<p>My D will finish up her sophomore year in HS this June. She has no idea at this point what type of college she'd like to go to (big/small, rural/urban, etc.), what she'd like to major in or what she'd like to do when she grows up, although she has expressed some interest in Big Ten schools. There's nothing she's particularly passionate about, and her only ECs to date are JV sports and serving as a volunteer referee for youth teams. Because she has no idea about all these things, I'm figuring we'll have to cast a pretty wide net when it comes to doing campus visits, and we were thinking of doing one or two this summer. Big Ten schools on her list are Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota. At least right now she has a GPA that's in the range for any of them, but we don't have ACT/SAT scores yet. This would be more of a "practice" visit than anything. Any thoughts on which of these have tours or are worth visiting in summer, and which might give the most insight to a kid who has no clue what she wants in a college? FWIW, we're within driving distance of all of them (live in IL), but Madison is the closest.</p>
<p>I know other posters have different opinions, but I’m not a huge fan of summer visits. I think they have some value and make sense if you really have nothing better to do or will be in the area for other reasons. I think they <em>can</em> help rule some settings/locations out, so I’m not sure it really matters if there are tours or not. Can just stroll around campus/town for a while and get a feel for the place.</p>
<p>It was crucial for my kids to visit schools while they were in session–the first litmus test was if the student body looked like a group of kids they could see themselves hanging out with. There was always a very quick “no way” or “hmmm. . . maybe” decision after seeing the kids who attend the college.</p>
<p>The students go a long way in making the school. A rural campus in summer may seem like a ghost town but may be buzzing when school is in session. By the same token, whatever it takes to get them fired up and thinking about colleges. Maybe visit when an event is occuring ona big campus so it has some activity.</p>
<p>My son is a sophomore and it is good to get them thinking about schools now. Good luck!</p>
<p>I think that you absolutely need SAT or ACT scores before you know where she could apply. You know her GPA, but there is incredible variablity with this and SAT or ACT is much more indicative of where she fits. And, there is variability, academically, with the Big Ten schools (Northwestern is very selective, Ohio State less so, for example)
Also, summer visits do not give you a true picture.
But, it is a good idea to “practice” visiting a college. You could pick one very close, even one she is not interested in, and just go to the tour and info session to see what it is like to go to a tour and info session.
Summer visits: can be valuable if you already know you like the college and need to “show interest” by visiting because it is a reach and the college measures this - but Big Ten schools do not measure this!
I say wait until the fall and try to get tickets to a football game!</p>
<p>I’d wait until spring break of junior year to start visiting. Summer of sophmore year only makes sense if she’s tagging along for older siblings’ visits. Summer visits are okay, but you do get a better feel for a place if classes are in session and you can sit in on a few, eat in the dining hall, etc…</p>
<p>During junior year, check out your local big state university, a medium sized private and a small liberal arts college-let her sit in on classes-so she can see and feel the difference. She doesn’t have to apply to any of these places-the point is to understand the difference between these broad types of schools so that, hopefully, if she does end up applying to big 10 schools, she’ll be clear about why. Unless, of course, she or you have already decided that it has to be a big 10 and there is no point in adding other options.</p>
<p>Do big schools have summer sessions that keep the campus populated?</p>
<p>Go ahead and take a look at the closest campuses, but don’t go to the info session or tour unless she shows some interest. You should include a small school in addition to the large one (Beloit would be right on the way.) It’s a good way to get them thinking along college lines, but every kid has his or her own schedule, and she may be indifferent to colleges until junior year is nearly over.</p>
<p>We did a driving tour of Southern California schools with our D and her friend the summer after her sophomore year. Our purpose was to get a feel for different types of schools: Urban, large, small, private, public. We used USC, UCLA, UC Irvine and CalTech for our visits. It worked out really well. We had fun in the LA area and saw very different types of schools. All of the campuses were bustling: CalTech was having their open house so it was busy too. It was a great experience.</p>
<p>We did some summer visits. They were fine and they were useful. As good as visiting during term time… ? Probably not, but we didn’t have the time or money to do every visit in the optimal way, and they were still quite productive in getting a clearer sense of the options. You just need to do what makes the most sense for your family.</p>
<p>You state that you are interested in visiting one or two this summer. I think that is a good plan. You should also attend the tour and info session so that she starts to understand the process and possibilities. We visited some colleges during the summer going into Junior year, and it was very productive. While he only applied to one of the colleges visited, it helped him to understand what the possibilities were and to consider the type of college he wanted. He was not the only rising Junior visiting.</p>
