<p>If you end up at a faraway school, many trips will end up as a “family vacation.” There are visits to make, car rentals or gas money or airfare and cabs, hotels to book,etc. All of these expenses add up quickly .If your family is wealthy or there are no siblings down the line to educate , this will be more doable. I really do think you still need to have a discussion about how much your parents will pay, how far they will go logistically (especilly if there are other siblings or elderly parents that also need their help). I wish you the best but am a little puzzled about how you ended up applying to so many schools all over the place . You really still need a good instate safety .Where has your guidance counselor been in this process?</p>
<p>Sevmom, I suggest you look at some of early colleges prior posts. It is quite the saga to say the least.</p>
<p>Thanks,moreover, but I’ll probably pass on digging through all of the many OP’s posts. If there is a short version of this, please post a synopsis!</p>
<p>I have a long history here on CC, but it’s a saga? I didn’t know that…</p>
<p>Anyone else have any comments? Right now even if I just visited Clark, Hobart, Juniata, Wooster, and Lawrence there still no where near each other.</p>
<p>early college, My older son visited Allegheny by himself. They paid up to $200 for an accepted students visit. He flew via SW airline and they picked him and a few other students up at the Pittsburgh airport via a shuttle. It’s about an hour from the campus I think. We had the same timing limitations as you and one weekend he visited Allegheny where the high temp was around 40 degrees then a few days later he and I drove down to SW Virginia where the temps were in the 70’s. I believe weather played a part in his final choice - Roanoke College.</p>
<p>My youngest son also applied to over a dozen colleges. He needed merit aid and was not positive about his major. I think the re-visits were very helpful and as much as I like to pre-plan, it was next to impossible to do because many colleges didn’t even post their accepted student visiting days until just a month or so out and my son kept re-evaluating his priorities and preferences. In the end he re-visited about three colleges and also visited three others that he was accepted to that he had not seen.</p>
<p>^^I think that’s the way to do it when schools are not close together.</p>
<p>I could fly to Hiram by myself to, but my mom wasn’t that fond of the idea. I know sooner or later she is going to have to loosen up. After going on a TGV train by myself in France for three and a half, when I speak no French, I’m pretty sure I can do anything. Southwest is just coming to Atlanta and it doesn’t fly to Pittsburgh yet, I’m sure Air Tran or Delta does. I’m guessing college visits on weekends are feasible? My friend just got accepted to Roanoke, it’s her 2nd choice after Vassar. </p>
<p>With me, I’m probably only going to have one shot to visit each campus. So, each visit will be crucial. How would you guys compare Allegheny from Ursinus and Juniata? Also, the three Ohio schools I’m applying to (Hiram, Wooster, OWU) are similar. It’s hard to distinguish schools and lots of these schools are very similar, so it’s hard to cut down the list when I haven’t visited.</p>
<p>It would be a perfect way to do it when these schools are not close together, but so far I’ve only seen that Hiram and Allegheny only give reimbursements and they’re not even my top choices at this point. Another poster said only tippy top students get this perk, but I do not know if my other top schools will pay for my airfare. Also, since it’s probably only going to be a one time visit, my parents would probably want to visit. I don’t think they’d let me go somewhere without visiting. Going to the admittance day programs will be hard with finances/school.</p>
<p>Your list is WAY to long to be practical. If you had visited these colleges earlier you would have eliminated many (just didn’t feel right, what ever ). My suggestion (no affiliation) College of Wooster will blow you away. (ya gotta get in tho). Good Luck</p>
<p>Early: out of Hiram, OWU and College of Wooster, Wooster is definitely the most superior. Not saying OWU or Hiram is shabby but they aren’t quite in the same league. OWU would be 2nd after Wooster, but in my part of Ohio, all these schools are respected, but Wooster is regarded as prestigious. The good news is they give out a lot of aid.</p>
<p>early, A family member went to Allegheny and enjoyed it. She was from Pittsburgh and it was an easy drive. Like the Ohio privates, the Pa privates will have lots of kids from the general region(within driving distance). Since you are in Georgia, make sure you are taking logistics(getting there to airport and then from airport to college)for you and your family in your plans. Good luck.</p>
<p>My family hasn’t had the time and money to visit these schools. The whole plan was to wait until I got accepted and then visit. I was in France for July and my parents couldn’t afford to visit any other schools because of the cost of the France trip. It was also my Christmas and b-day gift. </p>
<p>The College of Wooster is one of my top choices along with Hobart, Clark, Lawrence, and Juniata. I really love Wooster. It seems very down to earth which I am looking for. The only pro for OWU > Wooster is that OWU has an actual journalism major. Only around two other schools on my list actually have a journalism program. I’m not dead set on it though, so I have been looking more on overall fit. Hiram seemed like they had a lot of people in Ohio compared to the other Ohio LACs. When I called, they asked what county I lived in. I really hope Wooster gives me good aid, if they do, I would LOVE to attend. I would just hope I love the campus as well. I had an excellent interview with the admission counselor. He really seemed to liked me and he thought I would have a good chance of being admitted. </p>
