I am a Virginia resident interested in many OOS colleges. However, I would like to visit each college I am intrigued by, as I want to ensure I will enjoy my time there for 4 years. My family cannot afford to pay to travel to each state to visit a college I am interested in, so I was wondering if there is any way for me to do this in a cheaper way?
FYI, I am interested in seeing schools in North Carolina, Louisiana (just Tulane), Pennsylvania, New York, and California, in addition to in-state schools.
I’m way out in California, but I know of a few students who organized a trip to OOS schools they were interested in; they pooled their funds, organized college tours (probably a couple of times one or two of them had to visit a college not on their list to make this work), and split transportation/hotel costs. Could you find a couple friends who are interested in some of the same schools as you?
Good suggestions. There are apps to find low motel fares and there are some colleges that offer overnight stays or might even fly you out to see the college. The latter is more rare however. Another option is to do most of your visits after you get accepted and to just visit a few colleges prior to applying so you can get the “feel” of different type of colleges. (large vs small, northern vs southern, ect) You can also use College Confidential as a resource and the internet to get a feel of each campus’s culture and ask questions of the students.
If you have friends that are going on trips you could offer to pay for gas/food and go on the trips. Also this may also be a time to eliminate colleges that might be too out of the way or too expensive to go to. You can check the approximate price and how much financial aid you will get with the net price calculator. You should also try to get as many colleges done in one day as possible. Like when I visited schools, I visited BC, Northeastern, and Brandeis in one day by spacing out the timings of each tour/info session (which honestly you can probably skip, tours are more helpful). Same thing when I went south, I visited UVA and William & Mary in one day.
Also check out apps that allow you to find cheap motels for ~50 dollars or even look into public transportation like the greyhound if you are going to do smaller trips. Ask if you have any aunts/uncles that might be willing to take you in for the night or help drive you to places near them. Offer to split the gas/food/transportation costs if you are going with friends. And also remember you probably won’t end up going to all of these, so pick the ones you seem uncertain about or really want confirmation about (ex: if you are applying to a school ED). All in all, good luck on your journeys!
If your parents cannot afford to fly you out to visit, they might not be able to afford the costs of out of state tuition. For example, the UC system will no longer offer financial aid to OOS students starting next year and many other state universities are stingy with aid for non-state residents.
I would suggest that you first determine if these schools are affordable for your family and that might help you to narrow down your list. You also can read reviews on this site of college visits and reviews on line regarding “campus vibe.”
Another strategy is to visit schools closer to home that are in different categories - rural/suburban/urban, large/medium/small, large university vs small LAC, etc. That may give you an idea of what kind of campus experience you would prefer. Also take a closer look at academic departments that might interest you, check out the professors and what they teach. See if the courses sound exciting, etc.
Finally, during summer visits, you will be seeing facilities, meeting with admissions staff, and maybe a student tour guide or small panel of students that will discuss their experiences. Most of the students won’t be there. While it’s not always possible to visit when classes are in session, those visits will yield the most information.
Yes, first determine the finances. You are lucky to be in Virginia-there are many very good instate options there. Those schools could end up being the most affordable unless you are low income and will get lots of need based aid at schools that are known for that, or you pursue OOS schools, both public and private, known for merit aid. Set your budget first . Talk to your family and run some NPC’s on OOS schools you have an interest in.
Every college has a net price calculator on their website. Usually there is a link on the pages about tuition costs or financial aid. Run them to figure out if schools are affordable before considering visiting.