<p>Ruby - I had the same question about summer visits and dug around CC and found a fair amount of feedback on the topic. I concluded it was better to wait. It sounds like it is difficult to get a real feel for the school without students on campus. Especially at small schools, many buildings may be locked and there may not be classes to visit. I think at large schools, you may be able to have a worthwhile visit. If a school is actually hosting an event (i.e, open house) I may give it a try, but otherwise we are going to have to find time in the fall.</p>
<p>I know what you’re saying – if at all possible, best to see the schools when they’re in session. We might try and do it late late late August/early Sept (since son’s school doesn’t start til after Labor Day).</p>
<p>I think that’s what I’m going to do too. Schools less than an hour or 90 minutes away we’ll go if they have an info session this summer but otherwise we’ll go this Fall or the last week of August.</p>
<p>My oldest son graduated from Roanoke College in Southwestern Virginia. Great LAC for B students with very good merit aid. Beautiful campus and a tight knit community. It’s right on the way to NC, minutes off of route 81.</p>
<p>Kathiep - I’d love to hear your thoughts on Camplain. It’s really high on my son’s list especially after he spent Memorial Day weekend there. I really like it too but sometimes waffle back and forth because it’s so career focused and not the “typical” small LAC.</p>
<p>We’re heading to Pennsylvania/New York in several weeks for a college tour. I can’t decide if it’s worth 6 additional hours of driving for Champlain, but the school intrigues me.</p>
<p>We just got back from visiting St. Edward’s in Austin TX. We were extremely impressed - just had to keep reminding ourselves that the weather is much, much better in the school year! If anyone is interested in St. Ed’s, I’d be happy to share our impressions.</p>
<p>I wish we could visit colleges in the fall, but I’m a school teacher and have very little flexibility to travel great distances at that time. All of D’s schools are a long way away too! We managed Chicago in February, because I really wanted her to experience the weather. Of course, it was in the 40s while we were there!</p>
<p>Champlain is very interesting because it’s an LAC, yet career focused school. My son that attends Champlain is #3 and several years younger then his older siblings. Growing up he saw how hard it was to get a job with a major that was NOT career focused. However, after visiting schools like RIT he realized he wanted to be a little more well rounded and not so stressed as he would be as perhaps a computer science major. He does not like programming even though he has taken several programming classes and done well in them.</p>
<p>His decision to attend Champlain was as much about the major and how well it fit him as well as how the overall school fit him. The emphasis on projects and papers instead of just a few tests was exactly how he liked to learn and how he preferred to be assessed. He was a B student in HS but ended his first year at Champlain with a 3.86 avg. His major, Computer Networking and Information Security, with emphasis on Network Security, is one of those high demand careers that happens to be fascinating for him. </p>
<p>Burlington is a 7 hour drive for us, but it does have an Amtrak station minutes from town and a taxi can take you into town or to the local airport to pick up a rental car. It also has Megabus that runs from Burlington to NYC or Boston. LOTS of kids from New England attend Champlain but because the Game Design major is so highly ranked, it also brings in kids from all over for that.</p>
<p>The town of Burlington is also extremely attractive. Many students don’t want to leave after graduation. My son has talked about staying on campus next summer and working there. The dorms are awesome. Because the campus is compact, weather has minimal impact.</p>
<p>Financial aid, merit-aid wise is not the best (we got about $10,000/year), but because of my son’s major and his future earning potential, he is taking out some loans. </p>
<p>mamaduck, What we did with a few colleges that were a distance away was to apply and then wait for acceptance and financial aid award and then visit at the accepted students event. My older son that attended Roanoke, didn’t see it until April of his senior year, just a couple of weeks before he had to make the decision. </p>
<p>It’s one thing to decide to apply, it’s another to decide to attend.</p>
<p>My son applied to at least a dozen colleges because financial aid was very important and merit aid can vary widely. Also, a college that may appeal at application time, may drop off the list by acceptance time.</p>
<p>I support what kathiep says about applying without visiting. If at all possible do have a safety that the student has visited and will be happy with if at all possible, but if financially doable go ahead and apply to some that are matches that you can’t visit because they are too far away or time does not allow. This worked out well for my D. For us anyway, once the FA was evaluated and acceptances received, my D narrowed it down to 3 schools- which she was able to visit and then make her choice. (All the schools she visited before applying ended up dropping off her short list. :rolleyes:)</p>
<p>I agree that it’s a good plan to apply then visit the short list. We have some fairly extenuating circumstances (dealing with a tuition exchange benefit we are eligible for in addition to the mentioned teacher schedule) that make that impractical. After our trip next month, we will have visited all but two of the schools D is interested in (one of those two is Champlain, unless we tack it on to the trip). If her final choice is a school that she visited in the summer I’ll spring for a return trip in the spring.</p>
