Now that most, if not all revisits are virtual, I wonder if anyone will still try to visit the schools knowing that there will be no access to faculty, admin, current students, or classroom. Does it make sense to just take a stroll and observe the students walking by? Or is it allowed at all?
Definitely not allowed at Hotchkiss, so I suspect not allowed at some others. You would have to double check with the school.
(Hotchkiss has a checkpoint at the entrance. Plus, what message would it send that you would be willing to jeopardize the bubble the school created?)
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I’m curious about this too. I know that Andover and Exeter have public roads going through them. Do you think it would be worth it to just go drive around?
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My $.02: I would drive to/through/around to the extent possible, and yes PA and PEA for sure have open campuses. Nothing like Lawrenceville where there’s a literal wall around the place and only a few ways in/out.
My thinking is that it might only give you a 5% sense for what a place is like, BUT, if that 5% shows you something make or break about a place then it’s worth it. Slickly cut videos can make just about anywhere seem like an amazing place.
NB however that unless you happen to drive through in between class times a given campus may feel kind of empty bc everyone is at that moment inside…
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i know that some schools are offering drive through campuses. I know NMH is doing this. Hill is doing in person tours. I’m not sure about the schools you have been accepted to, but dig deep into their websites to see if they have drive through tours.
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Mercersburg is offering drive-thru tours. You can meet with AO staff and they will give you a map so you can drive around campus and follow along with the guided tour.
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thank you! i’ll have to consider it although it’s a 5 hour drive!
Honestly, would you spend 250K on a house sight unseen or drive around the neighborhood? Just don’t get out of your car.
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Agree with the visit-if-you-can perspective, of course without compromising closed campuses. Several schools are offering outdoor drive-thrus or outdoor mini-tours so we are flying out to do them. I know it will give us 10% of the actual experience as @DroidsLookingFor says, but we’ll take it. Plus, we’re kind of excited to see the campuses we’ve only seen online. I’m really, really zoomed out.
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We are really bummed we can’t do revisits, even if they are drive-thrus. 
Exeter says campus is closed to visitors. Probably only able to walk on the main road that goes through the campus.
I hear that Deerfield is planning an outdoor on campus Revisit. Details should be coming.
While I’m 99% sure Lville will not host any sort of organized campus revisit…they may let you drive through campus. And even if they don’t allow drive throughs, I would still drive by if I was trying to make a decision. You can see quite a bit of the campus from the street (you can drive by three sides of campus) and if you wait two weeks, until initial quarantine is finished, you’re likely to see students hanging out across the street.
I am fairly certain L’ville is offering drive though tours, but I could be wrong about that. I know that on Sunday March 28th specifically they are having an on campus drive though event that you can sign up for (full details of the event haven’t been released yet - but it is mentioned on the ‘admitted students’ website).
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I stand corrected!! I’m happy to hear this as there is no harm in allowing drive throughs.
Choate is apparently offering in-person guided tours as a form of revisit
I know St. George’s is offering tours for admitted students and Governor’s is having a half day, outdoor revisit days, 3 morning and 3 afternoon sessions.
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Our issue with revisits were not the rules of the schools offering them, but the rules of the school when DD got back. Sigh…I hope everyone who is able to revisit takes advantage of the opportunity!
Wait. Aren’t you in Texas? They have covid rules there??
Ok, I’m kidding. That really stinks. I’ve been thinking about making the choice without revisits. So hard!
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