Need for visits fall of HS senior year

College Search & Selection
1

<p>OK so DS, who is a rising HS senior interested in majoring in engineering, has narrowed down his list to the following:
Penn State
U Pittsburgh
Temple U
Villanova U
U Md (CP)
U Va
Va Tech</p>

<p>We have done formal visits at Penn State, Pitt and Maryland with tours of the engineering depts. We live in southeastern PA, so Temple and Villanova are local, and we can easily visit them this fall. We have previously done unofficial "drive in/walk around" type visits at UVa and VT, so we know what those campuses are like. We are trying to decide if it is necessary to carve out some time this fall for a formal visit/tours for these two, or wait until acceptance decisions are issued in the spring, which would mean we would need to go in April 2013. </p>

<p>To me, it seems like waiting might make things a little rushed in the spring. We may want to do sleepover visits then also, if there is not a clear cut favorite. I would appreciate any insight/experience others who have gone through it before may have on this.</p>

2

<p>The only reason to view these 2 before he applies is if the schools put a lot of weight on showing interest (taking a tour; meeting with an admissions counselor; attending a class) and/or if he is planning on applying early decision to either one (then he’d really need to visit to make sure he’d be happy there). Otherwise, you should be fine waiting to visit once acceptances are in. It’s kind of like buying a house – if you haven’t sold your current house yet, you can be really picky about the new place, but if you’ve sold your house and need a place to live, it really crystallizes your choices. Good luck.</p>