What criteria are important to you in selecting a college?
Obviously, net price and academic offerings, but what else, if you have verified that all are affordable and have academic offerings that you are interested in?
Important factors for me are:
atmosphere (I like seeing a bit of green in between buildings, a reason why Geneseo is lower on my interest list),
ability to participate in theater or music groups/clubs without having to be in a major relating to music (kind of low on my want list, but still there), and
community service involvement (I’m still unsure whether I want to be a freelance social media manager or work in the non-profit sector as a social media manager, so that would give me a bit more insight into my career goals)
And then there are the usual factors, such as aid, desired program (Communications, Media Management or a mix of both), etc.
Of course! Also talk to your mom about how important it is to visit the schools before you apply; if you visit one and find out you don’t really like it as much as you thought, you could cross it off the list (and therefore have not as many schools to apply to).
I’ve tried to, but she keeps focusing on the fact of time (we both have work and I obviously have school, and money (she doesn’t want to spend money on gas, food, etc to visit a school that I might not want to apply to. I understand the time problem, but I have researched most of the school’s visiting days/open houses/etc, but she still isn’t interested.
Another thing is the fact that she has said to me that she would only want to visit colleges that she wanted to see. While I get her not wanting to sit through a million info sessions and walk around a dozen campuses, it sounds like she takes visiting for granted. I’m just in a pickle that I can’t seem to find a definite way out of, and it’s frustrating.
Perhaps careful checking on the school and organization web sites can tell you if this is the case for the organizations in question may help you?
Perhaps a look at the roster of student organizations to see if there are any doing the type of community service that is of interest to you may help you?
Have you run the net price calculator on each school and checked merit scholarships, and checked each school for your desired academic programs?
Seems like doing the above on the school web sites can allow you to move each school in your list into more and less likely to be liked for you (or perhaps eliminate some altogether if you find any deal breakers like too expensive or does not have the academics you want). Then you may have a smaller list of candidate schools to visit, and will know what to look for on a visit (e.g. talk specifically with the theater and music clubs and community service organizations) so that you can make the most out of a visit.
I don’t know how far any of those schools are from where you live and/or what the public transportation situation is like, but there is no rule that says you need a parent to visit a college.
Ah, I just checked google maps and I see all the SUNY schools are way upstate. Do you live up there? Do you have access to a car? Can you take a day here and a day there to see 1 or 2 schools? Visit your sister at Brockport and take a tour? Are any of the schools close enough for you to go over after school and catch a late afternoon tour?
Speaking as a parent, I think your mother is being both ridiculous and weirdly selfish (why is this about the schools SHE wants to see?). But if the only way for you to see schools is with your mother, then here’s my advice. Read as much about the schools as you can. There’s the Fiske Guide, which discusses the atmosphere and personality of a bunch of schools. There are websites (am I allowed to name them?) that have student reviews of everything from the teaching to the food to the dorms to the social scene to the typical student. Get as much info as you can. Narrow definition wn your list of schools to visit now to the ones you most feel like you need more info about. Maybe be strategic, if 2 schools are close enough that you could reasonably argue “hey, while we’re in the neighborhood/only 20 miles away/driving right past on the way home” maybe you can start with a list of 2 or 3 and then tack on one more.
Apply to everything that you’re genuinely or probably interested in, based on available information. Then, when you’ve got acceptances in hand, if your choice isn’t clear, make a fuss about visiting schools then.
Can you take a bus to any of them for a day and visit? Agree that not all visits have to be with mom. If you can cover bus fair and meals, and a one day trip is possible, I’d try that (you can even take some food with you to save on expenses). I will say that most of the schools on the OP’s list won’t be in the Fiske Guide, it really only covers a small subset of the colleges in the country.
Look on line for youtube videos. Type the name of the college and “campus tour” and you are likely to find videos that will provide an introduction. Also on some college websites you can find virtual tours that will feature important points on campus and have some sort of narration. Better than nothing.
Ask your mom if she is willing to visit the schools that you are accepted to. Maybe that’s what she is waiting for. You need to ask her what her rationale is. As for greenery at SUNYs, many have lots of cement. Please look at google images for each campus. Some are more greener than others.
Did you look at SAT scores of students attending the SUNYs and do you have a good chance of acceptance at all of them?
Slippery Rock is a state system school in PA, so your own SUNYs will probably be as good or better academically.
But you cannot expect any aid from them as an OOS student except maybe a small merit scholarship. They don’t have much aid for their own students.
Kent State has a net price calculator that asks for gpa and test scores and gives a merit estimate. If your stats are high enough you could get around $10,000 merit possibly.
Ask you sister or guidance counselor what they know about the different SUNYs. Apply to Kent State to see if they will give a good scholarship, then see if your mom will visit with you.
If you are dependent on financial aid and quality for Pell and NY state grant, it might be more affordable to stay instate.
Geneso seems to have higher SAT scores by about 100 pts compared to the other schools on your list. Also they don’t seem to offer as many majors in the categories you mentioned.
Fredonia and Potsdam seem to have the most variety in the music offerings. You would have to see if non majors can participate.
Kent state is much bigger than the other schools. You would have to do some research in all that they offer.
College Navigator lets you compare four schools side by side. Look at how many students receive aid, how many receive institutional aid, look at SAT scores, majors, retention and graduation rates.
Thank you all so much! I really appreciate all of your advice!
@ucbalumnus Thank you for the advice about finding what I can online! I’ve kind of started on some of that, but I haven’t gone full-investigation mode yet haha
@millie210 Yes, I live in Western New York. The furthest SUNYs from me (in drive time) are Potsdam, Fredonia, and Cortland (although Fredonia is closer than the other two), but obviously the OOS colleges are further. And I’ve already been visiting said website and I’ve seen it as helpful thanks for the advice!
@intparent I’m not sure if there are busses around here… I will check into that, thank you
@mamaedefamilia I’m obsessed about college videos! I’ve watched so many! I will check out my schools of interest, though
@citymama9 I’m pretty sure she would be more willing to visit the colleges that I’m accepted to. Then again, if I get accepted into a lot of them, she might be frustrated and not want to visit all of them.
@mommdc I’ve looked at all of the SAT score ranges, but I don’t know if I fall in that range yet because I’m taking the PSAT in October and the SAT sometime after that (probably around the end of Christmas break, so I have that time devoted to studying). And thank you for the advice on Slippery Rock and Kent! I have tried various NPCs and I find them confusing, and sometimes I don’t know how to fill them out. Sometimes I can’t because they require something from the FAFSA, which I haven’t filled out. And thank you for the advice on College Navigator, too! I haven’t heard of that, and I will definitely use it
I would definitely have your mom or dad fill out a few NPC’s, they are extremely helpful though at the SUNY schools, just do one or two, as I don’t think they will vary much.
Why isn’t SUNY New Paltz on your list? They have communications/media management, a beauftiful campus, and have on and off campus theater groups. Students can cross-register at Vassar or Marist for additional class options.
@manykids2000 Thanks! I will try and find a good time to ask haha
@austinmshauri I feel like, in the searching process, I’ve been wary to go across state. I have no idea why, as I’m thinking about MCLA which is across state and then into Massachusetts! Haha I will check it out, and if it’s as good as you’re making it out to be (and that is very good haha), I will probably replace it with Geneseo on my list, as Geneseo barely has a good Comms department, has very little green, etc. Thank you for the hint!
