<p>Thanks kathiep. I will already be visiting Pennsylvania during spring break in April. So, I am hoping they would reimburse gas money instead of air fair. If I wasn’t going to Pennsylvania, I would probably just fly by myself. How would you compare Allegheny from Juniata and Ursinus?</p>
<p>agree that it is seriously premature to plan an April trip. The flight discussion was for a long weekend trip in february. Also agree that a financial safety is a must, any that it’s unfortunate our cries to study more for the sat/act were ineffective.</p>
<p>I don’t think it is too early. I am not making final plans, it’s just a rough draft. And I really can careless about the SAT/ACT. I don’t believe in it. Some schools like Sarah Lawrence won’t even look at anyone’s SAT score. If a school denies me just because of my SAT score, their lost. But even the LACs I’ve talked to which require the SAT/ACT, they told me not to worry.</p>
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<p>Sorry, I call “BS” on this statement. “Require” is “require.” Unless, I guess, you are the next coming of Hemingway.</p>
<p>“Requiring” scores to be submitted does not necessarily imply that a certain score is required to be admitted. That said, it is unfortunately not unusual for college admissions folks to lie to students about their chances. This increases applications, which brings them both a revenue stream and an appearance of selectivity when they then go and reject all those unqualified applicants. :-/ I wouldn’t put much weight on anything an admissions person told you about your chances.</p>
<p>early_college and kathiep, Both of you have mentioned being reimbursed by colleges for making visits. My youngest is already in college but I have a niece who will be looking at colleges soon and will most likely be looking at smaller,LAC types of places. What colleges will reimburse for visiting and how is it arranged?</p>
<p>sevmom, I think that often one needs to be accepted before a school will reimburse a visit. Perhaps school policy for reimbursement changes each year, but I do remember Wittenberg specifically offering reimbursement to my son (we just drove there when we visited other schools, but after an interview the adcom offered this to my son in case he wanted to fly in to spend more time on campus).</p>
<p>The College of Wooster admission officer told my father I had a good chance of getting in. He told me not to worry about my test scores. At the CTCL fair, a Reed admission officer said one admission officer doesn’t even look at peoples SAT scores. A college can require SAT scores, but may not look at them highly. Clark is going SAT Optional next year and an Wooster admission officer told me the same thing. </p>
<p>The two colleges that I know which reimburse you are Allegheny and Hiram. You have to be accepted first. Hiram gives you $300 and Allegheny gives you less, but I don’t remember the exact number. You pay for the plane ticket and when you get there, they give you your money back. You just have to show them your ticket. I know U Minnesota-Morris does this if you live out of state as well.</p>
<p>Thanks,northeastmom and early_college for the info! SIL went to Allegheny so that may be on the radar.</p>
<p>I seem to remember that if a student is a very strong candidate and has a strong desire to visit during the application process but could not afford to pay to visit, some schools had funds available to help the candidate. Of course that was before the bottom fell out of the market and applications became so ridiculously competitive with many acceptance rates in the single digits. I do think the candidates application has to be complete though for them to consider it.</p>
<p>Okay, so Allegheny reimburses up to $100 on airfare usually. That’s what the admission officer told me in an old email.</p>
<p>early, you are really very intense on all of this. Wowser. Twelve pages of postings for one kid to figure out 3 colleges to visit? </p>
<p>Please don’t be someone in love with their own life drama. (This is where Bridezilla stories start!) Many, many people wait until the acceptance letters arrive and then make a single weekend trip to their top choice one weekend in April. </p>
<p>I’m sorry to read (repeatedly) that you don’t believe in SAT testing – please consider that it is a measure of how a student produces in a timed environment without being able to charm (or whine) to an instructor over a grade. For many students it is the first objective scoring they’ve ever received and it opens the mind to the business world where it doesn’t matter how lovely one’s color sense is-- it matters how much product one can get out the door this week. I’m not saying SAT’s or Business should be the only thing in the world – but please realize they have a valid place. </p>
<p>I’m also a bit unnerved about your excitement over going out of state bracketed with the conviction that this can be done with under $30K in loans. Most private colleges (where state residency isn’t considered) are very expensive. Public colleges are expensive for out of state students. So most students who have limited family contributions make one of these choices: 1) Stay in state at a public college OR 2) rack up big debts (like $20K to $30K per Year for $80K to 120K total)</p>
<p>You are putting tons of energy into all of this (a nice change of pace from the parents who are trying to light a fire under an uninterested student) – and I suspect that your work will pay off with some nice choices. Just please be extremely kind to your parents as this sort of “intense detail about me” is rather exhausting to be around. I hope you turn some of your abundant energy into doing some nice things for them too.</p>
<p>Olymom - that’s how early_college is; look at some of his prior postings. He’s obsessed and rarely listens to any adult advice from CC but keeps asking. Eventually adults get frustrated, stop answering, and the thread dies.</p>
<p>early college, most of the parent posters here on cc will tell you that back in the day, they only applied to 2 or 3 schools and didn’t do any visits. They seem to have turned out okay. 
