<p>Since there are a number of schools our junior would still like to see I had some questions about summer college visits for all you experts who have done this before. :)
Is there a day of the week that's better and is it better to go early in the summer or later in the summer?
If it's a school you've never visited is it better to wait and interview later in the fall when you've had a bit of time to think about your questions?
Do college professors respond to email about academic questions over the summer?
Since classes are not in session how can one get a feel for the type of student that a school attracts?
It's not that we haven't visited schools yet, but there are some farther away that we couldn't squeeze into the one week trip in the spring.Thanks for any additional suggestions that you have about summer visits.
starryskye</p>
<p>I think it depends on the kind of school. A small LAC may have pretty much closed up shop, so no profs would be available, whereas there might be lots of people around in a large uni.</p>
<p>All our trips have been during the summer at pretty deserted LACs. Still, gave ds an opportunity to see the campuses, make comparisons, and talk to at least a tour guide and admissions person. One benefit of visiting in the summer – because not a lot of people are around, including on the tours, is you get a lot of personal attention. At the LACs, we had quite intimate information sessions with the opportunity to ask anything we wanted. It was wonderful. Sessions at the large state uni and mid-size private were pretty large even in the summer and weren’t as informative.</p>
<p>This June, he’s doing an overnight at a state uni. Our plan this July is to visit a couple of new places, revisit another since it’s on the way (none of these requires an interview) and then this August he’ll fly with a friend to tour and interview at a couple of places. The fall will be used to do overnights at places he’s really interested in and interview then. And in the spring, he can revisit and narrow down his choices, assuming he has choices.</p>
<p>Summer is the only time we have time to spare so all our visits have had to be summer visits. You do what you can.</p>
<p>Day of the week and early or late summer doesn’t matter as long as the tours/info sessions/inteviews are offered. Just remind S or D that the lovely summer day is not representative of the kind of weather they will experience.</p>
<p>First, you want to find out if the interviews ‘count’ for admissions, or if they are just informational. If they count, you will want to do it on campus if possible: The admissions staff are more experienced at interviewing, can view your S or D in the context of the other applicants, and hopefully they will remember your S or D favorably when a decision has to be made.</p>
<p>It is harder to get a feel for a place when its not in session-the tendency is to extrapolate more from the tour guide(s), which is fair (since they were chosen by the school to represent the school) but still limited since personalities take on exagerated importance. It is also harder to get a feel for the sciences at many schools since the majority of guides are overwhelmingly in the humanities and social sciences. Science students are off in labs over the summer and not working at campus admissions, we’ve discovered. Still, you can read up in advance. Most schools seem to conform to our expectations, although there were enough surprises to make the trips worthwhile.</p>
<p>One great way to get a feel for a school is to read the back issues of the student newspapers. You can see what’s on the student bodies’ mind, what kinds of activities and events are publicized, and how the administration responds to issues and concerns. Many schools have old editions online.</p>
<p>Have you compared date your HS starts v. college? If your child does not have mandatory band or athletic practice in August, possibly you could do trip in late aug?</p>
<p>As for interviews: My daughter had two on-campus interviews during the summer before her senior year. She had visited the schools earlier, but I don’t think that was important. We set these up for scheduling reasons – she had more free time during the summer than she would have during senior year, and there’s enough stuff happening senior year that arranging interviews earlier seemed like a smart move. Which it was. </p>
<p>It mattered to my kid what the campus looked like. She could tell within a few minutes whether this was a place where she wanted to spend four years. We didn’t visit too many places over the summer, but a few summer visits helped her eliminate some places, even though there were no kids around.</p>
<p>Every faculty member/department that we contacted (some via email some via telephone) about visiting during the summer offered a personal meeting with an appropriate faculty member scheduled on the day that we were to be in town. Frequently we set these up with a departmental secretary or we contacted the department head. These meetings were the most worthwhile part of the college visits with our D last summer.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Your point on the weather is valid. But many schools are in session by the third week in August and many more at least have many of their kids back. Clemson, for example, starts classes on August 19th. Why not do a late summer tour focused on those schools that are active then? This way your son and daughter are not staring at empty classrooms or empty pathways or student centers.</p>