<p>Would it be wise to attend a college you have never been to before? I mean it sounds exciting and spontaneous, but there is also the possibility that you pay the money and fly across the country only to despise the place. What do you guys think?</p>
<p>I don’t think that’s a good idea, for that reason exactly.</p>
<p>Six of the schools I’m applying to I haven’t visited mainly because they’re all over the country and I haven’t found the time to do it. But after all my decisions are in I’m going to narrow it down to the few I’m seriously considering and visit those in April.</p>
<p>Would you buy a house without walking through it? Checking out the neighborhood?</p>
<p>Remember you’re not just choosing a school, you’re choosing a home for the next four years.</p>
<p>Visiting after acceptance is perfectly fine. But you should visit before you decide to go there if at all possible.</p>
<p>If you’re seriously considering a college, I think it’s a good idea to visit. That is, unless it’s out of the question financially or something.</p>
<p>But I visited some colleges with my parents this past summer and it really helped to get a feel of the campus and whether I could live there or not even though most schools were out for the summer. I learned that I really don’t like schools the size of my high school (about 2,000 students) and I found I really loved a school that I hadn’t been considering because it’s a major reach for me.</p>
<p>Besides the fact that I now really want to go to my biggest reach school, I’m glad I visited because it gave me goals even if I have to transfer to get there in a couple years.</p>
<p>But yeah, just picking up on the atmosphere of a specific school might be best.</p>
<p>Exciting and spontaneous are fine for impulsively seeing a movie or a play. Considering the fact that your choice of a college will require four years of your life and perhaps $100,000 to $200,000 of the family’s finances, an actual visit is more than warranted.<br>
Plus, the colleges look more favorably on an applicant who has made an actual visit. It shows increased interest while hopefully preventing the kind of disappointment you allude to.</p>
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<p>Not always. Some schools consider demonstrated interest, others don’t. You can check the school’s Common Data Set to see if a visit makes any difference in your application.</p>
<p>A visit can also help when it comes time to write “Why School X?” essays.</p>
<p>not everyone has the time or the money to fly around the country doing scratch and sniff sessions. However, I always recommend focusing on your number one school and presuming you have been admitted, then go to their admitted student orientation they will offer and see what you can.</p>
<p>Every year, thousands of kids attend colleges and see them literally for the first time when they pull up with a car load of suitcases and boxes to unload. College is what you make of it and while pretty buildings are part of the experience, they are not any substitute for strong academics and a social life that fits your needs and objectives. </p>
<p>If you absolutely cannot get away and can’t afford the scratch and sniff sessions, then research online, ask the school for names of people and emails of existing students so you can chat. If that fails, then go to the twitter or facebook pages of “admitted students” and garner what you can from that experience.</p>
<p>And don’t forget that opinions are as common as people, and your opinion is the only one that really counts for you.</p>
<p>Take Ghostbuster’s advice, tack it on your wall and read it over and over again.</p>
<p>Some students are too weak in the knees these days!!! I’ll wager that there was time when few college applicants set foot on campus before their freshman orientation, as Ghostbuster said. That was my experience over 20 years ago. And I came sight unseen after a nearly 3,000 mile trip!</p>
<p>Students have to become adults and know to expect the unexpected. I disagree that it’s like buying a house. You’re stuck in the physical confines of a house. Whereas at college, you’ve got various places to explore in and outside of the classroom, emotionally and intellectually. Sure, by the first day of autumn you may have second thoughts, but never rush to judgment. And the money you’ve spent on tuition etc. you would have spent everywhere else for the first semester.</p>
<p>Learn as much as possible about your preferred college and make an educated decision, which will be “your best guess” wherever you decide to matriculate.</p>
<p>Generally preferred, money and time permitted.</p>
<p>Utilize the internet if the above is difficult.</p>
<p>Visit a few places that are convenient and all different before applying anywhere even if you aren’t applying to those places. You should get a feel for what you learn on a tour or infosession to figure out what you’re seeking, and also you should get a sense for what certain terms and marketing speak translates to in real life. You should see and “feel” a big public, a small private college in the middle of nowhere, and an urban school (or some other representative combination) just to get a sense of what all that online information looks like in real life even if visiting actual places you want to apply is not an option.</p>
<p>Many, many kids eliminate choices after visiting.</p>
<p>If you can’t visit in person, use the online “virtual tour.”</p>
<p>We went on a road trip to visit colleges at the beginning of my daughter’s senior year. Our first stop (after a nine-hour drive) was at her top-choice school. It was her “dream” school and she couldn’t imagine attending elsewhere.</p>
<p>Ten minutes into the tour, she whispered in my ear that she hated it and could not imagine attending. I made her stay for the tour and info session anyway! She did not apply to that school.</p>
<p>We continued the road trip to visit other schools she had an interest in, as well as one I had added only because it was right on the way between two she had on her list - though she told me she wasn’t interested in it and did not plan to apply. On THAT tour she became more and more interested and engaged as the tour went on. She is currently a very happy sophomore at THAT school.</p>
<p>I recommend visiting as many colleges as time and finances allow - and thoroughly research those you cannot visit. I agree with modestmelody that you should visit nearby colleges - even if you are not interested in them. It will help you figure out what it is you are looking for.</p>
<p>If finances were great I would visit the universities I’m admitted into, though due to lack of finances I will visit none of the schools I’ve applied to and simply which ever school I decide to attend will be my first visit. I don’t think it be horrible, you should probably try to seek out the environment, scenery etc… as much as you can through videos, pictures, google and other helpful resources.</p>