<p>Any thoughts on a good itinery? dd will have a chance to go, perhaps, but before acceptances are in. What will road conditions be like at the end of March?</p>
<p>If I recall correctly, we flew into Providence, rented a car right off and drove to Massachusetts. Stayed over outside Boston. We saw Wellesley & maybe someplace else. Then we drove to Connecticut, slept at a motel in New Haven. Saw Yale, then saw Wesleyan, same day. Then we drove back to Providence. Next day we saw Brown, then some of us went home. The rest of us went to NYC and Philadelphia for more of same.</p>
<p>That's sort of what we did, if I remember correctly, but I can't say for sure of this was the best thing to do, or even why we did it this way exactly.</p>
<p>It seems a shame to go just before the acceptances are in, unless you are very confident she'll be accepted to all. I'd hate to be investing emotional capital in any school this close to D-day. I think visits are VERY different when a kid knows they can attend vs. maybe. As far as snow goes, you will most likely not encounter any, but it is New England (changeable weather).</p>
<p>Re road conditions: yes, it is New England,so it could snow. But, it is New England, so snow doesn't stop us much. You can expect that, unless you are travelling in the midst of the actual storm, main roads will be very good to excellent and lesser roads will be good.</p>
<p>Providence to Boston: 1.5 hr by car. Perhaps less to Wellesley.
Boston to New Haven: 2.5 hrs.
The itinerary sketched by Monydad is sound.</p>
<p>If you are going to visit those three, you might want to visit some others of similar nature, such as Brandeis and Tufts, at least for a drive-by.</p>
<p>And, you can relieve a lot of stress by doing some sightseeing en route. A lot of neat things are free around here. For instance, Lexington Battle Green is only about 10-20 minutes from Wellesley outside rush hour. On the way from New Haven to Providence, a stop to see the Nautulus (first nuclear sub) in Groton is an easy break, and free.</p>
<p>Road conditions end of March? Although we had 2 feet of snow April 1, 8 years ago, that's a rare exception. You are much more likely to see the first hints of spring on the route. We're far more likely to have weather in the 50s-60s than freezing later this month.</p>
<p>Did this a couple of years ago. Flew into Hartford, drove first to Amherst (it was Sunday and Amherst was the only school with Sunday tours), then drove to Wellesley that night (stayed at a motel on the highway). Spent the day at Wellesley, then drove to Providence, spent the afternoon at Brown, then drove most of the way to New Haven (stayed at a motel somewhere about 15 min out of New Haven) and spent the day at Yale. We also went in late March/early April and roads were fine (it was cold, however).</p>
<p>FYI, Brown is on spring break the last week of March. They probably still have tours (check) but you can't visit classes or see the campus populated with kids.</p>
<p>Here is what we did....We drove Phila to New Haven, overnight at the Sheraton Meriden in New Haven (which was a short walk from Yale and had free parking) and visited Yale in the morning. Drove from Yale to Middletown to visit Wesleyan and then drove to Providence.....overnight in Providence at the Providence Biltmore and toured Brown in the morning, then drove from Providence to Tufts, visited Tufts and then drove to Cambridge to overnight at the Sheraton Commander- . Skipped the Harvard tour and drove to Amherst after hanigng out in Cambridge in the morning...overnight in Amherst at the new Days Inn and visited Amherst in the AM...then drove back to Philly.</p>
<p>ok thanks for the tips. We are rethinking it but it will be too bad if she had to chose without visiting. Maybe a weekend trip will work if she gets into one.</p>
<p>If you are going to visit after she gets in, you should seriously consider missing a few school days, rather than visiting on the weekend. APs are in May, so are all the other graduating activities, and for most students, missing 4 days of school in early April is not a big deal.
My D and I are doing a 3-school visit in March, and she will miss 4 days of school. (They are 'allowed' 12 absent days).
Good Luck.</p>
<p>I would agree to try to visit after acceptances are in hand. You'd hate for one school to outshine another, then have the 2nd school be the one she was admitted to....</p>
<p>Southwest flies into Hartford & Boston and it has cheap fares without advance purchase. You'd be better off having her miss a few days of school in mid April.</p>
<p>Wow missing 4 days will be harsh. But that sounds like a good plan. Yea Southwest!</p>
<p>Don't stress over missing 4 days of school Bettina. It's 4 days vs. 4 years of your life. I am sure that most students here on cc are pretty much on a great academic path, steady grades, midterms done, and if you talk to teachers in advance, you can still keep up on the trip.
We ourselves are visiting schools that D has been accepted to already. And then if anything new comes in April, we will take 2 more days off then.</p>
<p>What about taking the train? There seem to be plenty of departures from Boston connecting to Providence and New Haven, it avoids any traffic snarls, it would be less stressful, and it appears to be as fast.</p>
<p>Bettina, my D and I did a mid March tour over spring break two years ago. The distances are much shorter than in California. They are easily done by car. (We didn't try the train as in bad weather they are irregular and it was snowing.) Remember to wear shoes with good traction and weather resistant.</p>
<p>Bettina, if you end up visiting Brown and at least one of the other colleges you mentioned, you should consider landing at TF Green Airport in Providence rather than Logan. It's so much smaller and easier to deal with. No Boston traffic. And I second the opinions of others, that it makes much more sense at this late time to wait for the decisions and then take some time off school.</p>
<p>I totally agree with the suggestion to fly into TF Green in Providence - much easier than Logan. The drive from Providence to Wellesley is only about 1 hour - a straight shot north on 95 (to 16 west for about 3-4 miles). Try to take in dinner at Blue Ginger while you are in Wellesley!</p>