<p>I also plan on using my car in college. I wonder if I will just leave it on campus (if that’s possible?) and fly home. It would be a VERY long drive if I drove home, but I’m use to them since South Florida is 10 hours away from me (and it’s only a state away). I’m also not use to driving in snow or driving long distances. Thanks for the feedback everyone! :)</p>
<p>Early - you can’t have it all. You applied to an extreme amount of schools, but then chose a trip to France and not taking finals instead of looking into how practical these schools are for you.</p>
<p>You have a choice in my mind. Either you take the time to visit all these schools or you don’t. We can’t magically get you from one place to another, and neither can your parents. What was their thought process when you applied to all those schools sight unseen? How many do you realistically think you’ll get into?</p>
<p>What do you want more - to see the schools, or to not be exempt from finals? Then it becomes much easier. If you want to see all the schools, then the heck with the missing day allotment and go visit each and every school where you are admitted. </p>
<p>Or - start paring down the list. How do you intend on getting home from these schools for Thanksgiving and Christmas and the end of the year? If these schools are hours from airports and undriveable for you, how do you plan on getting back and forth? </p>
<p>Start going to some of them on the weekends. You don’t get the luxury of having perfect timing with classes going on and all the kids around. </p>
<p>Look at the calendar, google map the distance between them, and start figuring how many schools you can realistically visit. Then ask your parents their budget for these trips.</p>
<p>There is a lot you can do after being admitted but prior to visiting that will shrink that list. Once you are admitted to a school comb through their website, see what classes are required for all students and what classes are required for your intended major. How many electives are offered in your intended major and how often are they offered? How many other potential majors or minors are offered? What about taking classes that are not in your major or minor but you may have an interest in - can you take anything beyond an intro class? Read the catalog to determine what the class is about, not just the title and how often it is offered. Delve in much more deeply than you did prior to being admitted.</p>
<p>That’s the academic aspect, then move onto the location - how hard or easy is it to get to? Does it matter? What is their calendar like each year? For example, Knox is on a trimester with a large break from Thanksgiving until New Year’s making less of a bad commute. Most of your other schools have semesters and possibly breaks in October, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.</p>
<p>Then you can look at the social aspect - again, delve into their website until you know every sport, club, extra-curricular, etc. that you can. I think somewhere you were interested in acting - what do the schools offer non-major kids in their theatre program?</p>
<p>None of this is needed to be done until you are accepted into a college and then you can create a file for each with notes about the school even without visiting. Once you are admitted you can also call or email your rep who will be very happy to answer your questions. Once you’re admitted your rep wants you to choose his/her school so they will do their best to accommodate you in any way they can. They can set you up with a phone conversation with another student or professor or a recent alumnae who might live in your area.</p>
<p>As is often your process, you are panicking rather than thinking. Wait until you are admitted, explore the website, Facebook pages, brochures, etc. about the college, speak to your rep. and then narrow your list. You were indecisive when applying so, depending on how many schools admit you, you have a lot of work to do once you’re admitted. Remember, there are 50 great schools for each kid, none are perfect though and you need to start researching and narrowing down that list.</p>
<p>Oh, and I haven’t even dealt with the financial aid aspect. Do your homework!</p>
<p>"… even the schools in the midwest are no where near each other."</p>
<p>OP - What you have is a minor planning challenge. You have three acceptances at present, and some colleges will send out acceptances mid-March, before you leave. (It’s a myth that colleges time their mailings so that EVERY applicant receives an admission decision on April 1st. Many will arrive in March.) If you decide to fly, choose arrival and departure airports near the schools you want to visit most. If you get better FA results than you expect, you can drop a couple schools you “prefer less.” </p>
<p>PS, A much bigger issue IMHO is why you decided both Hiram and Holy Cross should be on the same application list. (The difference between Hiram’s 50th %-tile SAT and Holy Cross’ 75th %-tile SAT is 400 points … that’s a LOT.)</p>
<p>I have been researching colleges since 8th grade. I have applied to each and every college for a specific reason. 17 may seem like a lot to you, but I picked each and every school with care. I have had a CC account since freshman year and have spent days and days on my college search. I have friends who have told me all I do is talk about college. I have been waiting for this day to happen for a while. I was always planning on applying to 12, but once I went to the CTCL fair it changed my mind. I wanted a lot of options and I wanted to go to the school with the best overall fit and financial aid. I applied to so many because of finances, I want the best deal financially possible. It may cost a lot to just apply, but in the long run it will be worth it. </p>
