<p>My S/D was accepted at a few schools. We originally thought we would revisit a couple, but after some thought, realize there is one of them that is definitely the right one for S/D. We want to maintain good relationships with the other schools as we have another child who will be applying some day. However, we don't want to waste anyone's time. Is it better to accept admission at the school we have decided on and respectfully decline the others now or go to the revisits anyway. We have visited the schools already during the application process. In either case, we will revisit the school we are choosing.</p>
<p>interesting question. i’d tend to suggest that you do re-visit days at 2-3 schools. you are likely to learn more about each school at re-visit days than by any other means, and you will be able to do apples-apples comparisons of them too. at the very least, it will give strength to your current inclination, but it may be a source of surprises for you too.</p>
<p>My opinion is to go on re-visit days if at all possible. Even though you are certain, you never know. I have said this before, I know two people who were 100% going to a school, went on re-visit days and are not at a different school.</p>
<p>yes, i should have mentioned a similar thing. a friend’s daughter had her heart set on one place but after re-visit days at that place and another, she chose the other one and is now absolutely delighted with her decision. more information can never hurt!</p>
<p>thank you for your insight.</p>
<p>If you are sure, I would just decline politely, shouldn’t have any effect on the future, the schools expect some declines. </p>
<p>No one knows whether the school a kid picks after revisits is actually any better for them than the school they would have picked without a revisit. This is a minority opinion, probably, but I think that revisits are a lot of marketing. Some schools do it better than others, but so much depends on the particular student your kid gets paired with, or particular classes that might be better at one school than another but won’t even be the classes your kid takes anyway. They are great for learning about the school and getting excited about going there, being able to picture yourself there, so it’s nice to go but not essential.</p>
<p>I agree with lemonade1 regarding the marketing aspect of revisits. However, what most influenced my son’s decision last year was the revisit. It was the first time he spent time with students. During your interview visit, you spend most of your time with adults. Even the tour guide has often been screened and trained. This is why I believe revisits are important.</p>
<p>Having said that, there was one school that we revisited that my son was dead set against and there was no changing his mind. So if there are schools you know are not a fit, don’t bother with the revisit. For “maybe” schools, it could be worth the visit. My son changed his prioritization of schools after the interview (#1 became #3)and then again after revisits (#2 became #1). </p>
<p>If there’s a chance your next child will attend one of the “other” schools, I would consider the revisit for their benefit. You learn a lot more spending a day or two at a school than a couple of hours during the interview visit. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I agree with CKSABS on revisiting only the “maybe” schools. We tend to apply to a wide range of schools to increase chances. When you have all the admission decisions in, you can zoom in on a few, and decline other ones politely. If you have to decline a school, I think they’d appreciate your doing it sooner rather than later so they can choose the strongest candidate from their waitlist pool if needed.</p>
<p>Thanks, your opinions are very helpful. One more question. When we decline the ones we are not planning on revisiting, I imagine they will ask us where S/D is going to accept. If we still are going to a couple revisits at other schools, how do we handle that question.</p>
<p>Definitely revisit the schools if there is an inkling that you S might go; my S was also one of those who had a favorite all along, but changed his mind during the revisits. It really is very different from the experience of visiting and interviewing, as now, the schools are wooing you. </p>
<p>During revisits, expect to come in contact with the admissions officer who first interviewed your child – they will likely be curious where you are leaning, but won’t expect an answer at that time. I found the process of declining schools the hardest of all since each of the admissions officers at the schools where your child was accepted worked to get your child in…it is difficult. I had my son write a letter to the admissions officer at each of the schools he declined, thanking them for their support, letting them know that it was a very difficult decision, and where he decided to go. Each school is special, and it is difficult to decline, even when you’ve found your perfect match.</p>