<p>We didn’t do many college visits with S, because we didn’t have the time or money. But the ones we did do were worthwhile. (Some of the college didn’t need visits, because he was already familiar with them and had been to them.) </p>
<p>One of his favorite colleges was struck off the list completely after a visit. And what eventually became his top choice got on the list because of a visit (it was the Accept/Deny scenario, because of insufficient financial aid).</p>
<p>We did a college tour at the end of our D’s freshman year to compare the merits of the TYPES of schools not necessarily the schools themselves. Since we are from Northern California, we drove to Southern California. We looked at small private (Caltech), larger private (USC) and large public (UC Irvine) and mega public (UCLA). Since she is math and science focused we thought these schools would suit her. She eliminated Caltech (too small and too nerdy) and USC (just didn’t fit her) and loved both UCLA and UCI. She visited a few other schools with some friends but then called a quit to the visits. The rest of the search was done on line. She determined that if she had multiple acceptances, then she would visit the campuses to make her final choice. She had multiple schools to choose from but after visiting the one that fit her best on paper, she never visited the rest. She was on campus for three days and two nights and just knew it was the right place for her. </p>
<p>She did several interviews as part of the application process. Of the five interviews she did, two of the schools accepted her. The school she chose does not do interviews.</p>
<p>S1 never did the Official Sleepover thing where his host was pre-arranged. He used what we call the guerilla approach. He contacted friends who had friends, and brought a sleeping bag…you get the idea. </p>
<p>He would generally sign in with the Admissions Office so he could get meal vouchers, have an interview, they’d have a record he was on campus, etc. He contacted profs directly for the classes he wanted to visit. Noone ever turned him down. Some sent HW or what the class was reading. If the class was taking a quiz, the prof generally invited him to come by to chat before/after class or during office hours.</p>
<p>Both my sons also made appts./dropped in with a departmental advisor about potential paths through an intended major. Reading the walls in various depts. was very revealing. They also did write-ups of their experiences on each campus. These were REALLY useful when it came time for essays. </p>
<p>To me, the informal, unofficial visits are the best way to get info that the school won’t proffer in a presentation. S1 also assiduously avoided Official Accepted Student Visits. There are pros and cons, but for him the guerilla approach worked. </p>
<p>If you can’t get there, your student should make every effort to attend the info session if that school’s rep comes to the HS.</p>
<p>After taking formal tours of many large universities and my D saying she LOVED the campuses, applying and getting accepted to a number of large universities, honors programs and all, I realized an informal tour was needed before she ‘sealed the deal’ so last spring I planned out a personal tour of her #1 university pick that included a dorm similar to one she would go to, the walk to the buildings she would mostly be taking classes in, etc. None of these buildings were on the formal tour. In fact this part of the campus wasn’t even on the tour. Guess what? She realized she really did not like the large campus!??? Without the propaganda, and the focus on the ‘pretty’ part of campus everything looked very different. Thank goodness I had insisted she also apply to a range of LACs, one which she will happily attend this fall.</p>
<p>Informal tours of large universities are very valuable as on the formal tour you many not see the part of campus you will be spending most of your time.</p>
<p>That reminds me – for the final April visit(s) we sent S1 solo. We wanted him to have the full-on independent experience, including the hassles of travel. Thank goodness for frequent flyer plane & train miles!</p>
<p>S2 also found out on an informal visit that the major he was considering there graduated two people last year; most of the people who take that major do so as a secondary one. Hmmm.</p>
<p>Visited 2 schools yesterday - one official, one just stopped and did our own “tour”. Because I’m a CC parent, I had of course researched both schools many times online and “knew” much - some info I knew better than the admission person we talked with!</p>
<p>The official visit was fine, but really didn’t give us much “new” info - we had visited the school one other time on a Sat. morning/large group visit. We could ask a few more questions on the tour since it was more individualized - our tour guide though, gave us the “canned” tour - when I asked about stopping in at a couple of spots not on her usual tour route, she said “no, you can go there afterwards if you want” - weird. My D gives admission tours at her college and said, you NEVER say no unless there is construction or something - ALWAYS go out of your way to show what the family wants if at all possible. We did go to these places after our scheduled tour and I have no idea why she (the tour guide) didn’t want to stop at these places.</p>
