<p>As i start my senior year this fall and i become a senior as of tommorow at 10! I think wow i have to really crack down on visiting</p>
<p>I have ADHD and other problems...it brought down my gpa a lot freshman year..but i switched schools and im doing amazing..</p>
<p>my family is looking for ADHD/LD programs..one i truly love is Manhattanville in westchester ny about 1.5 hours from where i live i want to visit...</p>
<p>ive visited Mount ida a real safety i looked at it went thru a tour and im like y did i even think about going here again????</p>
<p>Adelphi is my last resort a nice last resort about 1/2 hour from my home i know 2 kids who want to go there from my school to kids im on good terms wolnt be rooming w/ them tho unless they allow boy-grl rooming..</p>
<p>I love your thread title. I think the first look is really just a frame of reference—a catalogue of impressions to build later distinctions. We found the dead of winter Jr yr at the end of first semester when teachers have finalized grades and have not yet launched the second semester due to administrative stuff to be a good time to leave school to visit. As a California kid, we wanted to make sure he saw campuses in winter.</p>
<p>My son liked every school he visited; to him they were all good. At this first past, he did not have enough information to distinguish one from another aside from the overall look and feel of the place. It was only after he really started researching programs and reflected on what he wanted in terms of locale and campus life that he could be more discriminating. </p>
<p>In the fall of his senior year, we allowed him to pick his favorites to overnight and interview on campus. We hated to spend the money for another trip, but by his senior year he was further along in his essays, activity resume, and interviewing experience and had reflected on his strengths and desires to determine fit. He was more prepared to ask focused questions, talk with profs and students, interview, and really determine fit. The best piece of advice came on this trip, “you have the numbers to get into every school in America, but you won’t.” He loved that. It took off a lot of pressure and really put things in perspective. He learned to narrow his list and focus his apps as Soozievt repeats on these boards. </p>
<p>Senior year is busy, so we did a long weekend. Overnights and campus interviews are usually limited to M or T-Th. Plus, my H had accompanied him on his first pass, and I wanted the chance to travel and bond over the college search as well. It was a lot of fun, and my S was so happy to find a safety that he was excited to attend, ala curmudgeon’s sage advice.</p>
<p>Since you are from California, I wonder what your D thinks of CA schools. My son was so disappointed in the variations of grey concrete that make up so many of our UCs. He really liked Berkeley though, and with our HS’s pattern of admission and the 4% ELC it was a financial safety. Of course Stanford had long been his iconic dream school with their golf course and the sunken diamond. But he knew to stay neutral with any reach school. You have a ways to go, enjoy the journey. It really is fun. </p>
<p>(We'll be gearing up next year for S2, a rising Jr with a whole different list, who is more likely to hate them all!)</p>
<p>I like the idea of doing an overnight trip to his top choices during senior year. By that time, the field is narrowed considerably from the first pass, and the student is a little older and hopefully more focused on what he really wants.</p>
<p>Out of curiousity, is it possible that she's not falling in love with thee schools because they don't fit her? That she really wants to go to a larger school with a big time sports program, or a school in the South or West where the weather is warmer, or a school with a specialty in an area (marine biology, petroleum engineering, sports journalism, etc.) where said school is better than the Ivies or LACs in that regard?</p>
<p>I certainly don't mean to be critical, since I don't know anything about you or your daughter other than that you graduated from a UC, and your daughter appears to have sterling academic qualifications, but sometimes, people mistake what they think their kid should want with what the kid actually wants. Of course, it could also be all of the things others have said in this thread as well.</p>
<p>Katliamom, he picked MIT. USNA was in the running till the end, but he suffered a major sports injury that required surgery and would have to postpone a year. I think it still tugs at him. Not relevant at all, of his acceptances I wanted him to pick Yale, my husband wanted him to pick Stanford, and younger S just wanted him out of the house.</p>
<p>Dadtimesthree, I think it's more likely that the student has some general notion that steers you in the direction of your first visits and they refine what they want as they get further into the process. </p>
<p>I know my son abandoned California schools in search of what we began to call his "excellent adventure." He started with Dartmouth as the place, and I don't have a clue where that notion came from. Perhaps he liked what he read in the Fiske guide. The growth between Jr and Sr year is amazing enough, yet we were completely surprised by the growth and change from early Sr. year to Spring Sr. year. And this was from a kid who had long standing and consistent interests. We were in denial about how serious he was to have his "excellent adventure." Now he's interning in DC. He's carved out two weeks for us at the end of summer. You know, you raise them to go out into the world...and then they do!</p>
<p>I am another who thinks school visits are pretty overrated (tho can be useful for some kids). Our S never stepped foot on campus until we were there in August helping him move in. We simply drove around the campus, which he noted was beautiful & in the middle of downtown LA.
