<p>I've been quite busy in the college search process, and have created a list of schools that I'm interested in (I'm a senior and will be applying in the next few weeks). The problem is, that I live in Nebraska, the heart of the Midwest, where as most of the schools that I'm applying to are on the east coast or the north (and thus not within a reasonable driving distance). My parents can't afford to fly me around the country to visit schools, and though many of the schools are in the same vicinity (all the schools are located in three areas: D.C., Chicago, or Boston). I'm hoping that during my spring break next year, I'll be able to save enough money to visit a few of the schools (depending on where I'm accepted to). </p>
<p>Meanwhile, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get a good feel/perspective of these schools? I don't want to make the same mistake my cousin did and enroll at a school I've never been to. Will virtual tours suffice?</p>
<p>Don't fret. Lots of people don't visit schools before applying. You can make your list for applying by reading college guidebooks, the web sites (which really do send off a feel about their culture) and reading and asking questions on this site. Balance your list. When you get acceptances, you can then see how financial aid offers affect your set of choices and hopefully you can visit several.</p>
<p>Virtual tours aren't enough. Get it narrowed down to a few (maybe wait to see where you're accepted?), and then go visit at least some of them. Most colleges give off a very definite vibe that will often make you say "I hate this place" or "I love this place." You can't really get that from a virtual tour. Which colleges in particular are you intrerested in? In the meantime, you should visit some colleges near home, just to get a feel for the types of things you like and don't like.</p>
<p>To reassure you..my DD wanted more than anything to study outside California. We had heard fromm other parents of seniors who in years past had visited schools-just knew the one they wanted to attend-and then not get in.They had recommended to wait until the acceptances came. So..DD went online, read brochures, took "video tours",talked to friends who were atending those schools, and made her list. We spent spring break of her senior year visiting the schools. It worked out fine.G'luck!</p>
<p>TourGuide446 may think that virtual tours are not enough, but really, it is not necessary to spend all that money at this stage. DD applied to 7 schools, one of which she had visited. She then got into six, none of which she had visited, and decided to visit three. It has worked out well.</p>
<p>By the way, a friend who is an alumni interviewer for Brown recommended this as a strategy, as have other friends.</p>
<p>APOL and momfromme, thanks for your help - that was the same rationale that I have/had. What if I visit a school (which the number of schools I visit will be limited financially), and don't get accepted? That's a waste of my money, especially when I may have missed out on a more ideal college, because I visited the other one instead.</p>
<p>I've tried visiting the school sites, some of them have virtual tours, though many do not. I also tried searching Google Images for pictures of the campus, and it's difficult to find pictures of the campus itself!</p>
<p>most college websites have a link for student life, and in that you can find info about residential life. with that, you can usually look at the residence halls on campus, see what an average dorm room looks like, how big they are, who lives where, etc. just a suggestion if dorm life is important to you.</p>
<p>Thanks bosox - I tried your suggestion, and thus far, for the two schools I've checked - I can't seem to find pictures of the inside of their dorms. All I can seem to find is a tour of the outside (not as useful).</p>
<p>Best thing to do is to visit. If you can't feasibly visit, certainly request as much info as you can, and make sure that you've tried every route to visit the schools you really want to apply to.</p>
<p>INHO, what the dorms look like is less important than campus culture. You can definitely get a sense of that from guidebooks, the college fora here, and websites.</p>