@califmom23 I live outside of Boston and agree that you don’t necessarily need a car for the Boston schools…except to get to Babson. You are going to pay to park at most Boston hotels…as high as $50/day. I would think about starting without a car and then picking up a rental car for the Babson leg and driving to NYC. Amtrak Boston to NY isn’t cheap…as expensive as flying. Regarding your Midwest tour…consider Indiana University in Bloomington Indiana. The Kelley School of Business is very well regarded. Good luck and have fun! We have visited most of the schools on your list with my two kids.
Someone mentioned Pods. If that strikes your fancy, also consider Yotel (& Arlo). Similar concept. Young vibe. Your student is bound to love them. Takes “contemporary” one step further from Alt/Loft.
Sadly hotels are rather pricey in Boston and NYC.
We stayed at the Midtown when visiting Northeastern years ago.
https://www.midtownhotel.com/local-colleges-and-universities.htm
Longshot - check to see if they rent apartments to NEU visitors (they are available for families at summer freshman orientation)
You should definitely add Bentley to your visit list. It’s an absolute must. (IMO it’s worth a trip over Babson).
Also, while in Boston or NYC if you are using a car, download Spot Hero on your phone. You can save so much money on parking! Seriously.
Thank you all for you your suggestions! One thing I’m taking is to not rent a car. Coming from CA it’s almost the first thing I would be inclined to do. We might consider it on our last day if we decide to drive to NYC. Definitely adding Kelley to our Midwest tour. And thank you for suggesting Bentley. I’ so glad I found this forum! 
“I would not rent a car in Boston – or for this trip. Uber and Amtrak are your friend – as well as the T and the subway.”
It’s actually not bad at all to rent/drive a car in Boston in the summer- there is alot more street parking and less people overall. It would be so convenient and cheaper. You could still take the T between the downtown colleges and leave the car parked on the street, but then have it for the suburban school visits and to go to NY. Then you turn it in in NY and use public transportation there.
I would recommend flying into Boston and out of NY to reduce driving times.
Much better to experience these cities without a car, since that is what your kid will be doing. Public transportation plus Uber or Lyft.
We have had good experiences with Airbnb in Cambridge.
Glad you noticed Bentley. I get Babson and Bentley mixed up! Babson is right next to Olin which is interesting: they have some cross registration I believe.
Unsolicited advice:
Why are you applying to high cost private schools on the east coast vs. your wonderful affordable in state schools?
Not the OP but UC admissions have become a bit of a crapshoot the last couple of years and a lot of CA residents want some other options.
Agree re flying from nyc to Boston. I don’t quite remember the details but we used air miles when we did this and I don’t think we needed very many. Logan airport is very convenient.
And agree re CA schools, the likelihood of getting into the “equivalent” type state school is a bit of a lottery. Remember that CA does not give anywhere near the favor to instate applicants that many other states do.
I agree that parking in Boston won’t be awful in the summer. I really like the Residence Inn Fenway/Back Bay because it comes with a kitchen. When you’re on a slog of a trip like that eating out all the time is no fun. But…looking and yikes nearly $400/night is not great. So then I would recommend the outskirts where it’s easy to come in through Watertown. There are a whole bunch of hotels in Waltham, which will be close to the B schools.
@califmom23 Are you familiar with the Boston area? It is a very difficult place to drive. Probably the most difficult of any city in the US. I would highly recommend finding the nicest, cheapest hotel somewhere near a T station on the Green Line and use the T for all of your college visits in Boston. I think you can get a Charlie Ticket at the T stations which are good for the subway/trolley and buses. You can take the Blue Line directly from Airport Station at Logan to Government Center where you can connect to the Green Line.
Then take Amtrak from Boston South Station to NYC Penn Station and use the NYC Metro for all your visits there. It will save on a lot of stress and anxiety and you can see the cities in the same way that students see them (i.e. using public transportation).
The cost of Amtrak varies by how far in advance you make your reservation, so make it early-ish. I’m always surprised when people complain about the cost from NY to Boston. It’s usually a lot cheaper than from NY to DC.
@bopper - If you are middle class at all, UC schools are expensive. My two sons are out of state. Each is attending a great school for 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of UCLA and UCI where they were accepted.
I totally agree. The roads twist in unpredictable ways and you need to be on your toes at all times–you can end up in the “wrong” lane very easily. And then there’s the other drivers 
There’s a reason for the nickname for Boston area drivers that is very impolite. (Massols) It has taken me a dozen trips to my daughter in Cambridge to not have my blood pressure spike driving there.
We are not familiar with Boston. This would be our first time there. I think that a little break from driving may not be a bad idea. Someone suggested something close to T station. I’ll do some research for hotels near transportation but let me know if anyone has any recommendations of hotels within walking distance to transportation. NYC may be a little easier to navigate since we have been there before. Thank you so much!
My little Boston story–years ago I went with a friend for a few days. We received 3 parking tickets in 24 hours. Parking is worse than driving.
@donnaleighg Two years ago we went to visit BC with our sons. Their Italian teacher said go for pastries and we took a walk around Harvard. When leaving Cambridge ( thankfully I was the passenger), we ended up in a roundabout. I was about to cry, and yes, we heard the nickname prior to our visit and saw examples of said MA drivers that day!
Another vote for not renting a car. Boston and NYC suck for parking.
Seton Hall and Manhattan College are two more options in NY area. If you visit Manhattan and/or Fordham then the 1 subway line is convenient only if you stay on the upper West side of Manhattan. We just visited Manhattan college and paid a fortune in Uber/Lyft because we stayed on the East side!