Tips for College Visits

[justice66]

<p>This was from Sylvanlearning.com. The link is no longer there. </p>

<p>“College Visits 101” - Top 10 Tips for Your Spring Break College Road Trip
Strategies for Parents Taking Their High School Juniors on the Road for Campus Visits</p>

<p>(Baltimore, MD, March 18, 2011) – Parents of high school juniors everywhere are gearing up to hit the road over spring break to visit colleges of interest to their teenagers. While families can get a tremendous amount of valuable college information online, even in today’s Internet age, there’s no substitute for an in-person visit to get a true feel for an institution, its campus and its students. </p>

<p>Organizing a college tour road trip can be a daunting task for parents. Which schools should be visited? How many schools? How do you make the most out of a campus tour? Richard E. Bavaria, Ph.D., senior vice president of education outreach for Sylvan Learning, offers the following tips for organizing a spring break college tour that parents and students alike will give an “A” for information-gathering and fun.
TOP 10 TIPS - “COLLEGE TOUR 101”</p>

<p>Start by Casting a Wide Net - If you and your teenager haven’t already done so, start by putting together a long list of potential schools of interest – up to 20 schools - for further investigation and research. Carefully consider a wide range of selection criteria, such as, geographic location, rural/suburban/urban campus setting, size of student enrollment, religious affiliation, academic strengths and offerings, tuition, tuition assistance and athletic programs, among others. Include a range of “dream,” “target” (strong odds of acceptance based on your teen’s SAT and/or ACT scores, grade point average (GPA), and “safety” schools.</p>

<p>Finalize Your Target Tour List - Once you have compiled your initial pool of possible school targets, narrow down that list to a more realistic number of schools to visit – schools that meet the criteria for your teen and your family. Fine tuning your list is a task that can easily be accomplished by visiting schools’ Web sites, reviewing college guides from the library or bookstore and, of course, by working with your teen’s school guidance counselor. Other students, friends and family members can also offer invaluable insights. </p>

<p>Get SAT/ACT Test Prep Support - If you remove a school from your teen’s final target list because his or her SAT or ACT test scores aren’t in that school’s typical accepted student range – or you’re afraid they won’t be - consider obtaining SAT/ACT test prep support from your local Sylvan Learning (<a href=“Sylvan Learning | Affordable In-Center & Online Tutoring”>http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/SAT_ACT_test_prep_programs.cfm&lt;/a&gt;). With student application submissions hitting record highs – and acceptance rates at historic lows at many schools around the country - the level of competition to get into the “top” colleges is more intense than ever before. </p>

<p>Visit While College is in Session - Every family’s final “visit” list of schools is different; some travel to 12 or more campuses while others only a handful. Based on the geography of your target tour list, you may, in fact, wind up making a few road trips – perhaps one over spring break and then one or two long weekend treks. Regardless of how many campuses you visit, make sure to schedule your visits while college is in session and students are attending classes. Don’t visit during midterms or finals and avoid weekend visits if at all possible, since classes are seldom held then. Be sure to call ahead and check on tour times, dates offices are closed, and visit/interview policies. If spring proves problematic because your target schools have spring break the same week your teen does, fall of senior year is also an ideal time to visit. </p>

<p>Remember the 2/2/2 Rule - Two schools a day. Don’t try to visit more than two schools a day, especially if the schools aren’t close together. Any more than that and you’ll never have enough time to really get a fair sense of the school, which after all, is the entire point of taking the road trip.</p>

<p>Two question limit. Given that most teens find their parents embarrassing under any circumstances, they are especially sensitive to mom or dad asking numerous questions on the campus tour. Try to limit your questions to two vital topics. For example, focus on safety and financial aid.</p>

<p>Speak with at least two professors or students from your teen’s intended major. Now is your - and your teenager’s - time to determine if this learning environment is right for your family. Ask a student, “Do you find your advisor helpful? Which outstanding professors or courses does she recommend for that specific major?” Speak to a professor about general education requirements, which classes are most popular and fill up quickly, and which classes should be completed in the first year. </p>

<p>Schedule Smart - Be sure to make long trips efficient by planning several visits along the route. Figure out driving distances between schools so you and your teenager can determine which schools to visit on the same day. When you have a tentative itinerary, you and your child can begin calling colleges to schedule the visits. Be sure to reserve in advance for official campus tours and/or interviews with the admissions office, coaches, or professors. Make your appointment calls at least two weeks in advance of your target visit date.</p>

