<p>What has been peoples' experiences with doing official info tours and visits at bigger schools (say >10000 students)? Worth doing, or just a tour of brand new buildings and historic monuments???</p>
<p>My son is just a soph, but we are a much savvier family now! Dad and son are planning a road trip in the spring for fun and bonding, and are considering a stop at a large OOS university that might interest S. S is not a superstar student, but is much more knowledgeable about colleges than his sister was at the same point, because of tagging along on her visits. The only type school he/we did not visit is a larger public. We are questioning the value of a visit, because families around here just don't seem to do official visits at the in-state unis - you are sort of born knowing which one you will grow up to attend! Most kids either visit for a football game, on Band Day, State Science Olympiad in middle school, or after applying in order to compete for certain scholarships. What's your experience?</p>
<p>I can't see any downside to it. You would look for the same things as you would at a smaller college - feeling comfortable, academics, student body, etc. I think our PSU info visit and tour was great. Even though it wasn't the right college for my daughter she might not have known that if she had not visited.</p>
<p>When my S was first looking at schools, we visited a large public school, a medium sized public school and a small private school, just so he could get an idea of what kind of school he wanted to concentrate on.</p>
<p>One of the big public schools that we visited was Ohio State and you don't get any bigger than that. One of the 3 biggest schools in the nation, along with University of Tennesse and University of Texas, Austin. Ohio State was very different that what our preconceived notions of the school. They did not talk (much!) about the football team or being a buckeye. They talked about how big the school was and even though it was big, how you could make it smaller. They talked about how you could get across campus in 10 minutes. They talked about the increasing selectivity of admissions and what was needed to apply. The tour was very interesting and they showed how we could get across campus. The tour was worth it just to see the Student Rec center (I have never seen anything like it, words can't ever describe it). We thought that we would hate OSU and it wound up very positive.</p>
<p>I have also toured Michigan and there spiel was about who had graduated from Michigan (James Earl Jones narrated the admissions video). It was different from Ohio State in that they didn't have to sell you on the quality of the university but did take more time in what was required for admissions. The tour was different in that we only toured central campus. I have been to Ann Arbor many times and UM is more spread out and different than my perception of what I thought UM was.</p>
<p>Second kathiep. An info session might have some nuggets. For instance the rep at PSU said OOS applicants would be on equal footing as in state for admissions.</p>
<p>Just have to chime in with the "go ahead and visit" crowd. We 've visited 4 schools so far, and the SMALLEST we've visited was 11,000 students. I've been amazed at the differences between campuses (especially in the atmosphere) and even between information sessions. As a result, one school has fallen completely off daughter's list and another has risen greatly in my own estimation.</p>
<p>I once took a group of girl scouts (freshmen in high school) on a campus visit to one of our large in-state unis. Before we visited, each girl had a set of preconceived ideas about the school, yet each girl had different impressions afterward. And I thought the information session was beneficial to all of them.</p>
<p>I agree it's not a lot of effort for the potential benefits (learning more about the particular school and what sort of school your s. likes). If there's any chance at all that he'll attend that school, it's especially important that he see it more than once - he can make it smaller for himself that way. </p>
<p>We're in the same position, with a sophomore d. We've just started talking about c. and whether she remembers the places we all visited when our s. was looking. I don't know whether that's good or bad - on the one hand she has a little more knowledge than he had at the same age; on the other, maybe she's formed opinions on schools at that young age that she wouldn't hold if she were to visit them now. I guess that's just the way it is for younger siblings.</p>
<p>cangel:<br>
Two of the schools to which my daughter applied were within a 30 minute drive for us. We'd visited both of these schools any number of times over the years and were very familiar with both campuses. We were pretty sure we knew everything there was to know about them, but we ended up going on the tours and information sessions anyway. </p>
<p>The large public was our flagship, UNC-CH, and among all the schools we visited and toured (lots)--we all agreed that UNC was--by far--the most impressive and informative. The tour guide was unpretentious, welcoming, and smart. She also managed to do the entire tour without denigrating any other schools in the process--including that small private (just down that street)--the one that sports a darker shade of blue. ;) </p>
