Visting EVERY college you apply to?

Parents Forum
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<p>D1 - applied to 9, didn't visit 2, visited remaining 7 plus about 7 not applied; after acceptances went back to 2
S1 - started apps to 5, didn't visit 1, visited remaining 4 plus 4 not applied; chose ED to 1 and withdrew 4 after ED acceptance
D2 - applied to 6, didn't visit 1, visited remaining 5 plus 4 not applied;
after acceptances went back to 3</p>

<p>Visits started junior year on long weekends or school breaks and usually hit 2 schools each trip. S1 and D2 also spent time visiting schools where friends attended in close driving distance. D1 went on a school sponsored bus tour to 5 school in the northeast.</p>

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<p>I guess it depends upon initial preferences. DD wanted to go to a major research university (and clearly did not want to go to a LAC). She had clear geographic preferences. And top 20 schools are pretty strong in her prospective major. So her initial list was not that long to begin with.
Visiting could help with "Why this school" essays and with ranking schools within he list, but was not likely to change where she would apply.
So we only visited two schools in the fall of DD' senior year and one more school in January. Before that DD saw three more schols she applied to and one more school where she decided not to apply (even though these were not intentional college visits, they helped). We still hope to see two more before April (and I regret that we didn't see them before interviews). This will cover the 8 schools she would really apply to if the admission situation were not crazy this year. One of the schools was originally viewed as safety.
Other schools she applied to were added to make sure that she is accepted to a good college by April 1. DD believed that she would never choose them over her top 8 (for different reasons for each school - location, finances, academics). But logically these were good choices (again different reasons for each school). If she she is not admitted to any of her top choices, we will visit in April.</p>

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<p>My D visited every single school she applied to and a lot she didn't apply to. A total of about 20 schools, I think. Maybe more. However, she only visited schools that accepted the Common App.</p>

<p>My S, being an engineer even then, said "MIT or CalTech and I'll visit if they both accept me." He went to MIT; CalTech waitlisted him. (His "safety" was to not skip his senior year of high school and reapply the next year.)</p>

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<p>Thank you again for the wealth of information. :)</p>

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<p>My D applied to 15 - has visited three of them. Accepted now to six that she has never visited. I am very stressed over the decision that is looming and the need to get her to these places but senior year classes, ECs, my and DH's work schedule, etc keep getting in the way. There is surely a happy medium somewhere when it comes to pre-application post-application visits.</p>

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<p>We have visted or plan to visit before application season:</p>

<p>all in-state schools they plan to apply to
all schools in neighboring state they plan to apply to
Colorado College if they decide to apply</p>

<p>We are holding off on visiting two other schools in non-neighboring states until decision time because of $$, they are both less selective and neither puts as much emphasis on a visit as some of the others. Make sure you do show interest though maybe through informational receptions or interviews with alumni that live in your area.</p>

<p>I don't think it is neccessary to visit everywhere before applying but I do think it is a good idea to expose your kids to a variety of types of schools so they know what they like. I think it was Northstarmom who said to vist a/an: </p>

<p>rural campus
urban campus
suburban campus
big campus
small campus
religiously affiliated campus
State School
Private school
Single sex school</p>

<p>all to get an idea of what they feel like and how they differ from one another and that made sense to me. That doesn't mean you have to visit 9 schools...a college like Scripps hits the private, small, single sex and suburban categories. </p>

<p>Really if $ and time are constraints I think it is fine to wait and do the accepted student events or an overnight in the spring prior to the May 1 deadline.</p>

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<p>Mammal,
My son was in the same situation 2 years ago- applied to 15, accepted at 12, waitlisted at 2, only 1 decline. When all the acceptances were in April 1 we sat down and eliminated most of the schools for various reasons. We kept the ones [4] that offered the best undergraduate opportunites [i.e.dept.strength in the areas he wanted to double major in] and/or offered the best financial aid [full scholarship].Then we visited during accepted students week and he made his final decision April 30. April was NOT fun.</p>

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<p>Rachacha</p>

<p>Visiting in the summer, though convenient, is not very helpful... You really need to see the school in session- sit on classes, talk to students, etc. to get a feel for it.</p>

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<p>We visited 13 schools over the course of two years (mostly on vacation and one marathon week last April). DS planned to apply to eight, changed a couple around after EA results and ultimately applied to seven. Have three acceptances, a deferral, and waiting on the rest. I am VERY thankful he didn't apply to more schools.</p>