<p>Ask Questions to Make the Most of Your Visit - Encourage your teen to ask as many questions as possible – and ask different people the same questions to see if you get different answers. In addition to the official tour guide, speak with students, professors, librarians, or other representatives based on topics of interest to your student.</p>

<p>Go Beyond the Official Campus Tour to Get the “Inside Skinny” - Official campus tours are almost always 30-60 minute, student-led affairs that provide a good, basic overview of the college, its facilities, academic offerings and student life. They’re a good place to start, but by doing a little advanced homework, your family can round out your visit with other campus experiences that can help you and your teen get the “inside skinny” on the school. If any family members, friends, or recent graduates of your teen’s school are enrolled, have coffee or meet with him or her. Research on social networking sites to get additional information about the campus you plan to visit. </p>

<p>Eat on Campus - What teenager doesn’t place a high priority on food? Most schools allow visitors to eat on campus; so eat in the dining hall or other on-campus eating establishments to give your teen a firsthand “taste” of the school’s food while also saving money. Likewise, if you need overnight lodging, consider allowing your teenager to stay in a dorm. Even if you don’t know a student with whom your child can stay, many schools will arrange for your teen to stay overnight with a current student - if you call in advance. Parents will save money by only paying for one hotel room (or booking a smaller room) and the prospective student will gain an invaluable chance to experience dorm life.</p>

<p>Create a Photo Diary - Believe it or not, once your family arrives home from your college tour road trip, all those campuses may start to blur together – especially if you visit numerous schools. Use your digital camera to take a lot of photos - and even videos - during your visits to create a record of each school. Your first photo of each school should show the college name on a sign or building to ensure you remember which school you visited. You and your teen can create an online folder for each school or print out the photos and keep them in folders with the other informational material you’ll pick up on your visits.</p>

<p>.</p>

[NROTCgrad]

<p>@LongRangePlan</p>

<p>Great advice! Not everything can be explored via the internet. Personal visits are extremely valuable; crucial, in fact. “Just Do It!”</p>

[NROTCgrad]

<p>Tour guides can be useful. However, I recommend simply walking around before or after the tour. Amazing what you will find. Do not let the college set your agenda.</p>

[thingamajig]

<p>how much younger is the younger sibling…in our case, young enough to provide the comic relief to a very stressful time. younger sib was not afraid to ask fairly interesting questions, one per tour and only after the other touring students were done. younger sib got to take all the (sometimes very strange) campus photos. i think a case can be made for a much younger sibling.</p>

[mathyone]

<p>“I also suggest NOT bringing a younger sibling along. In fact, don’t bring any family member who doesn’t want to be there.” We didn’t have any issues with a younger sibling along, although we didn’t make the always-dull “information session” on most of those tours. I wouldn’t recommend dragging a middle schooler to college tours aimed at them, or dragging them along if it’s convenient not to. But when the sibling’s presence was necessary, these tours did seem to make an impression on the sibling in tow and actually plant some ambitions. </p>

<p>As far as not bringing any family member who doesn’t want to be there, I do think it’s a good idea to have the applicant along, even though my applicant would rather have been elsewhere.</p>

[eerboco]

<p>We actually loved visiting as a family (me, D, hubby, and 13 yr old S). The car rides were quite interesting, because although we were all on same campus, everyone “noticed” different things. This gave us (but especially D) a lot to ponder and discuss. </p>

[Sue22]

<p>Regardless of whether they’re scheduled for an interview, have your child think in advance about their elevator speech, i.e., what they’d say if on their way to the admissions office the Director of Admissions stepped into the elevator behind them and started a conversation. How, in 30 seconds to a minute, would your child introduce him or herself? It can be as simple as “I’m Susie Jones, from Smalltown Montana. I play the tuba, I’m a competitive knitter, and I’m excited about seeing your astrophysics lab.”</p>

<p>Minus the elevator this actually happened to us on a college visit. While we were waiting for the tour guide to appear the DOA finished an interview, said goodbye to his interviewee and noticed DS. He asked him his name and where he was from and they chatted for 5 minutes or so.</p>

<p>My sense is that what the student says under these circumstances is not as important as that he present himself as friendly and articulate. You want the person they’ve met to walk away saying, “Hmm, nice kid!”</p>

[2kidsinky]

<p>I appreciate comments from everyone about their visits…I have had a good number of visits with junior daughter…I have to agree with what others have written about taking notes, observing students in library, reading postings, etc, </p>

<p>The few most valuable things we did on visits were:

