<p>My father and I plan on touring Bowdoin, Colby, and Bates at some point during the year. He really wants me to get the vibe of the campuses, but we don't necessarily want to go when there are feet of snow. I play soccer, and so all September-November is not free for me to tour. When would be the best time to tour? Is it okay to tour in the winter, or should I try to go before school starts? Or just wait until spring?</p>
<p>I would tour sooner rather than later, so you can actually see what the colleges are like before you apply to them.</p>
<p>if you want to avoid the snow just on the tour , what are you going to do when you are going to school @ when of the mentioned places? just attend school during the summer!? you should go at the worst of the winter to see of it is ok by your standards.</p>
<p>I definitely agree with the above poster, tour when the conditions are the worst. If you can accept when the conditions are worst on campus, you’ll definitely be fine when the conditions are good. I mean you’ll be attending school during the winter so why not get a feel for what it will feel like most of the time. I go to a northern school and there are people who visit Ann Arbor in the summer and think that it’s really great and come half expecting things to be like that all year and find that the campus isn’t as nice during the winter and they have trouble dealing with the long winter when they actually get here.</p>
<p>because i do live in new jersey, we are somewhat scared to schedule a trip during the winter because we would be driving and booking a hotel so we could see all three. i understand i should see the school at its worst, but its a matter of being able to get there that causes our hesitation.</p>
<p>Why not schedule something during your high school fall break? That way your parents could see the NE foliage. </p>
<p>It also might be fun to book a hotel in a smaller and pedestrian-friendly city like Portsmouth, NH, which would add a day to the travel time, but make the drive shorter and more entertaining. </p>
<p>It won’t really seriously snow in Maine until after Halloween, and sometimes not until Christmas. Foliage peak-time is about early to mid-October. The town that Bates is in (the dirty 'Lew) is central between Colby and Bowdoin, but Brunswick tends to have more that appeals to visiting parents (it’s all about the parents) that you can get to on foot. The other option is to find something in Portland, ME, which is about 40 minutes to Bates, and 30 minutes to Bowdoin, but further to Colby.</p>
<p>If you have an extra day to spare after the tours, and the weather is good, you might take your parents to Pemaquid, Camden, or Kennebunkport. You will probably visit Freeport since it’s only about 15 minutes out from Bowdoin.</p>
<p>It is important to go when school is in session. Look at the school academic calendars – you may be able to get a visit or two in during late Aug. depending on the start dates for the school. If your family can take a day or two off, you can go in early December as well. Later in the winter should not be a problem unless you get unlucky with snow and have to reschedule a trip (again check the calendar and try to go before or after the school’s Finals week/Winter break). All three schools are close by which helps matters. And your dad is right, the schools do have somewhat different vibes.</p>
<p>If September through November are completely out of the question then go now; any data is better than no data when trying to decide if you want to apply. You may visit the three and decide that two are non-starters and therefore need to add other schools. Much better to know that now rather than December.</p>
<p>The other idea would be to see if there’s any lull in your soccer schedule that your coach would allow you to get away for two days.</p>
<p>Are you a rising senior (applying for Fall 2013) or a rising junior, applying in another year? If you’re a rising junior, then go after the sports season in either late fall or spring. If you’re a rising senior, go now.</p>
<p>I’m a junior. it’s just I know next year before I apply I won’t have time to tour because of soccer.</p>
<p>When it started snowing just as we pulled up for my son’s required interview in Maine, I got very nervous but of course no one in Maine batted an eye. Things just kept going right on schedule, nothing got out early, even though there were 6-8 inches on the ground by the time he was finished with observations etc in the mid-afternoon. We ended up extending our stay for another night rather than driving back in the storm. </p>
<p>Unlike NJ or CT, Maine really does know how to handle snow. If you go in the winter, bring boots, but short of snowpocalypse, driving will be fine. It’ll be when you get farther south on your way home that you’ll run into trouble!</p>