<p>I’m an advocate of waiting until junior year visits. My S2 mentioned to me yesterday he hardly remembers anything about a couple of the early visits we did (fall of junior year). I actually prefer waiting until spring of junior year but had an opportunity with S2 connected to a business trip. No need to “push” kids. At the very least keep the early junior visit close to home and more of the “big college” vs. “small college” and urban vs. rural type of comparisons.</p>
<p>If your D’s willing, I think it’s a good idea to check out a campus or two at this point just so she can get that mental image and thought in the back of her head about college. Even if she doesn’t have everything about the visit stick or perhaps isn’t quite as interested as those who are between Junior/Senior year, it’ll likely be helpful for her. You’re fairly local so you can always make a second visit a year later.</p>
<p>Another thing to think about - sometimes some campuses have summer programs for HS aged kids including tennis, track, dance, computer, etc. camps where they actually stay on campus in the dorms for a few days or a week and participate in the program. If she has an interest in this and the cost is acceptable it can give her a bit of an experience just being on campus, eating in the dining halls, living in a dorm, etc. (all chaperoned).</p>
<p>hi beth’s mom,
I think visiting one or two colleges during the summer before junior year (with a willing child) is a good thing to do to get the process started, but take a light approach. I did this with my D (who also had no idea what type of school she wanted), and, as a previous poster pointed out, I have to say that those visits had no real impact(my daughter barely remembers going). Stills, it’s an overwhelming task to pick a tiny subset of schools from all that’s out there, and by starting the journey early, you are communicating to your child, “I’m in this with you.” Keep the pressure off and try to have fun. I remember during one tour, there was a family that brought their dog along, and we pretended the dog was touring the school for admission! And one weekend around Halloween, my D and I went to a party store and goofed around…these are the memories I will always recall. Keep in mind that your daughter’s openness signals that she will do fine in a variety of environments…don’t buy into the fantasy that there is one “right” school. You can never control for all factors, and in the end, it’s up to the child to make it work. The purpose is to get her started, and you can create great bonding experiences along the way. If I had to do it over again, I would worry less and enjoy more.</p>
<p>Just some sentiments from a (new) veteran of the touring wars…I have no idea which schools you should visit, in answer to your original question!</p>
<p>BTW, the kids seem to tune into the most random things on these tours…you’ll be surprised how illogical some of the comments will be ( there is a thread here to that effect…Silliest reason why kid rejected school X, or something to that nature). They are working hard to find their place, to find the oddest reasons to like/dislike the school. And then there’s the weather factor to consider…rainy days can have a dampening effect (as can lack of sleep, boredom, and all the rest). </p>
<p>Anyway, just wanted to let you know that it somehow does come together! Good luck!!</p>
<p>PS–Another thing I would have done is taken my D out of school here and there more during junior year (I’ve read some high schools provide for this)…it really is sooooo much better to see the colleges in action!</p>
<p>My D is a soccer player and we have traveled thousands of miles over the last four years to games(she is graduating HS this spring). If possible, from start of sophomore year, we always took time to visit a school in the area the team was playing or stopped by a college on the way back home. The point mainly was to try to zero in on a type of school. She saw big / medium / small; rural / suburban / urban; public / private; and probably other dimensions that we didn’t even know we were evaluating. This really helped her narrow down the type of school she was interested in. She also went to one soccer camp in summer preceding junior and one senior (which actually knocked out a school of interest). We began formal visits (tour, info session, interview, etc.) winter of junior year and made several summer visits. For any schools you saw in the summer that made the cut, I would strongly recommend visiting again during the regular school session. Even with all that though, she still can’t decide between the two finalists. :)</p>
<p>Our two large state schools both held “big” events for juniors (one conveniently held on the weekend and in the summer). These were VERY helpful for my son for getting a handle on a likely major and to tour various buildings and hear presentations. I don’t see how you can pick a school unless you have a general idea of the discipline that interests you. I know this site’s known for touchy-feely “having the experience”, but a little practicality goes a long way in making a smart decision. I’m sure they would welcome sophomores as well.</p>
<p>My favorite session involved a long list of majors handed out to the kids with a pencil. The guy asked the kids to eliminate items they were sure they were not interested in. That was a really helpful exercise and you could see some logical groupings of the topics left over that indicated interest. Then you decided which sessions to attend throughout the day from the non-scratched items :-).</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Summer visits are definitely better than big holiday visits. We took our son to a so cal campus during a Christmas break of his jr. yr. and it was deserted. He said, “I can’t picture myself here.” and I knew it was because there was no one around! Fortunately, he did more research on the school and decided to apply. It’s one of his top choices. </p>
<p>Last summer, my daughter and I visited Columbia just after her freshman yr. It was unplanned, just happened to be in the area. She loved the atmosphere.</p>
<p>It also helps if there’s an event at the school. There are concerts, sports, high school camps.</p>