Thanks, will definitely check it out.
D23 did EPIC but it was during Covid, so all online/impossible to compare to in-person.
She found it interesting enough, though it was likely a shell of the IRL program.
I love college tours! D24 did several tours in August and her school took her class to tour William & Mary and Christopher Newport in the fall. She wants to go to a concert in Atlanta over Spring Break so we will tour Emory while there.
S24 will do his first official tours Presidents weekend. We have signed up to tour Davidson, Wake Forest, Washington & Lee, and Richmond. I am excited to see what he thinks of them.
Both of my kidsâ college counselors really encourage ED. S24 loves the idea of ED because he wants to be done! D24 is interested in some highly rejective schools and likely needs ED to improve her odds.
All the tours make me wish I could go to college again!
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That is a lot to cover in one week. Have you thought about a saving UCSD for another trip and adding UCSB on the way down? I would also add USC. The university is big but the school of engineering is relatively small.
Since you live in No Cal, I would visit Davis as well.
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The Your College Bound Kid podcast started a blog and has some really helpful articles on it, including one about how to decide which colleges to apply to, how to handle college interviews, and a bunch of other topics. They mentioned the blog in this weekâs latest podcast. Iâve found the articles to be really helpful. Sharing the link in case it might help anybody else, too.
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For those of you with students who might be eligible for one of the College Board Recognition Programs (African American, Hispanic, and âRural and Small Townâ):
BigFuture will email invitations on January 18. Students will only be contacted about recognition if they have consented to College Board outreach. Students who have opted out of College Board outreach and believe they meet the eligibility criteria must self-nominate.
Pretty sure my kid opted out of college search stuff from CB. Is that what they are referring to as âCollege Board outreachâ? Edit: just found a spot in CB to Opt InâŠ
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Where is that? Is it different from college search?
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On this page, scroll down to where it says âHow to Qualify for National Recognition Programs,â and then scroll down just beyond that, where it says:
Students
Colleges and scholarship programs are looking for students like you!
with a button that says âOpt Inâ
And that just takes you to the Student Search Service, correct? I donât think older kids had to do this⊠I hate the piles of mail that come from colleges we have zero interest in.
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I think it does take you to Student Search Service. I too am annoyed. And simultaneously concerned for kids who opted out of SSS but might be eligible for CBRP (and arenât aware of the programs). It didnât used to be this way.
Please report back when you get the email so we know to look for it/self-nominate if needed. I am not 100% convinced that signing up for student search is required. The language was unclear. College Board Outreach may simply refer to getting emails from the college board itself. I guess we will find out tomorrow!
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Yes, definitely not visiting all in one week. We have family there so visit often and probably will split it up a bit. Weâve also already seen UCLA (my alma mater) on D21âs tours. Will check out USC as well (although as a UCLA grad I will find it hard to pay for it if itâs one of the choices).
Weâre set with one trip to U Michigan, one trip to Wake Forest, and one trip to Syracuse all over the next month. Itâs all spread out but DH and I are taking turns. Iâm psyched to see Wake.
In June (after exams), we hope to take S24 to see U Texas, Indiana, and U Wisconsin. For some reason, itâs finally hitting me that kiddo #2 is going to be heading out the door in another 18 months.
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My older son goes to UNCSA which is in Winston Salem with Wake Forest and it is a great town, totally love it. Easy to fly in and out of Greensboro and they have lots of options for things to do outside of school.
We never got to see U Michigan and the music school is on the list for S24. I am not sure though how you navigate a school of 40,000!
Somewhere on these threads, someone pointed out that itâs easier to make a large school feel smaller (by attending a specific program or school-within-the university) than it is to make a small school feel larger. Thatâs what I tell myself when S24 starts talking about places like Michigan or Indiana.
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Agreed, and music programs are small. That is definitely one we will visit only if he loves the teacher.
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Scheduled a Univ of New Mexico campus tour for the start of our spring break in March! FYI to anyone whoâs interested - apparently, you can also schedule a separate dorm tour, which is not included in the regular campus tour. Weâre also going to hit up NMSU during spring break and going to visit White Sands since YDD is a history buff. A good friend of mine went to NMSU back in the dayâŠwe both secretly hope that D24 likes NMSUâŠthe surrounding area has a vibe that sheâll probably like.
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The on campus housing at UNM is definitely cheaper than our AZ in state options!
And they allow pets!!
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I saw that. But, for example, in the Casa del Rio dorm, if you want to have a pet, you canât use their roommate finder toolâŠyou have to find your own roommate. We are a cat family and are not going to allow D24 to have a cat w/her in the dorm if she attends UNMâŠnone of the cats weâve ever had have been good travelers. One kitty used to poop in his carrier every time he got into the car. It was truly foul. 
1 of our current cats always pees himself when you put him in the carrier. It totally stresses him out.
However, I do think that going on a separate tour of the Casa del Rio dorms wouldnât be a bad idea. Thereâs video and photos of it online that Iâm going to have D24 go check out before our visit.
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