<p>Part of our job as parents is to encourage our children in whatever stage they participate in, whether it is dance recitals, science fairs, sports, music lessons, or going off to college...</p>
<p>Don't forget, this is the beginning of a new stage, you becoming an independent adult, so your parents understand that the college visits are an important part of finding the right college for you...and that soon they will have to be less involved in your everyday life...so this is just another part of parenting, with an opportunity to see you interact in a new environment before you leave the nest...</p>
<p>I absolutely loved visiting colleges with my kids. This is such a great opportunity for parents and kids to have some one on one time without the distractions of your normal routines. Picturing your child in their next phase of life, sharing meals and comparing notes are all experiences parents will treasure. Take dad with you and have a fabulous time, I know he will.</p>
<p>I have loved the visits I've done so far with my D. I must say that it took a few colleges to learn that I should NEVER say whether or not I liked the school. If I liked it...then she had to hate it. I could kick myself for saying how much I loved Wellesley since she now won't even consider it.</p>
<p>I counted about 19 college visits which you are considering. To me that seems like too many. I would suggest that you sharpen you focus a bit. When our son was looking we visited 10 colleges and that was plenty for him. They included Penn State, Cornell, Rochester, Case and Oberlin among others.</p>
<p>I, for one, think visits are somewhat overrated. Yes, they can make an indelible first impression but whose to say that it accurately reflects the college. For instance, our son disliked his URochester visit but loved his Oberlin and Case visits. His Cornell visit left him saying "eh whatever". Who is to say what caused these reaction. Perhaps the tour guide, the weather, student encounters, the interviewer or the dh food.</p>
<p>And for us, his parents, the visits became somewhat repetitous after a while. In fact his visit to Penn State he did on his own.</p>
<p>I would suggest that you pare down your list to a max of about 8 colleges which are at the top of your list, trying to select a broad range of choices. Once you receive the colleges decisions, you can always visit or revisit the top 3 or 4 choices.</p>
<p>As most of the parents said, we actually enjoy the college visit sessions. We looked at it as a mini-vacation. The bigger problem is when you had younger siblings to contend with. We really did have to find "vacationy" things do do along the way. That included Niagara Falls- Baseball and Soccer Hall of Fame-Cherry Blossom Festival in DC and I'm sure many other spots to keep the little ones pre-occupied. Anyway- if your plan is to visit Cornell during Columbus Day week-end, keep in mind that the students have a short break from 10/8-10/11- so the campus may be a little more quiet than usual. Check their calendar to get exact dates. They are probably having a regular touring schedule to see the school, but the campus may be a bit desolete. Also COLUMBUS DAY WEEK-END is a Big Soccer Tornament week-end in NY State. so I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU MAKE HOTEL RESERVATIONS ASAP. Between Fall foliage season and soccer, it may be difficult to get hotel rooms. Good luck. Where else but cc could you get this type of info.??</p>