<p>I've come to this board with the anticipation that someone will be able to comment. I was talking to a friend of mine in a different state who has a s in his sophomore year. My s is also a sophomore. Both kids do not have a clue as to where they should consider applying - urban, rural, big, small? A friend of my friend suggested that she take her s and drive to some local colleges/universities in the area on a weekday to taste the flavor of the environment. This friend also said that they should drop into a classroom to observe a class in session. I didn't think that it was appropriate and I suggested that at least my friend should make an appointment and first show up at the admissions office but they are planning to visit classes unnanounced or if they needed they would stop into admissions office first and request to see a class in action. Am I missing something or a) isn't it proper to first make an appointment and b) with all the worries of security, how can they wander the halls looking for a class to walk into? Thanks and appreciate all your thoughts.</p>
<p>Hi smiles!
Welcome to the board! I think you will find lots of useful information here. There have been many threads about college visits that should be helpful. As to your question, first of all, I think it is great that these sophomores are beginning to think about college, but they can also relax a bit, as they still have some time to give it more thought. That said, I think it's a great idea to visit campuses.This is exactly how they should be starting- to see if they like big/small/public/private/university/LAC etc. If they just want to walk around to get a feel for the campus, they won't need to stop in the admissions office, unless they'd like to fill out a card that will (a) get them on the mailing list and (b) let the school know they've shown interest. However, you are definitely right to steer them to the admissions office if they'd like to sit in on a class. While they might not be noticed if they sat quietly in the back of a large lecture hall, it is just common courtesy to ask permission. They typically have a list of classes in the admissions office that can be visited that day. They certainly wouldn't want to walk in on an exam or something. And of course, if they wanted to sit in on a small class, they'd need permission, and usually the faculty member is given the head's up by the admissions office. With respect to security, I think the girls will probably have no problem getting into and out of main buildings during the day, as the are usually open and unlocked with the exception of dorms, which will likely be locked. If they are HS sophomores, they'll probably blend in, and most schools are used to having visitors and prospective students all the time. What schools will they be visiting?? Thre are probably lots of folks on this board who can help with specifics at certain schools. Oh- one last tip- If they are looking at a school with a serious parking problem, they might benefit from stopping by the admission ofice. They can sometimes provide a temporary parking pass. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>I agree with you -- I do NOT think it is appropriate to just randomly "drop in" on a class unannounced. It is a good idea to visit some local colleges (take a formal tour or just walk around to soak up the atmosphere) but visiting classrooms requires permission first. Would your friend want some strangers to just come unannounced to her house? I'm sure if she asked to visit a class, the admissions office would be happy to make the arrangements for her.</p>
<p>Thank you both for your replies. i agree a heads up in advance is common courtesy.</p>
<p>While I found observing classes interesting, we didn't do it until after D was enrolled. Getting a sense of a large lecture class vs. a small discussion class might be useful. But for overall gauging a school, observing students when the don't know they're being observed, e.g., in the dining halls, campus center, etc. helps get an overall temperature. And if your D/S walks up to some and identifies her/himself as a prospect, most students are more than willing to volunteer a few minutes to talk about what they like, what they don't like, etc. Ignore any one datapoint but look for overall patterns, imo.</p>
<p>DS wanted to sit in on classes when he visited schools. He was particularly interested in music ensembles (orchestra and wind ensemble) and music theory. He visited those classes at each school we toured. HOWEVER, he had to have the permission of the instructor in each case. This was not difficult to get....but it had to be done (in his case through the music admissions folks). He went on his first college tours during April of his sophomore year in high school. I will say that he knew he wanted to major in music early on, and this made his college search and visits a bit more focused than we are finding his sister's. We also found that students were very willing to talk to him about the schools. We ate lunch in the student center or dining hall at each place and there was always someone who would chat with DS (who started up these conversations willingly). Once accepted, DS scheduled a full day at his first choice school (dawn to almost midnight...no kidding) attending classes, visiting the private music teacher, sitting in on ensembles, lunch with the music adcom, chatting with other members of his instrument studio, and attending a brass jury in the evening. It really cinched his decision....and I will say, they treated him VERY nicely. When he arrived, there was a note for him from his trumpet teacher saying hi...(he had not called this teacher in advance, but somehow he heard DS was visiting) and telling DS to come to visit. This really made DS feel very welcome.</p>
<p>Smiles - one thing a friend of mine and I did w our 2 S's when they were sophs was: Select a few colleges to drive through/walk around a bit that were v different in style. EG, very urban-large, bucolic-small etc. etc. We were careful to AVOID any schools we thought might actually be of real interest to Ss. At this early stage, we didn't want to turn them off to a real possible just because it was a lousy day with Mom or whatever.</p>
<p>It was v helpful for the boys to get an idea of what different campuses were like, what "large" vs. "small" means,... and just to begin thinking more concretely. It was low-key, no pressure. They were not comfortable w the idea of sitting in on classes - they just felt too "sore thumb" kid in cfison w the "sophisticated" college kids. But whatever works for you S - just thought I'd share this.</p>
<p>Music rings a bell (so to speak): when just doing her first visit, D had set up an appointment with the orchestra director at Smith. While they were chatting, he invited her to come back that evening and sit with her section during a rehearsal (!). That attitude was one of the things that wowed us.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your help....</p>