He said he could & would be happy anywhere he was "planted." We did see a few schools in Rochester & when he saw the snow poles & more rural environment, he decided he was more of a city kid & wasn't ready for that level of snow or that rural.
He ended up in LA (USC) & has been thriving there. He was interested in one of the schools we toured that I fell in love with, but they were unwilling to work with him & us on accommodating his chronic health issues, so we crossed them off the list.</p>
<p>Yeah K...I'm getting fidgety waiting to hear from one traveller...but you are so right about the transformation from junior to senio and then senior to senior year. I don't think there is the same transformation in girls--as they were far more sensible from the start. It is the testosterone hits, if you ask me.</p>
<p>Apologies to UCMAry. She made an earlier reference to her D's elite private hs. In my expereince, those schools DO have former grads in residence. My younger son (who didn't attend one in the US) met up with my older son's mates.</p>
<p>Overnights are for partying. I'm not worried about either son being able to find his way to fun so we didn't need research in that department.</p>
<p>So much money involved in visiting schools, especially when you're not independently wealthy and I hope if nothing else, S will appeciate the time taken to help him find a place that he likes.
I'm planning to have my son visit a couple of schools this summer. He hasn't shown interest in any instate schools except one, and many of the others are at least 5-8 hour drives. I was interested in knowing how did the fellow CC'ers fit visiting into the fall/winter school schedule? During weekdays? Weekends? Don't mean to hijack the thread.</p>
<p>My daughter visited two Northeastern LACs last year with virtually nobody on campus. Bad mistake. The quiet was downright eerie, and we came away with the skewed impression of emptiness and cold. It absolutely takes students to breath life into a school! After visits all over the country, the college she finally "fell in love with" was Carleton--which she saw while it was humming with activity and filled with students. It made a world of difference, at least for her.</p>
<p>We are also a California family who found that we were lacking in enthusiasm during our first few days on the East Coast. In our case, the three hour time difference was a factor. You might find your daughter perking up as she gets adjusted to the time.</p>
<p>Madville, it is tough schedule visits in the fall with full loads and involved ECs. Our AP teacher's have strict attendance policies. We just bit the bullet, and my S took care to let teachers know in advance and complete work ahead of time. Once the overnight visit & interview scheduling opens on their websites, you need to coordinate ASAP as the slots fill up. We were able to take advantage of teacher work days. Veterans day is another opportunity.</p>
<p>As to the expense, it really depends on where you are flying from. There are many great deals from coast to coast. I am the first one to acknowledge that visiting is a luxury not a necessity. </p>
<p>Siliconvalleymom, you are so right about the exhaustion. My H still marvels that our S was ever accepted to Dartmouth because on the Jr. year visit in an impromptu one-on-one with a CS professor, our S kept yawning and his head would drop to his chest and then he’d startle awake again. It’s one of my husband’s favorite stories today, and he loves to relate how he was in near panic as he didn’t want to intervene and was trying to stay in the background. He was also aware that the professor was becoming self-conscious as to whether or not he was boring our S. Finally my H just interjected that this was their first day on the East Coast and our S had spent the morning in classes & info sessions already. My S looked over at my H, completely oblivious. When my H called later in evening, he just said we have a ways to go with S. </p>
<p>Cheers, do I need to add that this never happened his Sr year? Boys. I love ‘em. Plus with the first born, it’s that bad pancake thing. Always flipping and checking to get it right.</p>
<p>We had little choice but to start looking now as daughter unexpectedly went to Spain for Spring term and she has a fall sport. She will be able to visit her top schools in the fall, but just a few.</p>
<p>DD loves the E. Coast and has been to several camps and programs there. She does not want to apply to any California colleges, she's ready for new.</p>
