<p>Neither of my two students attended any of the “preview” days at any of their prospective schools, but just visited when it was convenient for us. Depending on how selective a school is, only a fraction of the other prospective students will actually be admitted and attend, so they will be less representative than the actual students are. I think it is better to avoid Preview Days, but instead try to have an opportunity to meet with a current student. The admissions office may be able to help set that up. </p>
<p>However, my D attended an Accepted Students day, and found that meeting other likely students was important for getting a sense of who her peers would be, and had a huge influence on her decision to attend her LAC. Students who have already been accepted and went to the trouble of attending an Accepted Students day are much likelier to attend than the students who attend a Preview Day.</p>
<p>Why? Limited time on campus … and the my prospective student can spend time with other prospective students or actual students … I believe better data is collected from actual students.</p>
<p>If the college is close and is a top choice, visit as often as possible on different types of days, including a structured open house type of day and an informal visit where you just walk around and eat in a snack bar and listen.</p>
<p>If a college is far away and you can only visit once, your best time is during an accepted student day. At those events, there will be more specific information provided, more time to have questions answered, more chances to see the inside of housing, and more chances to find out about your intended program. An accepted student day can often be combined with an overnight stay in a dorm.</p>
<p>As soon as you find out about the dates of accepted student days, I’d write them into your calendar. They often are close to the same dates each year, so you can google for last year’s dates.</p>
<p>Thanks nano, I should have guess Northeastern might be one of them! I’ve always had a fondness for the school, though it wasn’t quite what my oldest wanted.</p>
<p>My two cents – all other things being equal (and they never are), more information is better. That said, one should certainly balance the information gained from these visits with how well the school matches the student’s fundamental academic needs (or perceived needs).</p>