Weather will be a factor no matter what. We had been visiting several colleges in a row with my son and the days were all dreary. Finally we got a beautiful sunny day, and the college we visited that day became his favorite. He was smart enough to realize the role that weather played in that before he made his final decision.
I donât think the info sessions are bad. But they are long - and all the same.
Perhaps itâs based on quantity - we ended up going to like 35 schools. The best was a 4 day period where we hit 11 in NC and VA. We did one info session (ELON) of the 11 - they were the only one who offered. We talked to a Prof on the quad at Washington & Lee for thirty minutes - and that was very helpful.
Had we only visited 5 schools, perhaps itâd be different. But after a while - knowing you can go in undeclared, they have greek, they are holistic, they have clubs, they have study abroad - well, itâs tiresome.
Per Bill Marsh - I wouldnât say visiting when no one is there is a waste. We did - because frankly, it was the only alternative. Some schools were locked- and let us drive through but not get out of the car (hello Wake Forest and Richmond). That said, my daughter knew right away Wake was out - location wise and they had parking lots EVERYWHERE vs. having some parking garages. So what she saw were office buildings - with parking lots in front. Yes, they were academic but thatâs what she saw it as. I know many/most think Wake is beautiful.
My comment was - if they are in Philadelphia, there is no harm since they are there and walking around a few schools and getting a feel. It wasnât - they should go to Philadelphia to do this to see schools. They are already in Philadelphia - so going now saves them a trip that they likely wonât get to do otherwise.
What you can see is location, school setting, surroundings, architecture, etc. To some kids thatâs important - itâs why mine chose U of Alabama - to me, dumb. He was in at Purdue engineering - but to him, aesthetics mattered. I loved Swarthmore - he hated it. That wouldnât have mattered if kids were there or not.
So my note was simply related to - if you are already there - sure go get some exercise, walk the campus, have lunch nearby, etc.
Thatâs all.
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I reached out to Penn yesterday just for trying, âthey are not doing any campus in-person programming as a result of the COVID-19 pandemicâ, will try other colleges as wellâŠ
My point was that when there are students are on campus, the whole experience is different. What is seen as office buildings with parking lots - and Iâve had that same experience - fades into the background as attention is on the students instead of the buildings. In addition, students - both tour guides and casual encounters - highlight things which otherwise go unnoticed or are hidden. Finally, the fact that a campus is gorgeous and appealing in June/July doesnât matter in Jan/Feb/Mar.
Bottom line is that what matters ultimately is âwhat we do hereâ which you can only see and get a feel for when students are there and you can engage them.
Just my 2 cents.
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Many good colleges in Philadelphia area to consider for a quick visit: Drexel, Temple, St. Josephâs , LaSalle, Villanova, Haverford, to name only a few
Big changes at St. Joeâs. Theyâve just merged with/acquired University of the Sciences (formerly Philadelphia College of Pharmacy). This means that they now not only have a downtown campus to supplement their main campus on the city line, but it also means that their undergrad enrollment will soon be 6000+, putting it in the same neighborhood as Villanova.
It means that they will also be adding programs in PT, OT, and Pharmacy, all of which are direct admit to the doctoral level as long as a student maintains their grades. They are also adding a graduate level Physicianâs Assistant program which is not direct admit. If they maintain all of the programs currently offered by U of the Sciences, they will also be adding the following majors/minors:
Biochemistry
Bioformatics
Biomedical Sciences
Biophysics
Exercise Physiology
Medical Humanities
Microbiology
Neuroscience
Pharmacological Chemistry
Pharmacological Sciences
Pharmacological Toxicology
Physics (Joint BS/MS)
Pre-professional Physicianâs Assistant
Spanish for Health Care Professionals
Press releases have indicated that changes will go into effect for the 2022-23 school year.
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I thought the info sessions were valuable too. At some of the elite schools they said things like, âWe could fill the freshman class seven times over with kids who could do the workâ or âHalf of the students with perfect SAT scores are rejected.â There are always posts on CC from people wondering how they or their child with amazing stats could possibly have been rejected from College X and I think those help give some perspective. I also liked one comment that they want the essay written in the studentâs voice and not the voice of a 45-year-old. Many of the info sessions had students speak (i.e. I changed my major 3 times) and that was interesting.
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Itâs true, the best advice my son received regarding essays was from the AO who did the info session we attended at Occidental. She gave specific examples of some of her personal favorites from the admissions season that had just ended, and they were very eye-opening, an invitation to think creatively. The Occidental info session was in the âreally goodâ category, helped by the fact that we were sitting in a an open-air tent under the trees. The tour, on the other hand, was kind of so-so. The guide kept talking about the fact the school has the largest collection of Mexican bird specimens, which I thought was an odd choice of focus.
Typically their scripts, including bad jokes, are written by the school - hence they probably kept mentioning.
Honestly, I surprised to see all the pro-info session notes.
I think a few are fine - but when you have so so many, they all bleed. I was telling my wife whatâs being said on here and she was shocked. She only went to two and she was bored.
But we are all different as individuals.
Anyway, back to the OP - they said colleges (theyâve contacted I assume) are not offering visits this Summer - and asking if they should go.
I said yes; others disagreed.
Nonetheless, weâve gotten off tangent from the original request.
You are right, I think everyone needs to find their own path on these things, and figure out what works for their particular kids. I remember reading all of these threads before we did our first college tour with S19, and based on what I read, I diligently tried to persuade him he should sign up for classes, have lunch in the student dining hall, ask for interviews, etc. He very persistently resisted all of that, so what we were left with were info sessions and tours, plus he did reach out to the track coaches and met with them when possible. In the end, that approached worked well for him. I also had his sister taking pictures, and I was taking notes, based on all the posts saying we would surely forget which college was which if we did not - in the end we never looked at any of that. Ex ante, itâs a little daunting, but I donât think you can really go wrong except by cramming too many schools into too little time.
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Count me in among those who think visits and tours are generally more helpful than not, but of course not everyone has the opportunity to make college visits.
Even in the summer it can be worthwhile to go, to understand a schoolâs surrounding community, condition of buildings, overall look and feel. OP might visit schools that are open for admissions/tours, are in session this summer with students present (e.g., Oberlin), and/or schools with a less defined campus (e.g., NYU, BU).