1. arrive in town the night before a big open house event, and wandered around on campus by ourselves, looked at the surrounding area and students while not on their way to class. Taking our time to really absorb. Met other applicants at lunch and got their impressions too. went to extra sessions about specific college, D asked questions.</p>

<ol>
<li> researched ahead of time for big-city transportation issues and possible safety issues, so that when we go there, first of all we knew how to get to campus via public transportation, and we were looking for the safety issues, observing the bus and train stops, security guards, etc. so that we would have a better understanding.</li>
</ol>

<p>Biggest mistakes of the visits were:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>seeing a school somewhat early in the game that is probably too high reach and high price to realistically attend, and it was so wonderful that others look a bit pale by comparison…</p></li>
<li><p>dragging along unhappy sibling</p></li>
<li><p>going through with a planned visit just because we were in the area, even though D thinks she wants a major they lack</p></li>
</ol>

[milkweed]

<p>We enjoyed splitting up and each of us going with a different tour guide. Later we would compare notes. It also made it easier for me to ask questions because I didn’t have to worry about embarrassing my daughter.</p>

[momreads]

<p>We’ve done at least 20 college visits between two sons. Here are some of our tips…</p>

<ol>
<li>Tour a school on a day when the weather is not so nice. If you love the school that day, you will love it more when it is sunny and beautiful.</li>
<li>Eat in the dining hall.</li>
<li>Try not to make the admitted students day your first visit to the school. On those days, everything is perfect – the food, the dorms, the grounds. Go when it’s just a regular day.</li>
<li>My younger son said to skip attending a class. Why? You are probably are not going to know what’s going on in the class, and for some kids, that could taint your view of the school.</li>
<li>Ask the tour guide what schools he or she turned down to attend this school. I always asked this, because I wanted to know if the guide turned down a top-flight school for merit money, an athletic scholarship, research opportunities, etc. </li>
<li>Start early. We took our older son on his first visit between his freshman and sophomore years. He had never been on a college campus before. The experience was a good one. He came away from the visit excited and ready to work hard in his high school classes.
7.Do most of the touring, if possible, before the senior year. That final year is insane for some kids, with proms, testing, AP/IB/dual enrolllment classes, college apps, athletics, community service, part-time jobs, etc. Lots of touring only adds to the stress.</li>
</ol>

[Tanboyrunfast]

<p>I’ll start of by saying that I’m a student, not a parent, so hopefully I’ll be able to provide a different perspective on this topic. I visited 22 schools, 12 of which I applied to (there were 4 schools I didn’t visit but I still applied to). I did this mainly to show interest, as I was already strongly considering most of these schools before. (And I think it worked, as I’ve already gotten an early acceptance from a top LAC.)</p>

<p>Not sure if younger siblings are involved, but let younger siblings choose whether they want to come on the visit. When my older brother was visiting colleges, he went on those with my dad while I visited museums and other attractions with my mom. I ended up visiting some of those colleges myself later, but I would’ve been very embarrassed to go on those visits with my brother. However, if the younger sibling won’t be distracting, and would ENJOY the tour, I see no problem with them tagging along.</p>

<p>Consider the types of schools you’re visiting. I see no point in really digging into the grit of elite colleges until you’re admitted (eating in the dining hall, sitting in on classes, visiting departments). Chances are you won’t get in and there’s no reason to reason to find that “perfect fit.” It’s just a waste of time. Save this type of visit for if you are admitted. But until then, first impressions based on the campus/tour/info session are really all you need. </p>

<p>As the parent, don’t ask questions if it would make your kid uncomfortable. You know your kid best, so make judgements. If you embarrass them, they won’t enjoy the visit, and they will get a bad impression of the school. When visiting my first schools, as a sophomore, I would’ve been embarrassed if one of my parents asked a question. But by my last visits, I was the one asking questions, and I didn’t care what my parents did anymore.</p>

<p>Try to only have one parent go on each visit. This worked best for me, as the visit really is about the student. However, I called the other parent after the visit to give them my impressions of the school. This made both parents feel included, and it was also helpful to talk to a parent who hadn’t gone on the visit. </p>

<p>Choose the smallest tour group, or the smallest group with a tour guide that you like (or that your kid likes). There were tour guides that just weren’t exciting and I ended up not applying to some of those schools. Other times, tour guides weren’t super intelligent, and that turned me off from those schools as well. UCLA had a great tour with amazing guides, and I was ready to enroll right after the visit (unfortunately OOS, so my parents didn’t let me apply). </p>

