<p>How important do you think it is to visit schools before applying, as it is very expensive.</p>
<p>It’s not that important. The most cost-effective thing to do is visit schools of varying types that are nearby, just to get a feel for the atmosphere/qualities that appeal to the student.</p>
<p>It is critically important to visit schools when “deciding!” Apply to schools that appeal to you as you research them. Then get accepted and go visit to choose the final school. Thank goodness we visited when we were in the decision process. If we had not gone to each school’s admitted students day and toured the schools, we would have walked away from our final first choice and possibly gone to a large elite school that was not a match for my son’s learning style or cultural/community aspirations.</p>
<p>It is not necessary to visit before applying. If there are any colleges/universities in your area, you may want to drive over to just get a sense of what type of size (large university v small LAC, rural v urban) school you might prefer. If you are applying to smaller LAC type schools, they do like you to show some “demonstrated interest” – but instead of a campus visit you can talk to admissions and set up an interview with a local alumni or something. Once you get in, have your finances in place, and are down to a couple of viable top choices, you should try to visit campus before you make your final decision.</p>
<p>If there are any schools near enough to you to visit before applying, by all means do so. You might decide to drop a school from your application list, or put another one as a higher priority, after visiting. It’s understandable that this might not be possible, if all the ones you are considering are a distance away. However, be sure to visit before deciding!</p>