<p>We've decided that we will somehow find a way to visit the schools in the NE that our son has on his "apply-to" list. I have not visited the NE region (NH, MA, CT) in over 20 years. According to Google Maps, his list of schools are within 7 hours of each other, in a 400 mile range. Could he reasonably visit/interview at 2 schools per day (8 total schools)? </p>
<p>Any suggestions on how to best utilize our very limited time and funds?</p>
<p>Two schools per day is doable. Most schools will be closing soon for Xmas break, so likely you will need to do the interviews after the break. </p>
<p>I sent you a PM.</p>
<p>Wow - eight? In one trip?</p>
<p>We did 5 schools in 4 days, three nights and it was tough but doable. We flew in on day one, did NH on day two (2 schools), CT on day 2 (1 school), MA on day three (2 schools) then flew home. A lot of driving, but it made it easy to compare schools and campus cultures. We were exhausted, though. </p>
<p>I think if you have time you could do 8 schools but only over many more days an you and he would be fried afterwards. If you attempt this, the key will be, after the last school for the day - go to the hotel and write up notes on your impressions, and then go to bed early so you can be fresh. When we did two schools in a day we arranged for one am interview, and then one pm (1 or 2ish). Remember to wear comfortable shoes because interviews include campus tours and since everything on campus is spread out. </p>
<p>One other warning - if you’re planning to go in the next two months, a lot of slots are filling up so you may not have flexibility on what appointments are still open. My daughter put together a spreadsheet to keep things straight and once the interviews were set, then looked for airfare that would get us there. We were lucky - SW flew into Boston cheaper than the other airlines and because it’s in the International terminal, getting in and out was quicker than in the busier terminals.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Slumper- do a search on this site for “visits.” In the past, we have helped people decide which two are manageable in one day. Looking at your list, you could do Choate and Loomis in a day, or Choate and Deerfield, Loomis and Deerfield, Deerfield and NMH. They are all sort of on the I91 corridor. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>lol, if you do Choate & Deerfield on the same day, best not to tell your student tour guide what other school you are visiting that day…</p>
<p>try this thread for tips on logistical planning:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1235999-school-visit-planning.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1235999-school-visit-planning.html?</a></p>
<p>Here’s what I would do - order could be reversed. It’s a lot but doable. We did a lot of college visits and usually squeezed in 2 per day. Buy a cheap cooler and keep it stocked with ice, water and healthy snacks to save time on the road and avoiding fast food stops in a time crunch. Have your child write up his notes immediately after the visit as you are driving. (heck, he can even crunch out those thank you notes.) Honestly, I agree that the trickiest part might be scheduling this late in the game. My guess is many schools will be fairly booked by now. </p>
<p>Day 1:
Fly in to New England in the morning (not sure where you are coming from.)
Exeter visit.
Stay near Exeter or Andover.</p>
<p>Day 2:
Early AM visit to Andover
Afternoon visit to Concord Academy
Drive to and spend night in Greenfield, MA area</p>
<p>Day 3:
Early AM visit to NMH
Afternoon visit to Deerfield
Drive to Windsor, CT area and spend night there.</p>
<p>Day 4:
Early AM tour of Loomis
Afternoon tour of Choate
Drive to Kent, CT area or skip day 5.</p>
<p>Day 5:
Early AM Visit Kent
Travel home</p>
<p>…and remember not to cut the visits and traveling times so close that you don’t have time to at least pick up a sandwich on the road. Two visits in a day is a lot to absorb. Doing it with a calorie-deprived teen is a recipe for a physical and mental crash!</p>
<p>Wow! Woke to find all this wonderful and helpful advice. I can’t reply to the pm’s yet, but I have read them and will proceed accordingly. I feel much more comfortable and confident about plunging into this madness. Such a generous, thoughtful, and knowledgeable group. Thank you all.</p>
<p>Good for you!
If there’s any way you could add just one more day, I would.
We did 6 interviews in 5 days and it was GREULING. (flew in to Boston, started in NH, down to Mass, then south to Penn).<br>
La Quinta Inns are all over the place. They are cheap, pleasant, and good for that kind of hotel. (lots better than they used to be…)
I agree w/ creative1 - the cooler, or at least snacks in the car at all times is a must.
Also, I would have your son take notes on each school before you go - talking points - and review each website the night before so that you both can speak knowledgeably about why you would like him to attend, etc.
I also agree that scheduling interviews may be the hardest part - I’d get on the phone asap.
good luck!</p>
<p>Some schools interview on Saturday morning too. That may help organizing.</p>
<p><<day 5:="" early="" am="" visit="" kent="" travel="" home="">></day></p>
<p>@creative1, if they do Kent early they can do Millbrook or Hotchkiss. Doing an 8:00 and 10:45 (or later), is possible if you can get the appointments.</p>
<p>Tip from our own NE odyssey: rather than writing up notes, use a digital recorder, and start recording your impressions right as you drive away from the school! I still have very nuanced discussions of all 5 schools I visited with DC on my computer, just from making simple use of my smartphone. By the time we got to the hotels at night we were usually fried, so it was good to get this out of the way while we were still putting miles between us and the last school, and the information that spills in conversation can be a lot more genuine and relaxed than formalized notes. Just a suggestion!</p>
<p>So many good tips - keep 'em coming! </p>
<p>Wondering how anyone ever got through the admission process before this site was created. </p>
<p>Thanks, everyone.</p>
<p>@Danlincou - Good idea but I was just working off the list of schools Slumper had in another post. Otherwise, I would have added SPS to the visit on Day 1 in NH. ;)</p>
<p>We did 8 schools in 5 days on our visit. I feel like I just posted about it for someone else asking a similar questions so search the forum for more info. It was a lot but a great trip. My son took notes after each visit - pros and cons of each school, etc. One thing I didn’t mention in my earlier post is that when I booked our hotels, I made sure each one came with a free hot breakfast. I figured not having to deal with looking for a place to eat breakfast would save us time and energy (and $$) and that turned out to be a really good thing. So we could get up, eat and head out and not have to think about factoring in eating breakfast out into the equation. </p>
<p>We visited 1 school the first day, then 2 schools a day the next 3 days, then 1 school the last day and headed to the airport. Definitely do-able. I think we put something like 650 miles on the rental car and it was a memorable, fun family road trip that we’ll always remember - that’s for sure!</p>
<p>I second Taurusmom on the breakfast point. That was a huge convenience and one less thing to have to think about.
We also had a really great time - it’s not ALL work. :)</p>
<p>We ate our breakfast and lunch at B S dining halls whenever its possible. You can not only save $ but also get to know the quality of meals and student dynamics in a more relaxed atmosphere.</p>
<p>Sharing has a great point; we also discovered that appts that started between 10 and 11 tended to take us through the dining halls just when we were hungriest. After the first tour or two, we learned: most schools are happy to accommodated lunch if you ask about it. Some schools will even assign you a lunch host, which can be a nice way to get a little more insight.</p>