<p>Consider the climate. I visited Rice in the summer and it was about 100 degrees. I decided not to apply. I think there is something to be said about “test driving” the weather. Don’t only take tours in perfect weather/season; it won’t be 68 degrees and sunny for four years of college. </p>

<p>Bring an umbrella! Somehow I managed to get through every visit without rain until I visited Dartmouth, where it was pouring. We had to buy two umbrellas. Fortunately though, the rain stopped during the info session and we came outside to a beautiful day.</p>

<p>Know that info sessions are practically worthless. My dad joked after all of my visits that he could give an info session himself (they’re very generic). There’s really no point in hearing about how “holistic” admissions are, as you will hear this at every school. I learned almost nothing from these sessions (but the tours were very useful). Also, admissions officers frequently weren’t completely educated on their institutions, and I asked some questions that they didn’t answer very well. </p>

<p>Don’t act stressed (or angry) during the visits. We visited Johns Hopkins and Georgetown the same day, and there was a tough commute in between the two. During the Johns Hopkins tour, my mom spent the second half of the tour trying to get me to leave early so we could ensure that we would make it there in time (she didn’t think the tour guides were very smart). When the tour finally ended, we rushed to the car while arguing, and I didn’t want to think about the school much after that. We made it to Georgetown in time, and there was a lot of stress that wasn’t necessary.</p>

<p>Stay positive after the visit. Don’t tell your kid about what you didn’t like, but only what you liked. Let them form their own impression, and bring it up later (or not at all). </p>

<p>Don’t visit too many schools. Like I said, I visited 22. Generally, I fell in love with the school, and wanted to apply. It was heart wrenching when I cut some schools from my final list. There is no point in visiting a lot of schools (with the exception of small LACs, where showing interest is important). Generally you have a good idea as to whether or not you want to go there before. There was one or two visits where the visit caused me not to apply, even though I think the school would’ve been a good fit, but after the tour or info session, I couldn’t stomach applying.</p>

<p>Visit a variety if your kid isn’t sure what they want to do. We visited Harvey Mudd and Caltech even though I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be a scientist, but these visits helped me confirm that (also my dad is a scientist, and he just wanted to see these schools himself!). </p>

<p>Finally have fun on the visits! They should be fun, not stressful. Hopefully this was helpful, but I’m sure that after visiting a few, you’ll have found your own rhythm. Good luck!</p>

<p>Sorry if this is confusing, I don’t have much time to read over it. Anyone can message me with questions!</p>

[thumper1]

<p>I apologize if this has already been mentioned.</p>

<p>If you are visiting a number of colleges on one trip…do your driving so that you arrive AT the college destination the night before, and can just get up and go. There really is nothing worse than driving a distance leaving early in the morning and THEN sitting through an info session and tour. Better to get there the night before…and sleep.</p>

[mathyone]

<p>Just wanted to add that my daughter received some offers of fully or partially-subsidized transportation to visit schools. You might want to look into whether that is likely to happen at any of the schools of interest before footing the bill yourself.</p>

[expatCanuck]

<p>Don’t know if this was mentioned – parents should speak as infrequently as possible, so as not to color the student’s perception (unless you <em>know</em> that a school is not for your student – at one school we visited, I concluded before the info session ended that I did not want expatSon to even apply – and the tour confirmed that initial impression).</p>

<p>[We</a> toured 11 schools in 9 days (one we visited twice to work in an inteview).](<a href=“Parents of the HS class of 2014 - 3.0 to 3.3 GPA - #735 by expatCanuck - Class of 20xx Community - College Confidential Forums”>Parents of the HS class of 2014 - 3.0 to 3.3 GPA - #735 by expatCanuck - Class of 20xx Community - College Confidential Forums) The tour included a day & a half of R&R in D.C., and an afternoon at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (yes, it was a long tour). I easily put a good work-week into planning those 9 days. Interviews were taken where offered. There was a 3-day stretch with ‘double-headers’ each day. Tight, but entirely achievable. The schools did not blend together – each had a distinctive character. </p>

<p>Order of visit did not impact school choice – expatSon applied to visits 2, 4, 8, 10 & 11 (3 match, one a ‘high match’, and one a reach) … and was accepted to all 5. :)</p>

[Hunt]

<p>Great comments from a student’s perspective, tanboyrunfast. I think parents should especially note that if they embarrass their kid, it may taint his view of that college. Hang back during the tour. I promise you, the tour guide will tell you that the campus is safe if you take reasonable precautions, that alcohol is available but nobody is pressured to drink, etc. Really, don’t bother asking these questions.</p>