<p>Very interesting comparison with RIT and Champlain. RIT is currently one of D’s top choices and is the main focus of our NY trip. She is signed up for the College and Careers two day event there, with an interest in New Media Design or Media Arts and Technology. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, Champlain is much stingier on the tuition exchanges than RIT so it may be a moot point.</p>
<p>For us, RIT was much less affordable then Champlain. My son got the Robotics scholarship of $10,000 but that was it. Also, I have a relative there that is struggling somewhat and will have to add on another year, making it a 6 year program. My son was concerned about that.</p>
<p>Champlain gives Tuition Exchange to less than 10% of qualified students; RIT to 52%. Of course, this is something that does not apply to more than a handful of students. We are requiring D to go to a school where she is offered Tuition Exchange, since it is worth $32,000 + a year. We are blessed to be eligible, but it is requiring a very focused college search.</p>
<p>Kathiep - thanks for that reply. The location, size, majors, and career placement are all the things that my son likes about the school. It’s probably his favorite at this point.</p>
<p>kathiep and kinderny
Did your kids have good luck getting accepted at colleges they did not visit? The GC at DS high school is pushing the visits “to show that you’re interested” but it’s too much and too expensive. Does it really factor in the admission process at the small LACs? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated-I guess I’m asking to be let off the hook on a lot of the visits that require an overnight stay.</p>
<p>Hi Guys,</p>
<p>Interesting posts. I have a few questions.
- What is tuition exchange, mamaduck?
- Kathiep, how “greek” is Roanoke?
Thanks!</p>
<p>As for applying without visiting, TONS of kids cannot visit before they apply and attend accepted students days after the fact to check them out. I think visits are helpful, but not essential. They most helpful for acceptance if kids are really in love with a school and want to show this to admissions. My D visited her school 11 times and then applied ED.</p>
<p>Tuition Exchange is a benefit for children of employees of participating colleges (usually private). Basically, because my husband works for a college our children can apply for full tuition benefits at participating institutions. An award is not guaranteed - each school only needs to “import” as many kids as they “export”. There are a few that give awards to all qualified applicants, but not many (Goucher, Syracuse, Bellarmine, Alma are a few that come to mind). There are other tuition programs, most notably one that is just between Catholic universities.</p>
<p>Exporting institutions can also put restrictions on employees - sometimes the exporting institution says only one child per family may use the award, or it’s awarded by the seniority of the employee. In our case, my husband’s employer only asks us to limit the number of colleges we apply to because of the paperwork involved. In addition, paperwork typically has to be done pretty early in the senior year, so we need to have a solid list soon. We will not be notified of awards until February or March.</p>
<p>That tuition exchange seems to be a Godsend/joykiller. I know several people that work at our local colleges and the exchange seems to be different for each college. </p>
<p>NPRMom, Roanoke has a fairly strong Greek presence, but I don’t think you feel left out if you don’t pledge. My son didn’t. His group of friends were in the Outdoor Adventure club and they had friends that were in frats. Not all of them live in the frat houses either. </p>
<p>I think larger colleges don’t care as much if you visit them. Smaller ones within a couple of hours of your home are the ones more likely to expect you to visit and some colleges like Elon, definitely want you to “show the love.” I wouldn’t bend over backward if it’s very expensive to make the trip, if it’s a real reach or if it’s just a maybe. Apply, go to fall open houses if you can fit them in or just visit after acceptance.</p>
<p>Rubytuesday- Every place my D got accepted, she had not yet visited. She was WLed at RPI which is about 30 minutes away, and had visited informally a number of times. That could have affected her admittance- or, you know, those B’s could have done it. ;)<br>
I know there are some schools that definitely want you to show the love but none of my D’s needed it (Elmira, Manhattanville, LeMoyne, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Albany, Siena, Hampshire). Many of those schools are very close to us, too.</p>
<p>Thanks Kinderny, good to know. Siena is on our list too.</p>
<p>Upon reflection, I think she visited Siena before she was accepted but after she applied (she had been away for the fall semester). Siena might be one of those that requires an interview but I am not sure.</p>
<p>heavy, that’s good news.</p>
<p>Re “showing the love”, it is most important if you are seeking merit aid (schools do not want to offer their limited $ to kids who are not very interested) and with schools which are trying to maximize their US News stats re % of accepted kids who enroll. As a result, it is often most important at schools which are for B+ students, but which are often used by A students as safeties. Such schools resent their yield being driven down by kids who never bother to visit. In a similar vein, many schools, such as Muhlenberg and Franklin & Marshal, accept many kids ED they would not accept RD.</p>
<p>Obviously, the farther from the school you are, the more likely not visiting will be understood–but you might want to contact admissions and ask if a rep will visit your area.</p>