<p>Thank you jym!</p>
<p>I think the original question was settled at the outset–too many schools visited over too short a period = little insight, other than campus architectural themes, and an idea of the small city/large city/rural surroundings.</p>
<p>The fact is, if one goes to an Ivy feeder school, the GC/CC will generally try to identify top-choice picks for the student to closely examine and consider-- or even one school. The elite preps actually employ former admissions committee members, who call Princeton or Yale, and say, “This student is a lot better than he/she looks on paper. He/she is going to be a great fit.” And the student is admitted. Or the student is fine on paper, and the GC/CC alerts the admissions director the student wants to go there, nowhere else. The student applies Early Action/Decision and is admitted. </p>
<p>It’s not a crapshoot.</p>
<p>There are athletes who are identified by coaches as “I want this student on my team,” and the admissions committee reviews the hs transcript, and if it is satisfactory, the student gets in. If marginal, the student may be told to take a 13th year at Exeter or the like, and a deferred admission is offered contingent on satisfactory performance. They just want to be confident that if the student is admitted, he or she can get through and graduate.</p>
<p>If you look at the best universities and LAC’s (see USNWR Best Colleges), they have 95%+ six-year graduation rates, and really almost all of them are graduating in 4 years, or maybe 5 with double majors. They have 98% frosh-soph retention rates. This shows that what they are doing is carefully identifying students who can make it through, and students who will be happy there. They truly care about their students. </p>
<p>Early summer visits are good because things are more relaxed, a visiting student can usually arrange for a personal or very-small-group tour led by a senior doing a research project, ask questions. The candidate should make written follow-up inquiries to administration and develop a conversation. </p>
<p>If he/she is particularly favorably struck by one school, then an EA app is in order. If an interview is offered, it should be taken. (Some schools, such as Stanford, do not hold interviews, often they are elective as schools recognize that not everyone can afford the cost.)</p>
<p>I think it is best to develop a target-aiming strategy. In the old days, it was easy to alao apply to some safety schools whose SAT/ACT, grades and EC levels were a bit lower than a student’s, but today, many of these schools want their own admission yields to be high, so guaranteed-admission safeties are increasingly public u’s that use simple formulas for admission. </p>
<p>These days the elites are looking for social leaders, to be sure, but they’re also looking for people who excel in one thing, like art, writing, science, math, in essence specialists, and then the institutions create communities of highly talented people of diverse talents and interests, who mesh with specialized faculties’ own talents and interests.</p>
<p>This is why it is useful for students to try to spend some meaningful time on visits, peruse faculty web pages, contact older hs alumni and query them about their experiences. College-review books (Princeton, Insider’s Guide, Fiske etc. provide students’ ratings of faculty accessibility, student satisfaction, likes and gripes, on-campus life, off-campus life, etc. Gather as much info as you can, with the goal of finding a place that gives you a sense you can be really happy joining for four years.</p>
<p>Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread to discuss the side issues brought up in the above post, and let this topic stay focused on the OP’s travel plans. This thread isn’t about whether or not to apply EA, or what EC’s are important. Its about the OP’s travel plans and the interviews they request (interviews arent “offered”, they are requested). Lets be respectful of the OP and keep this thread ON TOPIC.</p>
<p>We also found that visiting campuses when school was not in session (eg early summer) was far less helpful-- fewer students to talk to, classes to observe (if any) and many faculty members arent’a around. Much better to see a school when it is in session and there are undergrads around.</p>
<p>My rec:</p>
<p>Try to visit a few institutions for a day. Early summer is a good time, because things are relaxed. It’s often possible to get a one-on-one or very small group tour led by a upper-class student doing a research project. Take this opportunity to ask a lot of questions. After a group tour breaks up, there’s nothing wrong with asking the guide, “Hey can I see your lab? [if there is one to see.]” </p>
<p>Now, some places don’t offer summer tours. But the ones that do are actually looking for people who “start their homework done early”. (Nothing wrong with doing post-10th grade fall tours for a really early start.)</p>
<p>After getting home contact administration to find local-residing alumni, and contact them. Are alumni engaging, interesting people that you find yourself enjoying talking with? They’re busy people, but if they take time to meet with you, that’s an important thing, isn’t it? Colleges and universities are social enterprises. </p>
<p>Read institutional websites, including departmental research stories, and faculty web pages. Does anything grab you? If so, email a prof or two, and ask questions.</p>
<p>After doing these things, email admissions, and ask some questions that show you have done some “homework”. Start a conversation, preferably before they take summer vacation, or in the fall before they have to deal with apps. If you send a message, “I’m really interested in your institution,” it will help admissions people making acceptance decisions.</p>
<p>The college tour is a starting point. People can do what they want. I’m just saying that if you visit early, you can springboard to conversations, , and then make meaningful targeted choices. If you just want to do an autumn whirlwind tour, then apply to 10 elite institutions, maybe you’ll get in to one or more, based solely on your hs record, test scores, rec letters and essays, which is great, but if you’re totally rejected as an on-the-bubble student who didn’t quite come out on top, it may be because you didn’t try to make any connections that could have changed the outcome.</p>
<p>So I guess that means you are not going to start a new thread, but will continue to derail this one?</p>
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<p>What does speculation about Ivy feeder schools or athletic recruiting (which may or may not be relevant to the OP) have anything to do with the OP’s question about arranging visits?</p>
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<p>Well…first, you “can” fly to Hanover but it will cost you a fortune. You would actually fly into Lebanon NH…and drive to Hanover from there. BUT I don’t think you’ll be able to manage the connections of doing so. The trip across the country is a long one and there aren’t that many connections to the Lebanon Airport from the other east coast airports.</p>
<p>You can fly to Manchester NH (Southwest goes there) from the west coast…and then drive to Hanover from there. That is probably the simplest drive. You could fly into Hartford/Springfield (Bradley) and hop on 91 and head north to Dartmouth that way (you’ll cut over on 89) it’s about a 3 1/2 hour drive to D’mouth from there.</p>
<p>Personally I think your seven colleges in five days from across the country is VERY ambitious. Are you the student or the parent planning this trip?</p>