<p>So i'm currently a junior in high school. Normally my school offers a college tour or trip, which takes us to a variety of colleges. However, this year, for some reason, the trip was canceled. So I have a few quick questions:
1: When should I visit a college? Some people say spring of junior year and some say late summer or early fall of senior year
2: When I go to visit a college, do I just show up with my parents and walk around, or is their some kind of formal tour that I sign up for?
3: Should I apply to a bunch of colleges then visit the one's I got accepted to and then pick the one I like?
I'm kind of confused. I tried to do some research on this topic, but most websites just say why it's good to visit a college, and not really how to do so.
Anyways, if anyone could take the time to answer my questions, it would be deeply appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>Go to the web pages of the colleges you are interested in visiting. In the admissions section they will have information on visiting and usually on-line registering for a date and time for a tour. You can also call.</p>
<p>The best times to visit (that you have left) are spring of junior year and early fall of senior year, rather than the summer, because you get a better sense of what the college is like when the students are there. In the summer, even if there is a summer session going on, you might be touring a mostly empty campus. Depending on whether they are quarter or semester schools and when the school year starts and ends, you might be able to catch them in-session in late May and early June, or in August. </p>
<p>Whether you visit all the colleges you are applying to before you are accepted depends on geography and whether you have the time and money to travel. If they’re all relatively close then definitely visit. You may eliminate some from consideration, and save yourself the application fees and the effort of filling out an application for a school you wouldn’t want to attend. </p>
<p>The visits themselves vary - usually a group tour led by a current student. Some have each student meet individually with an admissions counselor as well. Some have large group presentations with a question/answer period. Some give you a certificate for lunch in the cafeteria, or set up a lunch with students. At some colleges you can sign up to stay overnight in a dorm with a current student.</p>
<p>I agree that the Summer is not the absolute best time to tour a college. However, there are areas (Boston, DC, Philadelphia) which have many colleges clustered relatively closely to one another. Depending on your areas of interest and the availability of your parents, it can be possible to tour several colleges in a few days time. It’s harder to find those blocks of time during the spring and fall when you are in school.</p>