<p>My son has a major conflict with the Campus Preview Weekend. He noticed the conflict about two weeks after he was accepted and has gone back on forth on just how to balance everything.</p>
<p>It looks like he may decide to forgo CPW and make a pretty thorough campus visit in mid-March instead, just prior to MIT's spring break.</p>
<p>He doesn't HAVE to opt out of CPW, but he has made a commitment to another high school faculty member and organization that directly overlaps every single day of CPW. And so, he either has to let them down, or miss CPW.</p>
<p>Any feedback regarding possible repercussions of his decision to forgo the big MIT weekend? Any suggestions on what to do on a personalized visit, besides the obvious, that might make up for his absence at CPW? </p>
<p>He has never visited campus before, btw. Whether he goes to CPW or attends a 2-day personalized, overnight visit on his own in March, it will be his first time on campus.</p>
<p>There’s really no way to replicate the experience of CPW. I’d really make an effort to attend - even if he doesn’t end up attending MIT, it’s still a really fun weekend. If he comes right before spring break, he’ll be visiting in the middle of midterms, when campus is pretty much universally holed up studying.</p>
<p>^ I agree, CPW is really unique.
But I understand it can be really difficult to balance obligations. When my daughter was a senior, the captain of her school’s Science Bowl Team bailed on accompanying the team to nationals, because he wanted to visit Harvard and Princeton in order to decide between them. The Science Bowl team did very well at nationals without him, but I wouldn’t have encouraged a son or daughter to make that kind of choice. </p>
<p>On the other hand, if the obligation is something less critical, I would probably encourage a son or daughter to talk with the faculty member and ask to be excused.</p>
<p>My daughter did an overnight at MIT as a junior, and she also attended CPW. Both were really valuable experiences, although I will admit that CPW clinched the deal for her when deciding between MIT, Yale, Stanford, etc. Still, your son can visit classes, see some of the labs, hang out with students in the dorm, sit in on groups working together on p-sets, and generally get a pretty good idea of life at MIT.</p>
<p>^Oh, shoot. That was my sense of things. I, personally, think he should attend CPW. It’s a really difficult choice for him. He has a strong sense of commitment and likes to “do the right thing.” I’ve kept my opinions to myself so far, other than to speak the pros and cons of each choice with him. </p>
<p>To me, it seems more important, more critical, to attend CPW. He would be letting down “the team” here at home, but missing or attending CPW could change the course of the next four years of his life, and then some (I mean, it’s MIT!!! :)). </p>
<p>The conflict IS with something similar to your daughter’s friend’s commitment to the Science Bowl Team. It’s a travelling competition, and he is a lead “player” in their success. Like … in his particular area of expertise, there isn’t anybody else who can do what he can do. And so, they would not fare as well without him. In fact, in one particular endeavor, they HAVE to have him if they’re going to compete. We are both quite sure the faculty member would be sorely disappointed if he were to miss. He committed to it in September.</p>
<p>I have even suggested that he fly in to Boston for the first 2 days of CPW, missing the less important days of the other event, and then fly into the other city for the last 2 days of their event, for the most crucial part of that visit. But he didn’t like that idea. It would cost me a BUNDLE of money that I really don’t have to fly him all over the place like that, but I want to make CPW possible!</p>
<p>CalAlum, you say you wouldn’t have encouraged your son or daughter to make the choice to miss something like the national science bowl. So what WOULD you do if you were in that position? Would you encourage S or D to keep their commitment to the team and miss CPW? Or would you just butt out altogether and let it be totally his/her choice? Thanks!</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, when is CPW? Our son was deferred EA and we know the odds are not good he will be admitted RD, but just in case, it would be nice to know the dates.</p>
<p>I can speak to the other side – I did miss CPW, because it was the same weekend as winter color guard state championships, and I didn’t feel I could let my team down. I visited MIT for the first time a week or two later for a one-day overnight, which cemented my decision to attend.</p>
