<p>My son has it narrowed down to 3 colleges and I would like him to participate in their overnight programs to see which school would be the best fit.</p>
<p>Has anyone else had experiences with this process? I suppose it all depends on who you get for you campus guide and roommate.</p>
<p>(of course my son's idea of getting a feel for the school would be to sit on a bench in the quad for about 15 minutes and see what the kids look like)</p>
<p>They worked very well for my daughter as it cemented her first choice school and flipped her second and third choice schools.</p>
<p>They did not work as well for my son.</p>
<p>I didn’t get to do any before I picked a school, however I got to stay a night for my summer orientation at the school I picked and it was VERY informative. I got to use their showers, deal with the shortcomings of their dorm rooms, and get a feel for what it was like to live in their city and if I would be comfortable living there. If I’d had the opportunity to do something like that during my selection process I’d definitely have taken it.</p>
<p>The overnight stays can be very valuable in helping to make a selection and I would recommend them if possible. However, you are correct that the experience is going to be based primarily on the person you are assigned to. It is similar to judging a college by your experience with a campus tour guide. The schools do make a pretty good effort to attract students that will present them in the best light but it is not always consistent. We noticed that fewer colleges are offering the overnight option so if your finalists all offer the program, I would take advantage of it.</p>
<p>This was a good process for my D at several schools. She got a much better feel for the colleges than she did from the standard tour/info session. The best part for her was getting to hang out with others in her expected major. She got an immediate sense of the people she would be spending much of her time with, and also got the inside scoop on the pros and cons of the program. So I think it’s most helpful if the visiting student is paired with someone who shares his or her expected academic field or extracurricular activity. D attended accepted students day at one college and roomed with someone with whom she had no common ground, and I think it gave her a unfairly skewed impression of the place–she didn’t enroll. Some schools make an effort to place the overnighter with a simpatico student, some don’t. I’d certainly ask that they do so.</p>
<p>D had a bad experience with her host student during a scholarship weekend at a college she otherwise liked which offered her excellent FA. (Host roommate–who volunteered to host HS students-- was unbelievably rude, locked D out of room, slammed the school, put down/mocked other students who didn’t share her views, kept her boyfriend in the room, playing loud music, making out in bed right next to D–who was supposed to be sleeping on floor in a sleeping bag. 2nd roommate also had a guy visiting until late–5 people crammed in one little room?–and D had interviews, had to write an essay for competition the next day). D didn’t want to complain since it was only one night, and she didn’t even know who to complain to–RA’s weren’t introduced. The school, to its credit, followed up with phone calls to students who’d participated in the weekend. They got an earful! They apologized and offered her another weekend to visit. But D was looking at other schools and just couldn’t get over that total turnoff and never went back. At two other schools she had good experiences with hosts (one host slept on floor and INSISTED D sleep in her bed, walked D to every event so she’d have no chance of getting lost, bought snacks, etc. Just perfect hospitality. . .) </p>
<p>Another school she toured but didn’t stay overnight–the tour guide just seemed so bored, stuck up, annoyed at people’s questions. And that was a turnoff, too.</p>
<p>So, yes, the people you meet can really make or break your impression of a school.