<p>Our second visit was on our own. Happily, all the buildings were open and we explored freely. Since the summer class schedules are more sparse, we peeked in classrooms/labs without problem. Everyone was friendly. We moved at a quicker, more productive pace. Of course, we couldn’t ASK questions as we moved, but now that we have visited we can formulate those questions and ask through a phone call or next visit. We didn’t venture into dorms (that felt a little intrusive) but again, we saw enough we liked to return anyway. </p>
<p>In the interest of time, I would definitely take advantage of tours on your own if you have the opportunity or unexpecte opportunity.</p>
<p>Tours on our own were the best. We were limited to summer tours as D’s school schedule didn’t permit missing school. There was always a kid in admissions during the summer that they would find to show us around alone. It allowed for a really honest perspective of the school. When the tour guide didn’t feel like they were on show they told us the real aspects of the school. ie, it wasn’t their first choice, drugs on campus etc. It also allowed D to ask questions without feeling uncomfortable in a big group.</p>
<p>Lets make a “to do” list of a self guided tour of a campus:
<p>BTW- I do feel that the formal info sessions (not tours) do give you a sense of what Admin officers are looking for. I believe they often reveal their biases.</p>
<p>If you’re my son, you have to check out the soccer fields/tennis courts for playing and the football field for watching. :)</p>
<p>Don’t forget to check out the nearby neighborhood for resources (stores, restaurants) and safety.</p>
<p>We look for green spaces. Places to hang out outside. </p>
<p>Alternative campus spots for eating besides the cafeteria.</p>
<p>Bookstore - for gear.</p>
<p>I think the informal tour is great for after you get accepted. You can do the “cookie cutter” official tour first, before applying, to see if you generally like it. Then once it’s decision time you get more personal by walking around where you want to go on your own.</p>
<p>From experience, I believe that informal college tours are better. I did the formal college tours with my parents, and the tour guides give the general tour of the college/university, i.e. the dining hall, the main campus ground, the university center, etc. Although this may be useful, it’s better to take your own tour, or even better, find a friend or relative going to that campus so you can get a personalized tour. </p>
<p>I went to the college tour and admit day for my university, and it was a sunny, 80 degree temperature day, and the students were having fun, skateboarding, and playing games. But when fall quarter came around, I found out that the average temperature is actually 60-70 degrees, and that the campus is much bigger than I initially realized. </p>
<p>It also helps to do college tours throughout high school, rather than during senior year only. It becomes overwhelmingly confusing to choose a school, and I often had trouble (and sometimes still do) deciding between UCI and UCSD, not just for proximity but the difference in social and academic scenes.</p>
<p>I agree about spreading out the visits. I got D to 11 campuses prior to the start of her senior year, starting as early as the 2nd half of her freshman year [which I’d say was a bit TOO soon], ranging from Maine to Florida, though most were within a 3-hour drive of home. And then we visited just two more, on one trip to Ohio, in the Fall of her senior year. This gave D plenty of time to work on her senior project, while many of her friends were travelling all over creation every weekend during that period doing what we had already done. And we met frazzeled people on campus tours while at those last two schools who were in the midst of their own last-minute whirlwind tours, while we felt quite relaxed.</p>
<p>With D, we really didn’t know what she wanted at first, and she changed her mind a couple of times along the way regarding what she might focus on, hence a total of 13 schools. My son seems more focused, so we’ve got it [tentatively] limited to 10 schools this time around. We’ve started with a single, informal tour – as we were on our way to somewhere else – done by an acquaintance, once again during the 2nd half of freshman year … but at least we didn’t bother any admissions personnel by showing up with a freshman. My wife and I did one other tour recently – while in the area, and without S – at a school that’s sort of just off the list. The visit confirmed it should stay that way, so we were glad we didn’t drag S along.</p>
<p>We’ll do some formal tours, with S, right after his sophomore year. And maybe something sooner…</p>
<p>If you have a S or D not working to their potential, I think a formal info session & tour is very important. Visiting a a great school helps the student get motivated. Summer of junior year, we visited 2 big name schools while on vacation, when S heard from Admissions people that they want to see As, it was like it was the first time he heard it! Since he saw what a great experince college life could be (they had a slide show & cool students speaking) and he wanted to go away to a nice school, he finally started to work very hard and turned it on.</p>