<p>They claim they don't have money to spend on plane tickets or the time to come and visit but I want to visit all the schools I got into. I feel like it'd be extremely dumb to commit to a school without seeing it up close. I'm so frustrated. Would it be horrible of me to blindly commit to a school? Time is running out and I have 8 options to choose from, all of which I love. And only 2 of them are in my home state. :/</p>
<p>It sounds creepy, but if you know someone on facebook who goes to one of those colleges, then you can check to see if they (or their friends) have pictures of the campus and the life that goes on in it. Otherwise, if friends of yours are visiting those colleges, you could ask them to take pictures for you, or you could ask for them to take you along provided that you chip in with a few dollars. That option really only works if your colleges are road-trip material. Some colleges will pay you to come visit them, and you actually end up making money factoring travel expenses. Looking at the pictures provided by the college never seems to be realistic, but if you can find pictures by students or parents who have visited, they can really help.</p>
<p>From personal experience, visiting colleges can make or break your opinion of them. For example, I knew nothing about Colgate before I visited, and while I was there I absolutely fell in love with the campus. On the flip side, I thought I loved Providence College until I visited and then I realized the students and the philosophy of the college completely didn’t mesh with me. These things aren’t easy to pick up on from pictures, but pictures from students can give insight into what life would be like there.</p>
<p>^ Thanks for the advice. I spend way too much time on Facebook enough as it is so I might just go picture-hunting. It’s better than nothing. </p>
<p>Yeah I agree that visiting can make or break how you feel, which is super important. I guess I just have to keep begging mom and dad…</p>
<p>Well then go on a college visit trip on yourself or grab a couple friends of yours who got into same schools with you. I personally don’t believe the cost of such a trip can be horrendously high. A friend of mine (I’m Canadian) visited 8 of the top 10 schools in the US on himself and it only cost him slightly over $1000. Of course he didn’t stay at any 5-star hotel but the living and travelling condition were at least acceptable. Just use some of your summer savings, peruse through the Greyhound bus schedule, locate all motels you will probably stay at and go ahead to visit the colleges.</p>
<p>^ $1000 actually sounds very reasonable for 8 schools. For some reason my parents keep saying each plane ticket will cost $500, which is quite discouraging.</p>
<p>you also don’t have to fly. I see you live in california, and my family took a road trip from socal all the way up to vancouver in 2 weeks with decent stops, so i would assume you could do your schools on the west coast by driving, not plane tickets. also, you can get a round trip ticket, provided that you book it reasonably early, for $200 about halfway across the country. now if you’re looking at east coast schools…that would be quite the trip flying across country + renting a car and hotels.</p>
<p>Luckily none of my schools are on the east. I like the road trip idea too. I have spring break next week so it’d be quite feasible too.</p>
<p>Be sure to take some friends with you, for safety as well as for sharing some costs.</p>
<p>three words, “Take the bus”</p>
<p>What schools did you get into? If I visited any one of them I can tell you my impression as well as direct you to any sites that have pictures of the campus.</p>
<p>You could order the Collegiate Choice Walking Tour videos.
[Collegiate</a> Choice Walking Tours Videos - college videos, campus tours, virtual college tours, college planning,](<a href=“http://www.collegiatechoice.com/]Collegiate”>http://www.collegiatechoice.com/)</p>
<p>If time and money are tight, there is really no reason to visit 8 schools. Narrow it down to your top 3 choices and then approach them, after you’ve researched exactly how much this trip will cost. They may be more receptive to that approach.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Are you positive your family has openly discussed finances and there is no question about your parents’ commitment to pay for you to attend any or all of these schools, esp. the 6 OOS?</p></li>
<li><p>The fact you are holding 8 equally desirable acceptances indicates you haven’t sufficiently researched and discriminated among your choices. (Water under the bridge, but they should already have been sorted into safety, match and reach.) You should be able to toss a few and prioritize the rest, and you don’t have to make in-person visits to make that list. Use the Internet (college websites, Wikipedia, u n i g o reviews/videos, the 8 college forums here, etc.) and Fiske/similar guides in your counselor’s office to create a spreadsheet, pros/cons list or other evaluative document that covers all significant factors, e.g., size, location, climate, cost (tuition, housing/food, travel to/from), degree plan(s) for you, depth & breadth of classes offered within, survey class sizes, profs or TAs, freshman core?, advising, housing/car scenario for freshmen, school/degree reputation and ranking, school finances, ECs, Greeks, town life, etc., and especially whatever’s unique to your interests, e.g., study abroad, diversity of student body or closest beach…whatever’s important to your quality of life and college experience over the next 4 years, it needs to be on the list.</p></li>
<li><p>If I’m your parent, and you come to me with a “top 3” (give or take) backed by solid research and a well-articulated rationale re: why these appear to be good fits for you + a list of questions you have about each school, there’s no way I will deny you the opportunity to go visit because, you’re right, it’d be crazy for you to enroll/me to commit to pay for a school you’ve never seen. (This assumes finances aren’t an issue.)</p></li>
<li><p>You need to do this FAST. Real world lesson: Air fare deals are best with 14+ days advance booking, better at 7+ and usually ridiculously high within that last week. And…of course…next week is Easter and Passover, so there’s the holiday premium and the fact that tons of schools are on Spring Break. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Although you might find a last-minute deal, realistically, you need to consider doing a road trip next week. It’d be a great time to look at the 2 in-state schools (no matter where they fall in your prioritization–you will learn a lot about how to get the most out of a college visit just by going to those two schools). </p>
<p>Note, also, that visiting during a big holiday/SB week is not ideal–there will be a crush of HS kids visiting colleges next week. Another reason to use the time to look at your in-states and save the OOS colleges for later in the month.</p>
<p>So…before this Friday, you need to complete your research & make a proposal to your parents about the OOS schools you want to visit. </p>
<br>
<br>
<ol>
<li>Last, maybe there’s an issue about your parents not wanting you to travel alone? It’s hard to let go, and there are legitimate security concerns! We didn’t relish the idea of our daughter flying across the country alone, either, but we let her do it to see her top 2, one during the admitted student day/overnight and the other with a custom-scheduled visit with overnight.</li>
</ol>
<br>
<br>
<p>Not horrible at all. In fact it used to be the norm. Only in recent decades has the school visit come to be regarded as necessary. Generations of college students went off to college having never seen the campus prior to showing up for registration at the beginning of their freshman year.</p>
<p>Your parents have to manage their money as best they can. That may well not include college visits. Is a college visit nice to have? Of course. Can you get by without it? Of course.</p>
<p>Do any of those schools offer Admitted Student Weekends? Sometimes there is financial aid for Admitted Student Weekends, so that financially-strapped students can visit the school.</p>
<p>1. Are you positive your family has openly discussed finances and there is no question about your parents’ commitment to pay for you to attend any or all of these schools, esp. the 6 OOS?</p>
<p>I was wondering if your parents are doing this to discourage you from schools that they can’t afford to help you attend.</p>
<p>What is your EFC? Have your parents said that they will pay their EFC and any other extra unpaid costs???</p>