<p>Another tip–one mistake we made was not researching all the colleges sufficiently before touring. We ended up touring a school that would not have worked at all because of the way the major was set up, and we could have known that from the website.</p>

[Sue22]

<p>To add to Hunt’s point, before you set up the grand tour make sure you’ve exposed your kid to a few different college models. Big city school, small suburban school, etc… It would be a shame to set up a week-long tour of small, rural LACs only to have you kid hit the first and say, “Where are all the people? This school’s in the middle of nowhere!”</p>

[momofwon]

<p>My $0.02:
If you’re coming from far away, give yourself and your child enough time at a school to get a really good feel of the campus, surrounding area, etc. Case in point: Arrived at our Syracuse hotel room in the evening. The area surrounding the hotel was very dilapidated and in a sketchy part of town. D was in tears. SU was her “#1” school on paper. We had already visited five large U’s in nice, small college towns and this was not what she was expecting. She wanted to skip the tour the next day and just head straight to NYC. I encouraged her to keep an open mind since we had traveled so far. Additionally, she had several private interviews set up and it would have been very rude to cancel on late notice. </p>

<p>I quickly canceled our room downtown and booked a room in a nicer hotel 15 minutes away. Early next morning we drove to the campus and she had her tour and interviews. The campus was great, people were friendly, shops around the school were fun. Lo and behold, she was feeling much better. That evening we visited the NY State Fair and the huge newer mall just outside of town (a big plus for this fashionista). At the end of the day, Syracuse was “terrific” and " I can see myself going here.". </p>

<p>Moral to the story–initial impressions can be misleading (especially if you arrive in an unfamiliar part of town not by the campus) and sometimes it takes a little time to uncover the all of the positives.</p>

[lynjobes]

<p>We had a great time and visited 21 colleges. Sister, two years younger, went to about 15 of those. It is helping her in her thoughts, as well, although she and her brother are really close and don’t argue ever virtually. Take notes so you don’t get things all mixed up (I was starting to get mixed up after 5 schools). We did 21 because we were investigating geographic areas and possible more merit money in Texas and/or the South (which has turned out to be a fairly true theory). Also, California colleges, private and public, are so overwhelmed that it’s difficult to get in so you better not count on them. Also, do the info session. Critical for parents–tells you the stuff about testing, GPA’s, AP’s, other “tips” or special things re the college. Yes, a little can be repetitive, but it tells you a lot of critical info. Some campus tours focus mostly on food, dorms, social life. Yes, all that is important, but the details are JUST as important. Shocked us that at 2/3’s of our campus tours the parents did not stay for an info session. We did a two-week Back East Tour where we saw 10 schools (sometimes 2 in a day, including driving. We also briefly visited 35 relatives in five groupings in nearby locations/regions, and did 7 fun things, such as Hershey near Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, outside of Philadelphia. It worked out like clockwork-drove from Charlotte NC to Michigan (that was strictly to see some relatives for 3 days at the end of the trip and fly out of Detroit). Make it fun! We also have done 11 California colleges (drove to Southern California for two long weekends).</p>

[megame18]

<p>As a current college student and overnight host: don’t visit during midterms! I know it’s convenient to visit over Spring Break but campus is usually dead, students are stressed, and professors are busy with extra office hours and grading so you probably won’t get the best impression of the college. </p>

<p>Also, not only eat in the cafeteria (which has been said many times), but actually just go sit with a random group of students. 99% of the time they will be more than happy to talk to you about their school (unless it is midterm week). Most of the time when I see prospective students and their parents in the cafeteria, they are eating alone at small tables. You might be tempted to use this time to discuss impressions of the school with your student, but you can do that on the ride home! </p>

[maggiedog]

<p>Great advice so far.</p>

<p>I would add two things. If possible, avoid visiting small liberal arts colleges in the summer when no one is around. It will seem really depressing. If it’s a school with a graduate program, at least there will be other students and a sense of liveliness that makes visiting in the summer tolerable, but if no one is there, it can paint a distorted view of the place.</p>

<p>If you are going back for a second visit, having your child sit in on several classes is a really good idea. I understand some would disagree, but as long as the student appreciates that this is not about reviewing the professor, it can help in several ways: 1. the student can get a sense of how attentive, interested the other students are; 2. the student can compare the classes to his/her HS classes and get a sense of how similar or how much more difficult they are. Attending classes was a critical deciding factor for my children. Also, if your child plays a sport or an instrument, you might want to have them go to a practice or rehearsal.</p>