<p>I think I made the right choice for me, and I don’t regret having missed CPW. (I got four CPWs as a student, anyway. :)) But I didn’t need to be swayed very far to decide to attend MIT, and I didn’t have any big choices to make in terms of great schools, either – it was just MIT and my state school.</p>
<p>So in my mind, the importance of attending CPW is related to the importance of experiencing MIT life firsthand in order to make the best college decision for a given prefrosh. Someone who knows he wants to attend MIT can skip CPW (although it’s a lot of fun). Someone who needs to know about specific aspects of campus life, like a particular athletic team or other extracurricular, or a particular department, will find that information much better-organized and more easily available at CPW. </p>
<p>olderwisermom, CPW will be held April 7-10 this year.</p>
<p>^Oh, mollie, leave it to you to make us feel better about this. I am very glad to hear that you – even YOU – missed CPW! It sounds like an amazing event, and an opportunity to get to know others who will attend MIT. But it truly is a huge conflict for my son, as your CPW was for you. I’ll pass that on to my son, and I’m sure he will be relieved as well. Good to know that the simple overnight visit can be illuminating enough.</p>
<p>Seems like the people that want to attend MIT are hell bent on going there - they seem to be the most depressed, nearly suicidal it seems, when the don’t get accepted. So like others have said, if you’ve gotten EA acceptance, and you know your going, maybe you should stick with your previous committments.</p>
<p>HOWEVER, let me throw this out there: All those Science Bowl/Olympiad teammates, if they were in your shoes, what would they do? Aren’t these real friends and supporters, that want to see you fulfill your dream of sharing the excitement and meeting your future MIT classmates? C’mon, stop being selfish and encourage seniors to visit their future colleges.</p>
<p>Best left as the student’s decision, I think. You’ve offered some great options for your son to consider. Look at it this way: it’s a great problem to have. Lots of the hopeful applicants reading this thread would love to be in this situation.</p>
<p>If I do get into MIT (super-unlikely) I will miss CPW becuase it is the exact same time as the state brain bowl competition. I think I’d pick brain bowl to benefit my team, the school, plus I get to go to Disney World. I’d rather miss CPW and just go to MIT afterwards on a non-CPW date than miss brain browl.</p>
<p>^It’s good to hear your perspective, as a student.</p>
<p>It’s also reassuring, somehow, that so many people have state and national competition conflicts with this same date. Misery loves company??</p>
<p>I have a guess as to why it’s such an inconvenient date, Jalmoreno. Because it has to fit between Easter weekend (which many people honor), AP exams (the “biggie”), typical spring breaks (usually in March), and college and high school finals weeks (May and June).</p>
<p>Just a guess. I know that in my kids’ school, tons of events and competitions are scheduled on that same weekend, simply because it’s the only time that works between all other school obligations.</p>
<p>^Actually you’re right, many things conflict at the same time that time of the year. Last year, math states conflicted with brain-bowl states, so I picked math (p.s. I did horribly at math states, but then I got to go to nationals where I rocked :D</p>
<p>So yeah, I’m used to things conflicting. Of course, there won’t be a conflict if I don’t get into MIT, so I just prefer the conflict.</p>
<p>@simplelife - Well logically the date for CPW has to be between decisions (Pi day, give or take a few days) and when you must commit to a college (May 1st or so). This does not leave many weekends. Personally, my prom is the same weekend as CPW and I have yet to figure out how to fit both events plus traveling logically into the same four days.</p>
<p>What about if an international is unable to attend CPW due to costs? It’s about a 1500$ round trip for me and I doubt if I’m accepted we’d be able to pay so much for a 4-day trip.</p>
<p>Here is what I have heard from my sister’s friend (MIT '09):</p>
<p>1) CPW will tell you whether or not MIT is a good fit.
2) CPW is where [my sister’s friend] met about half of his close group of friends (other half he met in a fraternity)
3) CPW is so packed with activities that it gives you the best look at student personalities, though not necessarily their everyday lives/activities.</p>
<p>And from my sister (a nearby college in Boston '10)
CPW is a fun weekend where even a handful of students from other colleges come
CPW, though dry, holds some good parties</p>
<p>Interpret this as you choose, though it is based off of anecdotal evidence.</p>