<p>Last we jumped in a bit late in the game and our Midwest location didn't allow for us to easily visit many schools. I think the Skype interview-only approach may have hurt my son's chances at FA. So this year we need to visit more schools, which means trip(s) to the East coast. And he's got to keep his head above water with school work. How do we do this? I hear about so many of you on here who are much, MUCH better students than my son, applying to top notch schools and visiting tons of them. What is the trick? I thought about Summer visits but he was at camp for 5 weeks and I really want to be able to interact with students. </p>
<p>My kids applied to SS from JBS, so we had to be very organized. I scheduled all their interviews/ tours in August and filled-in a wall calendar with all their tour dates. This kept them organized (away at school) and they were able to stay on top of their school work. If they knew they were going to miss class, they would go to their teachers ( well in advance) and ask for their assignments. When we were on the road visiting schools it wasn’t uncommon for them to be studying or writing a paper in the car. ( If they were writing something and I hit a bump, I’d usually get a dirty look like- Really? Lots of fun! ) The calendar idea worked out really well for us because once I filled it in- it was up to them to manage their time and to meet all their commitments. After all, I was here and they were there! It also came in handy when they had to reference a tour date when they’d write their AO Thank You notes. If you tour enough schools… it can become one big blur- even for parents! </p>
<p>Kids can certainly do all of this on their phone. My kids didn’t have a phone at JBS, so I had to go old school! So… if you’re looking for a trick… I think it’s all about encouraging good organizational skills and time management. As long as he’s communicating with his teachers and working hard he should be absolutely fine.</p>
<p>It’s funny- recently my youngest son bought a wall calendar and filled it in with College stuff to hang in his BS room. Old habits die hard! Hey- sometimes we need visual reminders instead of something beeping in a pocket… </p>
<p>Also- One quick tip for scheduling interviews: If you plan it right, chances are your son won’t miss much school touring. I printed out the Year Schedule for every SS we wanted to tour and compared it to our school’s schedule. It made life much easier when we were selecting dates! JBS shared roughly the same schedule, but I was able to squeeze an interview in here and there if my kids were let out a day earlier. It’s also important to remember ( during Fall months)- most Boarding Schools don’t celebrate holidays (that make up long weekends) like other schools do. Chances are a BS will be in session when your school is not. </p>
<p>The calender idea sounds awesome! I’m a visual person so I need to see those lists in front of me. But with the exception of one school a 2hr drive away, it’s about 14-16hrs in the car for us to get to the East coast schools, so I think we’re going to have to do it all in one shot. The one school we visited last year (2hrs away) it was kind of an all-day thing, well 10am-3pm but I’m hoping we can squeeze in more 2 schools on some of the days. I did a google map route including the top 7 we want to apply to and it looks like 38hrs in the car total which doesn’t seem terribly unreasonable…I think? Driving to Florida and back for us would 32 hrs…</p>
<p>You can visit 2 a day as long as you plan the visits with a good map and google (pair schools that aren’t too far away)-- but also call to schedule visits EARLY so that you can get the times you want (as early in the morning as possible for one school, afternoon for the second). Most school visits can be done in half a day, though, since most schools don’t have the kids actually attend classes until revisit days.</p>
<p>Look at his school calendar and see about planning a visit around some days off. Most secondary schools don’t have days like Columbus Day and Veterans Day. Interviews for those days fill up fast so schedule as soon as you can. Maybe your son has a teacher professional day in the fall. Since you are traveling a distance then maybe one longer block with a few days off would be something to consider.</p>
<p>We called schools and found out when interview scheduling opened, then planned to use long weekends (many schools interview on Sat and holidays) called 9 am the day interviews opened at each school and got the dates we needed to make it work - and saw several schools a day. Did 10 complete schools in 2 long weekends, and breezed through 3 other schools on Sundays. One Skype interview, totaled 14 applications. They did blur a bit, but got it done in concentrated fashion without a single school day lost. </p>
<p>Also remember that many of the schools will do interviews on Saturdays. We tried to get one of those slots once and were told that they were reserved for people coming from out of state.</p>
<p>Remember that the place will still be in action on weekends even without Saturday classes. You and your child will not be visiting any classes on the initial tour (that’s saved for revisits), so, while it might be ideal to take a glance at a class in session, the teachers and students will still be on campus for interactions and meetings. If it comes down to it, you can try to arrange for a tour and interview then. Maybe you can pick a school that’s not as high on the priorities list to see then and schedule more favored schools on class days.</p>
<p>We tried to minimize time out of school for both girls when they were in visiting/interviewing mode. Long weekends were key…and very occasionally “two a days” (I think we only did this once across both kids’ app cycles?) We were, of course, a bit closer than you are. If you can afford to, flying in on a Wednsday night after school’s out would give you Thurs (up to 2 schools), Friday (up to 2 schools), and Sunday (1 school) to visit with only 2 days missed.</p>
<p>In terms of classwork, our kids’ day school was always good about giving the girls their homework in advance, so they were not really missing any deliverables. I’m sure your school would be fine if you asked for the assignments. Of course, this means your son has to make sure to get the work done when he can on your trip (in transit, at the hotel, etc.).</p>
<p>My helpful hint: Bring a cooler filled with healthy snacks /fruit/water. Some schools are pretty isolated with limited restaurant options nearby. Visiting two a day might make for some tight travel times. The visits and interviews are surprisingly draining. Having an easy energy boost nearby is very helpful in keeping everyone calm. </p>
<p>We will definitely be driving, and most likely some camping will be incorporated to save money and for the experiences/environment not available in the midwest. So we will have a cooler handy with quick foods. </p>
<p>When you get your itinerary roughed out, I would solicit (via PM) input from some parents who’ve been there/done that. New Englanders especially, as they may be tuned into nuances of traffic flow/real world proximity that out of towners like myself are clueless about. That said, I think GMT had some multi-school multi-day itinerary that could help you…I’m sure he’d share it if you ask nicely.</p>
<p>When we visited schools, we rarely saw students during the tours. Weekday mornings, they’re usually in class. </p>
<p>Take a look at each school’s schedule when planning visits. Many of the schools have more time off around Thanksgiving and Christmas than public schools. When they’re on break, usually the admissions office won’t be around.</p>
<p>I’ve worked up some sample itineraries that involve 8 school visits and about 38 hours of driving. Round trip. I haven’t figured out how many days we will need but it doesn’t seem absolutely overwhelming…but I could be wrong?</p>
<p>That sounds like an epic tour. And don’t discount how much the longer hauls in the car will tire you out. Hopefully you have two drivers to share the load. Best of luck and safe travels.</p>
<p>I think the issue with the 8 school tour is that all the schools start to blend together. It can be information and sensory overload for some teenagers. I found that even when we did 3 schools in the same trip my child was beginning to tune out by that 3rd school. They need a little time to process their impressions in between schools. We took them one at a time after the initial 3 school tour. YMMV.</p>
Hey- sometimes we need visual reminders instead of something beeping in a pocket… </p>