<p>We had a spirited tour guide at Brown today and a great dinner and I saw the first spark of like!</p>
<p>This is a necessary evil I suppose. Only 1 more day!</p>
<p>It doesn't seem all that long ago that DD and I were making those college visits. She graduates this Saturday and I look back fondly on those trips we took together. I hope that you and your daughter have some good "bonding" time while making the rounds. </p>
<p>I understand about the scheduling issues you are dealing with. My daughter had cheerleading and track all the way through junior year which made it difficult to go on any college visits. Last summer she had mono so we postponed all of our trips but one. We visited UNC -Chapel Hill in August, right before she started senior year. Her comment was that, although she liked the campus, she wished she could see it when students were there so she could really get a feel for it. I told her if she was accepted we could go back and visit before making a decision. </p>
<p>My daughter was "ok" with all of the schools she visited--except for UVA. She fell in love with that school. That is what I was hoping to see. She visited the first week in October and thought it was the place for her. Although she wants to study engineering, the sense of history at UVA really appealed to her. She felt at home there. Unfortunately, she was not accepted, but I am happy she visited there. I believe in reaching for your dreams. </p>
<p>At the last minute she applied to Virginia Tech because she felt she needed an out of state match/safety. We visited there after she found out she had been accepted. She liked the campus and loved the feeling she got from the student body. </p>
<p>It'a great to hear there was a bit of a spark for your daughter today at Brown. You'll have to keep us posted. Good luck--and have fun!</p>
<p>Yes, I was thinking today that the highlight of this trip is the company and the adventures we shared. Driving through Manhattan might not be most people's idea of the best way to get to Princeton but it will always be ours! Could we find our way to Williamstown again in pouring rain? Do we want to? Great New England meals. Little Italy's in Providence and New Haven!! This has been my favorite vacation week in a very long time.</p>
<p>UCgradmary,
I love your last line--that this is turning into a great vacation. I think visiting the schools gives one an idea of the kind of school one likes--suburban, city, large, etc. Its also a motivator, and makes writing the essay "Why this college.." that much easier.</p>
<p>That said, we did a whirlwind tour AFTER S accepted, which involved 5 flights. As busy as we were, we had a sense of togetherness that is hard to duplicate.</p>
<p>We did include one of our campus touring trips as part of our summer vacation. True, we did not see lively campus filled students but my s did get to refine his definition of an ideal school for him. We did not pack a lot of schools in so we can do some sightseeing.</p>
<p>It would have been great if s had a better idea of his leanings (in terms of school) during his junior year spring break. He did not know what he would like so we did not want to waste money on making trips then. It was towards the end of his junior year that s came up with a list of what he wnated in a school and we were able ot pick out some schools and a vacation area. We decided to drive to Boston and visited schools along th e way as well as those in the Boston area. We were able to narrow it down to 7 schools to apply to. </p>
<p>When acceptances came, we then sent him to the schools for overnights for him to decide by May 1. It worked for our family.</p>
<p>With one son just graduated from college and the other about to graduate from HS, I know my college-visiting days are behind me. But I truly remember fondly some of the best times I've ever spent with my sons to be the driving and visiting of different schools. And sharing our reflections afterwards in the car on the way home.</p>
<p>Time together in the car: Priceless!! </p>
<p>Enjoy this, UCgradmary! Sounds like your D will have some great choices, too.</p>
<p>while I concur that visiting when school is in session is a big plus, visiting during the summer is not a waste of time particularly for the first go-round. For example, seeing Hamilton when it is full of students or empty will make no difference if the child doesn't want to spend four years on a small campus in a small town. Ditto Yale and other urban campuses.</p>