<p>Since they are so selective, is it worth to visit before applying, or should one not visit them until he or she is accepted since they are considered a reach for everyone?</p>
<p>It’s a good idea to visit them to get an impression of the school and see if you want to apply. But visiting most highly-selective schools to “show interest” is a waste of time and money. Ivy schools don’t care whether you visit or not. They have tons of applicants who are overflowing with “interest.”</p>
<p>It’s a lot cheaper to do a virtual visit via the Internet, pay the application fee to any that look appealing and visit any that accept you after the decisions come out.</p>
<p>If possible, visit. Many people (high school students in particular) tend to lump the Ivies together as if they were all quite similar to each other. But this is not true. Brown, for example, is a very very different place than Cornell. It’s very possible to love one and hate the other. They are similar to the extent that they all offer an excellent education–but their cultures and physical attributes are quite distinct. </p>
<p>Except for Dartmouth and Cornell–its quite easy to visit the Ivies. The are all located right off I-95 and/or Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. Ithaca and Hanover are a bit off the beaten path, but accessible nonetheless.</p>
<p>And, if you are doing the I-95 route, there is no logical reason to restrict yourself to Ivies. There are equally strong and prestigious schools also located on that corridor (MIT and Johns Hopkins, just to name two.)</p>
<p>I agree with Bonanza and Scipio. Definitely visit some of them before applying if you can. It is better to put in the time and expense of visits now than apply to a school and undergo the application fee and time spent to write the essays and then find out by visiting later that you don’t like the school. Also, you could always combine college visits with a vacation to Boston, NYC, Philly, etc.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on how good a chance you have for Ivies whether to spend a lot of limited visiting time and energy on them. A student with 1400 math + verbal, for example, has an OK but not great chance and should probably focus on matches and a few safeties paying special attention to schools that do care about a show of interest. Yes Brown and Cornell are very different but you can figure that out from CC and other information. Or if you’re in the area spend an hour or so rather than a whole day.</p>
<p>Since my son had perfect stats, we decided to spend the money to travel and visit the ivy’s. Can’t say it was worth it since he was rejected from 3 he applied to plus MIT. He could just as easily have done enough research to get an idea where he wants to apply and even apply to more of them. I now think it’s best to visit after acceptance unless you live close.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>My son had perfect stats, too, and was rejected by Yale, Princeton and MIT. It’s really wishful thinking that you are choosing an Ivy, it’s more like an Ivy or two, if you’re lucky, chooses you. My son did get into Brown (along with several other top-20 non-Ivies) and Brown was nice enough to buy him a plane ticket to visit them before he made a final decision. He just returned, and I think he’s in love.</p>
<p>If money and time are no object, by all means visit first. But honestly, an Internet search and a copy of the school viewbook should give you a very good idea if the school is a good fit. A lot of the time a quick school visit provides more sizzle and less steak than an intelligent search.</p>
<p>And don’t be one of those who does a college tour of “the Ivies.” Include some of the other excellent schools along the way. When you’re in Philly to see Penn, check out Haverford, Swarthmore or even Villanova. When you’re in NYC to see Columbia, check out NYU for a change of pace. When you’re in Boston to see Harvard, check out Tufts. Really, there’s little that is more eye-rolling worthy than a high school student who restricts his college tours to just the Ivies.</p>
<p>
In the old days it used to be eye-rolling. Now it’s not just eye-rolling but a terrible strategy.</p>
<p>I second Pizzagirl’s recommendation. Also consider visiting other LACs like Williams and Amherst if you’re going on a regional tour.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the posts. </p>
<p>As for LACs, I have a few questions. Is an LAC for someone who does not know what he or she wants to major in? Why do some people choose to go to a LAC, rather than a top school, when an LAC just gives you a broader education, instead of a focused education? I haven’t even considered visiting any LACs because I still don’t understand what they have to offer…</p>
<p>“Why do some people choose to go to a LAC, rather than a top school,”</p>
<p>Many LACs are top schools. It does sound like you need to do a little more research!</p>
<p>“The Ivies” are a rather varied set of schools. You should do some research and find out at which ones you might fit, rather than just blindly applying to all of them. Applying to all of them is also a lot of work (and a fair bit of money).
Many, many LACS are very fine schools and provide educations as good , if not better than some top universities.
In general, the difference between a university and a college is the presence of a graduate school. Universities and colleges alike tend to require a broad education.
Colleges often have very dedicated teachers who will focus on undergrads rather than grads. Research opportunities for undergrads are also often greater. Class sizes may also be smaller - even the Ivies often run big intro sessions.</p>
<p>As Loremipsum, Web2094 and Pizzagirl mentioned, Ivies are more of a lottery at 5-10% admit rate (Harvard will be close to 5% next year) with perfect scores and in several cases, number 1 ranking in school. You do need to have a strategy in your application process to spread them around knowing that all Ivies should be listed as a REACH and then start adding choices that should be considered matches and safeties to your list.<br>
If you have at least one safety like a State school with rolling admissions where you can get in early like September/October, and would be happy attending it if nothing else works out, then you can apply to only reaches and matches.</p>