<p>The information session was terrific (and actually informative.) The person who led it was a great speaker, touching on and discussing topics that weren't just straight out of the brochure. We were amazed by how little we knew about this school with which we thought we were so familiar. He was also generous in answering a wide range of excellent questions from the relatively small audience who was there that day. </p>
<p>So for our daughter, and us, that information session and tour at that big public was the initial catalyst that moved that school to the very top of her list.</p>
<p>I don't know if they are unusual in the efforts they go to for visitors, but we were all very impressed, and continue to be. She is now a sophomore there and couldn't be happier. Thinking back, I still remember that particular visit as a real highlight of all our campus tours--and there were definitely some highlights among them.</p>
<p>I agree with scout59's comments above, too. If nothing else, I think it's important to experience the atmosphere at a larger university--which may be totally different than what you imagine.</p>
<p>I think there's a lot to be gained by visits. We've visited a huge OOS State U., a large OOS State U, and a mid-sized private, and were struck by marked differences in how they attempted to sell themselves and what they emphasized. This has played a large part in how my oldest daughter perceived her fit with these schools.</p>
<p>Lefthand - I hear you about "preconceived notions"! Knowledge can work both for and against you LOL. We have taken the tack of making little to no comment about any observations DS has made about schools, and just allowed things to percolate around in his brain. To date, his academic achievement has been such that there is very little overlap between schools he will be eligible for, and those his sister was interested in - so many of the comments he has made about his sister's choices are irrelevant.
A corollary of preconceived notions is that DS is typical male about "just looking". He's a buyer, not a shopper, so I don't know how many visits he will be interested in making. I'm tempted to tell DH to just keep on driving past the school in question, but we won't be in the neighborhood again unless he was seriously looking at the school.</p>
<p>Jack - I hear your message, actually, I think that by forgoing the tours and relying on impressions from football Saturdays, the people I know are making a mistake and shortchanging their kids. The reality, though, is that for a lot of the kids in DS's class there will be no real college choice or college search - they will go to one or the other of the State Unis, depending on where Mom or Dad went often, sometimes because of interest in a program that is stronger at one school or the other, and often with little thought - even to the appropriateness of other schools in the state. Oh, and not necessarily because of finances, either.</p>
<p>He spent some time this summer on the campus of Michigan State - living in a dorm going to a cafeteria, hiking to seminars held in a classroom across campus (and sometimes not going to the seminar because it was so far away, and opting for a nap instead) so he has some idea of the logistics of a school the size of a town.</p>
<p>It is always a good idea to look at as many possibilities before you make a choice. That way, no buyers remorse. </p>
<p>Just wear comfortable shoes and bring a water bottle (if the school doesn't provide some for guests... Do you hear that ASU? 100 degrees and an hour tour? How bout some water? U of A made sure everybody had some water. :) ) Not that it matters to a parent..:)</p>
<p>Here's the secret to seeing large campuses:</p>
<p>USE A BICYCLE, like the students do.</p>
<p>What we did three years ago was:</p>
<ul>
<li> hit the info session if it was convenient and short.</li>
<li> got a map from admissions, and tips about what to see.</li>
<li> got out the bikes and rode around for an hour or so.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can cover a lot more ground, and miss a lot of the dumb questions parents always seem to ask the tour guides (dumb questions like "is there much drinking on the OSU campus?")</p>
<p>If you do take bikes on an overhead rack, just be careful of parking garages. U. Mich is still a little mad at us about an overhead sign at one of their garage entrances....</p>
<p>D already knew she wanted something smaller, but with the admissions game, nothing being a sure thing, we visited her safety, even tho we knew she would be admitted automatically (top 10% rule). She would up reinforcing the feeling she had all along that she wanted something smaller, and led us more into that direction. It definitely helped us cull down the list. For her friend, it changed her mind, and she went to the school. Never pass up an opportunity to learn a bit more that may aid you in the process to come. It's rife with pitfalls and if you have one additional fact or feeling about a school, it will help, by either reinforcing or changing preconceived notions. Better to find out now than to go and decide it isn't really what the student thought it would be.</p>