<p>I went to France because it was an opportunity for a lifetime. Even if I had not gone, my parents weren’t going to go up north and the midwest. They didn’t have the money. The France trip was my b-day/xmas gift. Even though I ended up hating France, I do not regret going and learned a lot from my travels. I just learned today I can take up to 3 excused prearranged school days for the entire year, and this won’t affect exempting finals. So, I can miss three days for college trips and three excused days if I’m sick. I understand the flight situation, but I also have a car which may create another problem. If the school is far from an airport, it will come in handy come decision time. </p>
<p>amtc: I do not feel like I am panicking, but I am pre-planning my trip. Like I said before, I already have top 5 and those schools will probably be the ones I visit if I get a good financial aid package from each. Major wise, it really isn’t concerning me because I am very open minded and I’m not dead set on one thing. I am looking at the overall fit which all these schools have. I cannot wait until all my acceptances to keep on planning. I may not receive some of them until a week before the trip or not until April 1st. I know I may receive some early, but I may not receive them in time for the trip as well. I feel like I have done my homework and that my list was not indecisive at all. I have been researching for five years and each school is on there for a reason. I wanted wide options for financial reasons and that’s my reasoning. </p>
<p>Thanks NewHope! I appreciate it. I just hope I get the acceptances/financial aid packages before I leave for the trip.</p>
<p>I originally wanted to apply to Sarah Lawrence. I had an interview with them and submitted my transcript, but my father has refused to let me apply. The interviewer told us that her friend received 10k a month as an allowance and that celebrities kids attended SLC. My father told me it’s a school for the rich and famous and I’m not rich or famous. The lady was in 150k debt (only 10k from SLC though, 140k from Columbia grad school). It’s also the most expensive college in the U.S.A, which does not help my case so he isn’t letting me apply. I had another poster on CC who suggested I applied to Holy Cross instead. Holy Cross is a reach, but SAT Optional. Also, there SAT scores they report are probably going to be lower since not all applicants submit them but you’re right, Holy Cross is a much better school then Hiram. I was suggested to apply to Holy Cross because the poster told me that they give good financial aid and that they meet full need.</p>
<p>Early - one concern to have with small schools (which many on your list are) is the strength and depth of the particular department you are interested in. I know a girl at a smallish CTCL school. She likes her school, but she’s struggled to get classes/good advising in her major. Some courses are only offered every other year, some even less frequently, and they fill up. If one prof goes on sabbatical for a year, a small department gets even smaller. She’s had trouble with advising, and she’s had to take a prof she can’t stand (and doesn’t learn well from) for multiple classes because he’s the only one who teaches those courses, and she needs them to graduate. You can investigate individual departments, gen ed and major requirements and the like on-line. You may be able to knock a few schools off the list that way prior to visiting.</p>
<p>The biggest school on my list is GCSU (which I got deferred by) and it has 5,000 students. Each small LAC college I’ve looked at have different majors, so I would be majoring in different things depending on the college. Most of the schools it is some type of communications/journalism program or anthropology or media society major. Hobart and Clark have Holocaust Studies minors which I’m very interested in. I like Juniata because of the open curriculum. One does not have to take a foreign language.</p>
<p>I think you need to make list of the most important factors- net cost of T+ R+B to your family, programs, size of school/ distance from home, cost of airfare/ travel/ etc etc …that you will use to decide on which college to go to , and “rate” each college against those factors. List them in descending order- if the net cost of attending is the most important factor then list it first and weigh it most heavily. A college that offers you a full ride may out weigh any other college, for example.
Then as acceptances and FA packages roll in, it will be easier to decide which colleges make the most sense to visit.</p>
<p>early_college - if you are not panicking then start doing your intensive on line research as I suggested. It will be much more productive than spending time whining on this website, which seems to be your style, that way when you know where you’ve been admitted and what the FA packages look like you’ll be able to quickly move on which schools to visit as menloparkmom suggests. </p>
<p>BTW, most of us have that same school break and colleges know that, will it make a difference? I’m not sure, but I’ve been through this a few times before and I will tell you that you will have plenty of information 2-3 weeks prior to the break especially if you do your research now. You don’t have to eliminate any schools or even put them in numerical order but certainly you should be able to group them into top third, middle third, and bottom third. If you can’t do that then just wait until the FA packages come in and take the one with the best package!</p>