At least it gives you more info. to make a decision.</p>
<p>D1 went to overnights at every school to which she applied, and they were very helpful. But she did two at the college she ultimately attended – the first was terrific, the second not so good. Had she only had that second visit, it’s hard to know if she still would have picked the school. I can see why some colleges don’t do them anymore.</p>
<p>S went for overnights at 2 of the schools from which he had acceptances. Very helpful, both.</p>
<p>I think they are useful but highly idiosyncratic. If your kid stays with a kid who is not nice or parties wildly, your kid can get an inaccurate impression of the school. Similarly, if the host and his/her friends are really interesting, your child’s impression may be too favorable. </p>
<p>Except for two visits, my son waited for admitted students shindigs. He said, “These schools have acceptance rates of 10% or 18%. Why should I fall in love now? Let me wait until I got in.” Then, he had very useful conversations with Deans and administrators that helped determine his choice.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how much the overnights help potential students to really experience the college, what they experience is mostly the roommate… And kids this age seem to generalize their experiences with one or two students to the entire population (at least my son did).</p>
<p>My older daughter stayed overnight at her first choice school. She had been accepted and planned to attend, but wanted to spend time on campus (it was in Florida and February - sounded like a great idea!) Her hostess, a freshman and underage, took my daughter bar hopping and emphasized all the fun things to do off campus. My daughter was not expecting such a rowdy introduction to the college experience and was totally turned off. We talked to the admissions office about the overnight and they were very apologetic, but my daughter had made up her mind and decided to go elsewhere.</p>
<p>My other daughter stayed overnight at several campuses and I was struck by how little preparation or training was given to the hosts. Since the overnight is an introduction to what life is like on that campus one would think that the hosts would be more carefully selected and prepared.</p>
<p>So while I agree that one shouldn’t judge a college by the quality of the overnight, admissions should be aware that high school seniors are still just impressionable 17 or 18 year olds who usually haven’t had a lot of experience living away from home.</p>
<p>Overnights for D were very helpful, eliminating last nagging questions about her first choice school and giving the competition a fair shake. Hosts were wildly variable but I think—as long as one doesn’t over generalize—the visits are a nice complement to the more formal, structured events.</p>
<p>There are a few schools that I know offer their overnight once you are accepted, but is it something the school offers OR do you ask admissions if your son/daughter can stay over prior to applying?</p>
<p>My son only did overnights for accepted student weekends. His CMU one gave a taste of what it would be like as a future CS major. The three drama students in the suite played video games with the four kids they were hosting - the CS student had homework to finish. (It was a Sunday night.) He had a good time. His Harvard host basically just had the room available but was not particularly outgoing. (And heaven knows my son probably wasn’t either.) Son found his crowd to hang out with in a fantasy/sci fi game playing club and enjoyed himself anyway.</p>
<p>My friend’s d had a terrific overnight at Northwestern. She loved everything about it and came away with tremendous enthusiasm. She knew she’d found the perfect school–then she didn’t get in. Her mother really regretted sending her before she was accepted, feeling that made it all the more heartbreaking. </p>
<p>My ds is a host for his school, and though I know he’s a very nice guy who has a genuine interest in showing kids his school–I also know he’s doing it for the $100 bucks. That probably explains some of the less-than enthusiastic hosts. I do know that the visitor rates the host, so hopefully some of those awful ones get weeded out before the next year.</p>
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<p>He is an astute one. That is not a bad way to see a college. </p>
<p>Much better than being taken on the tour to see the beautiful chapel, the library, and the iron gates that are always shut except for certain days.</p>
<p>Son did 2 overnights- 1 at the college where all thought he would “fit” best- Chicago, and 1 at Dartmouth’s accepted students weekend. Both were very valuable visits. They confirmed in his mind the stories he had heard about both colleges- the kind of students, the atmosphere, etc. If Chicago’s FA offer had been more than it was then- $1K in loans- he would probably be there today. But in the end, he ended up at his financial safety, and hasn’t regretted it for many reasons, including financial. So ya never know.</p>
<p>VP, I think the potential pain of seeing a college and then getting rejected is worth it. D liked Yale a lot and then was rejected outright ED. Shrug. But the process of visiting, including overnights, significantly changed the mix and profiles of the schools she applied to and thus was a very useful experience.</p>
<p>In particular, with her, the whole LAC thing didn’t fully click until she had done an overnight. With other students, other issues might surface and/or be resolved. The point of the exercise is to come up with best choices, not minimize bruised ego.</p>
<p>Question: Are overnights typically for accepted students? </p>
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<p>There are a few schools that I know offer their overnight once you are accepted, but is it something the school offers OR do you ask admissions if your son/daughter can stay over prior to applying?</p>
<p>ny mom, every school has a different policy on overnight stays so you would need to check with the admissions department of each one or check their web site.</p>
<p>Even with the caveats, well stated above, I think overnights work best when the student has some idea what s/he wants to learn from the overnight. </p>
<p>For example, my son stayed overnight at a relatively isolated New England LAC in the dead of winter to see what the campus was like during its most difficult season. He also sat in as many courses as he could fit in. He met a range of students. </p>
<p>He tried to maximize getting a balanced picture of the school.</p>