<p>My only problem with all school visits is that tour guides seem to be quite similar even when the schools obviously aren't. Perky. That said, I felt the tour guide at Berkeley was as forthcoming and fair about communicating the flavor of the school as Caltech's was. Perhaps even better. There were hundreds of visitors the day we were there (April) both prospective and already accepted students. The had enough guides to break it down into reasonably managable groups. And they had two info sessions after which focussed more on money and the arcana of the CA application system.</p>
<p>
[quote]
When my S was first looking at schools, we visited a large public school, a medium sized public school and a small private school, just so he could get an idea of what kind of school he wanted to concentrate on. -Deb922
[/quote]
</p>
<p>We did the exact same thing between S's sophomore and Junior year. It included a huge OOS university. The information session was well done and was followed by a campus tour on bus and foot which gave a good sense of the campus. We also arranged a tour of one of the departments which interested S. We stayed overnight at a hotel just minutes walking distance from the campus which gave us an opportunity to check out the campus town. The next morning we stopped by another department in which my S was interested to pick up any information that was available. We were invited to speak with one of the associate deans. He provided alot of information and insight which S used to select his courses for senior year. Everyone we met was quite accommodating. Afterwards, that huge campus didn't seem quite so huge. The visit was well worth the time.</p>
<p>And as OpiefromMaberry suggested...bring a water bottle.</p>
<p>I'd vote for the making the visits to the school ... I could go either way on taking the official tour as I believe a self guided tour might be just as good. I would also advise include some time to hang out ... specifically to 1) eat a meal at a dining hall when the kids are there; and if your child can do it have them ask to join a table of current students (with the parents NO WHERE close) and 2) hang out on the quad or some central location and watch how the kids are as they go through a typical day.</p>
<p>cangel, the two larger publics we visited in earnest did a pretty decent job of allowing D to see what her everyday life would be like. Honors dorm there, Bio here, Chem over there, English right there, cafeteria down the hill, gym across the way. </p>
<p>Some of the medium to larger campuses maintain walkability and thus a more personal feel by having their core academic buildings clustered together with the outer rings being primarily research and more unique offerings. It seemed to really help D get a grasp on the daily life of a freshman. It was a big deal to her.</p>
<p>I'd say "visit" also. The tour and info session at James Madison (~17,000) was very well done. The enthusiasm of the students really shined through, something we hadn't expected in a larger university. We didn't do the tour at the University of Florida (~40,000), but we did talk with students and faculty in D's intended area of study. That was REALLY helpful.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, I appreciate the input! I will encourage "the boys" to include a tour of OOS U in their road trip.
One of the underlying reasons for my ambivalence was that over the course of DD's visits, it became our impression that the larger and more prestigious the university (granted the largest she actually visited was only mid-sized) the more unhelpful the visit - the more like an architectural tour, and the less like a college visit. Yale doesn't really have to sell itself to anyone, but it would have been nice to see one room! Same for Duke and Dartmouth. Vandy at least shows you the fake room, and a classroom or 2.</p>
<p>Definitely visit and take the tour and attend info sessions. Although the tours will certainly spend their time explaining the different buildings, the tour guide can also be helpful in providing insight to the college - especially if you or others ask the right questions. Keep in mind though, that from my experience at many tours, there can be a lot of variance depending on the individual student tour guide. I'd take whatever they say and their enthusiasm (or lack thereof) with a grain of salt. I've also taken tours at some colleges where I've been told mis-information from the student guide and I actually knew more about certain aspects than they did.</p>
<p>Take the tours and supplement them with walking around, talking to students, and visiting programs of interest. We visited over 15 schools and left our big state U for last. They did a nice tour which included a free lunch. We toured the brand new business building and then had an individual meeting with a dean in the honors college and a tour of the honors dorms. We were impressed with how friendly everyone was and how beautiful the campus was (we thought it would be ugly and industrial looking). After the visit, the school went from last to third on my son's list - and he ended up going there since the first two didn't come through! Visits are important - for ALL kinds of schools.</p>