We visited OU and ASU in the summer for the NMF scholarship opportunities a couple of years ago for my son. While both rolled out the red carpet, the effects of the heat pretty much knocked out both of these universities from consideration for him. It was 117 degrees the day we visited ASU. Even though he jokingly referred to ASU’s honors dorm as “the palace,” he never wanted to talk about ASU again. My daughter, who is a couple years younger than him, went along for the trip. She now says she never wants to step foot inside the state of Arizona again.
Likewise, it was well over 100 when we visited OU. If you are seriously considering the southern or western schools, I’d go very soon or try and wait until next fall. I didn’t realize how dramatically my kids would react to the heat, even though I kept telling them it would not be the same for the majority of the time that school is actually in session.
Yes, Bama does Campus visits in the summer, but be aware that summer visits often don’t give a true representation…few students on campus , most/all dining halls will be closed, hot weather that won’t be there during the school year, etc.
If you do visit the south in the summer, don’t wear anything with spandex…stick with thin cottons.
One thing I’ll say in support of the south and heat-we know how to air condition the beejeezus out of buildings. I have to bring a sweater with me everywhere because the minute you get inside any building here, you’ll freeze 
Even if it’s 99 degrees outside with 99% humidity. So when it’s super hot down here, we just run from ac to ac.
I pointed this out to my heat-averse older daughter-some dorms don’t have air conditioning in the northeast and midwest. She was appalled by that possibility.
@MotherOfDragons You’ve just reminded me of the official motto of the South - “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”
^^ Ha, that reminds me of places like Arizona and Palm Springs, where they’ll play down the triple-digit temperatures by assuring you that it’s a “dry heat.”
My response (having grown up in heat AND humidity)? An oven is “dry heat” too, and I have no desire to stick my head in one!
I lived in Southern California’s Inland Empire and it would regularly be up in the 110s. I didn’t turn on the AC until it was over 100 because the humidity wasn’t there to bother me if there was a breeze. That said, the regular afternoon thunderstorms in the summer at Tuscaloosa make the evenings quite pleasant.
LOL! Good points, everyone who commented on the heat. Especially @18yrcollegemin … “the effects of the heat pretty much knocked out both of these universities from consideration”. I really want my daughter to seriously consider these schools, so I will put the idea of a summer visit aside.
Thanks, @Mommertons. I’m glad someone can learn from my error in judgment!