Touring a college on a summer weekend?

My daughter will be attending a summer program across the country this summer. There are a handful of schools within driving distance that are on her list. The catch is that she will be in her program every weekday and there is no way for us to tack on days on either end for weekday tours.

Is there value in visiting schools on a summer weekend? Can anyone make suggestions about how to get the most out of such a visit?

Schools have lots of visitors on summer weekends and you could get lucky on an open house day. The tours are usually pretty large, so thats good. Two issues the students are not there so the campuses appear dead and depending on where you are, the heat can ruin a visit.

Summer visits are the only ones practical for many families and I know people that prefer them.

Too get the most out, take the tour. ask questions, if there is an information session then go and then after stay around and see things that weren’t on the tour. If you are at a school in August, you could see some fall athletes returning early, so take the time to chat with them.

I don’t know of schools that have weekend summer tours. I would contact the schools before you plan to visit. Visiting an empty campus can be a plus or minus. It will be a first impression that may not give an accurate view of the college, on the other hand, you can take time to check it’s location.

Once per day Saturday campus tours (usually in the morning) are not uncommon. At a minimum, this would provide an opportunity to interact with a tour guide and other prospective students.