<p>We do not have tons of money for this. I am trying to decide if, since Cornell College is my son's first choice, should he fly up there for an interview before Dec 1 (the application deadline) or fly there if he gets accepted, after acceptance, to see if the school is really for him?</p>
<p>A little about him, he is a great kid. But he does have PDD-NOS so he can get nervous. He might not come off the best during an interview.</p>
<p>edited to change application deadline</p>
<p>I thought you said in a different thread that he had interviewed with a rep when they came to your city. So he does not need to do another interview. Now the campus visit might be a good idea. You also said he has not visited, and Nov. 1 is the Early Decision date, which is BINDING. I would NEVER have my kid apply to a college ED if they had not set foot on the campus, no matter how great it seemed on paper. He must attend if admitted ED. So if he is going to apply ED, you really need to get him up there for a tour & to sit in on a couple of classes prior to Nov. 1. They do have an EA pool with the application due on Dec. 1, maybe he should do that instead if he has never been there.</p>
<p>He spoke with them…it was not a formal sit down one on one interview.</p>
<p>My daughter is happily attending a school she did not visit until after she was accepted. Don’t worry about it.</p>
<p>Normally, I would say wait until acceptance. But because I read your other post about his college list and Cornell College is his #1 choice sight unseen and also the only school he’s currently considering that is so far from home, I’d lean toward visiting now. He could love the experience, or he could hate it, which is far better to learn and react to now vs. next spring.</p>
<p>PhotoOp, did your daughter apply Early Decision so she was BOUND to attend and could not apply to any other college? Regardless of whether she liked it, what kind of financial aid was provided, etc? I just would not recommend that any kid ever do that. If he wants to apply EA or regular decision and visit after acceptance, that is okay. Although I think parents often underestimate the short period of time between acceptance regular decision (end of March) and decision time (May 1). It is hard to do a lot of visiting in that window. and usually pretty expensive because you don’t buy flights ahead of time.</p>
<p>But he will not be able to “react next spring” if he is accepted ED. He will have to attend, whether he likes it or not.</p>
<p>According to an old Common Data Set from 2008-09, ED seems to get a big bump in admit rate. That year, it was over 75%! I wouldn’t let my kid commit to ED without having set foot on campus. If he thinks this is “the one,” then have him fly up and interview and look around to make sure it’s what he wants. Also, he needs to decide whether he wants the headache of negotiating airports, etc., as he’d be doing that a lot if he goes away to school.</p>
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<p>Since he met with a Rep in a group setting, he demonstrated proper interest. Apply EA and see what happens. </p>
<p>Also be aware that CC does not meet full financial need (as they define it).</p>
<p>Ahhhh… okay. Just re-read the original post. Sorry! I see that he is targeting Dec. 1! My bad, sorry. So…</p>
<p>My D2 is also a poor interviewer, so I understand your concern. They say on the website that they interview 90% of all applicants, so he probably does need to do this. What I would probably do if I were you:</p>
<ul>
<li>They offer Skype interviews. Maybe he should do one of those. </li>
<li>If he is accepted in the EA round (or deferred, then accepted in the regular decision round), visit then.</li>
</ul>
<p>Financial aid could be an issue. It is complicated. My FIL set up a college fund. Then, he had a stroke just a few years ago. He did not die, but has been left seriously disabled, affecting his ability to speak and such. No college fund papers have been handed over to us. We are not counting on it. My husband (since it is his dad, he is the one taking care of it) says we should just wait and try to do what we can to pay for college and such, but if the kids need more money, then he will ask MIL if she has this paperwork. We can afford what is listed as our EFC. It will be tight, but we can make it. But, to a few colleges closer by (2 of which he likes, they just are not first choices) he has already been told he qualifies for decent scholarships.</p>