I am in the camp that you adapt to your surroundings, so all of this travel really isn’t that necessary. I think that it is more important that you just know if you want big or small, rural or urban, etc. The amount of time you are planning to spend at each of these schools will NOT give you true insight into them. You might as well close your eyes and throw a dart at a map and just go with that. Seriously.</p>
<p>BTW, my daughter visited ONE school, the one she is at. It has been a fabulous 4 years.</p>
<p>I think early<em>college maybe has gotten caught up in the idea that it is necessary to go far away and go to a CTCL school to be successful. I was curious about GCSU so i looked on their website. It is too bad you were deferred,early</em>college, as it looks like a great liberal arts type of school with a theater program even if you were not a theater major. I don’t believe you have taken a tour there even though it is pretty near you? This is where the SAT scores have hurt you-it looks like you were deferred from an instate school that looks like a good fit for you most likely because of your SAT’s. If GCSU has admissions reps, it might be a good idea to update that person with any new accomplishments you’ve made since you’ve been deferred. It couldn’t hurt to keep a good instate option open!</p>
<p>Sevmom, ec is only 80 miles from GCSU. I agree that he should take a visit there before driving around half of the US.</p>
<p>You are spot on, sevmom. GCSU is a great school. A true hidden gem. If perchance EC has not visited, he needs to go, do a tour, talk to admissions, sit in on a class, and have it for comparison to the other schools he is considereing. We’ve already advised him what he should do to try to improve his application( in one of his other threads), so no need to repeat it here.</p>
<p>The schools I have applied to have told me the average 4 year debt is around 20k. Wooster’s is 18k for four years. I have asked each college I have applied to for the average 4 year debt, Wheaton College had the most which was 30k for four years. Of course, it will depend on each individual so one may take less or more loans. </p>
<p>If I didn’t listen to any CC parents, I would have applied to Simon’s Rock. I’m glad I didn’t apply. And I thank CC parents for convincing me not to. I really just wanted to go out of state and get away from everyone, start over. I wanted to start life and my career early. I have lived in Georgia since 5th grade. I go to a big public school, but only one middle school went into my high school. So, I knew a lot of people going into high school. I had 1000 people in my class freshman year, so obviously I still meet new people each and every year. I now have 590 people in my class because they built a new high school after freshman year. </p>
<p>I do not think I have to go to a CTCL school to be successful. I want to a CTCL for so many reasons. I honestly hate Georgia. There aren’t many people like me at my high school. I’m in some need of more liberals who I have more in common with. I have friends who are Republicans, but I just want to go somewhere which is very down to earth and open minded. I want to go to college somewhere up north or the midwest to get a new experience. Yes, I would get a new experience 2 hours away in Millidegeville but it won’t be the same. GCSU is the only public school in Georgia I would consider going to. The other schools are way too big. I don’t want to be a number anymore. GCSU is actually the biggest school on my list and it only has 5,715 students. I have been researching colleges since 8th grade and call it obsessive, I really don’t care. But it has turned into more of a hobby then anything else, I would seriously become an admission officer one day. I have lived in Georgia for seven years, I want to go live somewhere else. I want to experience the rest of this country. If you ask my father or any of my friends, they will tell you I have this NY personality. I will send GCSU my mid-year report and I may ask my old French teacher to resend her recommendation, but at this point wherever I go, I will go there for a reason. </p>
<p>BTW, I don’t know if any of you know but Clark has this Accelerated BA/Masters Degree Program. I would go to Clark for a 5th year and I could get a masters for free. I think this would be a great opportunity. It would be very hard to pass up. I could get masters in Communications, International Development and Social Change, Geographic Information Science (which seems very interesting, or an MBA which may help me with my talent agent/casting director aspirations.</p>
<p>Also, Flagler is another hidden gem. It’s only 20k a year without financial aid. It’s also in my home state of Florida.</p>
<p>The schools I have applied to have told me the average 4 year debt is around 20k. Wooster’s is 18k for four years.</p>
<p>Doesn’t count parental debt- only student debt.</p>
<p>Flagler is closer to 28k per year. Also, your ACT score is below their 25th percentile. It’s great that you are enthusiastic about college, but at some point you need a reality check as to your academic and financial safeties. You would be smart to put in West GA or Valdosta, at least you know you will be going somewhere.</p>