<p>We are considering whether to have him visit one or two schools over Spring Break even though we won't have decisions in hand, because April is going to be so tough to schedule. (And, of course, they are not local.) He also has other commitments during the next eight weeks that make it imperative that if he's going to visit, some travel must take place over Spring Break.</p>

<p>I feel a huge tension between wanting to keep every option on the table until decisions/merit/FA comes in vs. winnowing things down to the 'finalists' ASAP so he can take a long, hard look, visit, and make a clear-headed decision. DS said he didn't want this to be an easy decision...think he hit the nail on the head.</p>

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<p>I just talked to my son about my idea of his visiting during spring break. He said he really doesn't want to visit without an acceptance and viable financial aid offer in hand. I think he doesn't want to fall in love with one and have it not work out which is sensible. He's an extremely level headed guy.</p>

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<p>Yes, that is sensible 2blue. My son thought of his schools in alphabetical order until he got acceptances.</p>

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<p>Last year we waited until all the acceptances were in and knew if my DD had scholarships there before we left to visit campus. Since most of the colleges she applied to were 1,000 miles away it made sense because we had to fly to go see them. We also didn't want her to fall in love with a college she might not get into. Try to see the college when there are not a lot of new acceptances going. This way you get your own personal tour, and after the tour make sure to look around by yourselves.Try to see them when classes are in session so this way you can take a class. Also eat at student dining. Visit the students hang out. Don't mind asking them questions their always very helpful.</p>

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<p>DD wanted to visit as many as possible and I enjoyed the trips with her. Over 18 months, we visited 25 schools. </p>

<p>She had many surprises- fell in love with Claremont McKenna when we impulsively stopped in, and didn't care much for Colgate when we had set up a trip with that school as the focus of a trip. It had looked so good on paper, but didn't feel right to her.</p>

<p>She had overnights with her top 3 in the fall, applied ED to Hamilton and got away with only filling out two applications.</p>

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<p>A tale of two regions...my two older kids attended nearby (within 8 hours), but the youngest went cross-country; so the advance-visiting situations were markedly different. </p>

<p>Older 2 visited 8 places within a l0-hour driving radius from home, but we're in the Northeast so that helped a lot. These visits were enjoyable and so informative they were able to decide without any re-visits in March.</p>

<p>Youngest was looking for a specific major (Screenwriting for film/TV or Dramatic Writing for stage) with his geographic preference Los Angeles. He selected 2 California and 6 Northeastern schools. We never believed he'd actually get in (8-12% acceptance rates to "Film" production majors, although if the major is sub-designated "Screenwriting" the odds rise to 25%). </p>

<p>So, we never invested in an exploratory cross-country trip to his 2 California schools. Since he chose to skip 11th grade, we lost important time for close-by visits, but saw 2 of his 6 Northeast schools. He also had familiarity with many college issues through his two older siblings, so at least understood the variables involved. </p>

<p>We figured if he got in anywhere in the Northeast, he'd make a weekend visit during March. (That wasn't mean of us; it was a response to the time-squish of his skipping 11th grade). To our astonishment, he got into 1 of the 2 California schools,
which immediately trumped the 2/6 Northeastern schools that accepted him. A last-minute discovery trip was unaffordable (2 last-minute cross-country plane tix + budget hotel = $l,000 before food). We encouraged him to simply accept the California offer based on information gathered online. When he packed in August, I told family that he was going to meet his mail-order bride. </p>

<p>As we drove him to the campus, sight unseen, for freshman orientation and move-in, I had a sinking feeling: what if he hates it? </p>

<p>He loves it -- the program is excellent as described, the campus and general education extremely satisfying to him. He's also a very un-fussy person, positive in outlook, not prone to find fault. </p>

<p>What worked for the youngest would NOT have worked for the older two, who were looking for the best possible and affordable liberal arts education, with majors to be determined while in college. For them, the visits were crucial and all affordable. </p>

<p>Keep in mind that many international or low-income students must also arrive sight-unseen on campuses every year. I'm trying to put the visits in perspective. Visits are wonderful, but if they can't be managed, I'm pointing out through my youngest's experience that it's also possible to find a successful fit without visits if necessary. Many wait until the acceptances come in, although timing is tight then.</p>

<p>I also think that after a few visits to "some" places, you become better at interpreting the websites at "all" places. It's a process with a learning curve.</p>

<p>Good luck to all!</p>

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<p>Part of the reason I didn't visit more with the older son was that he said he didn't care what colleges looked like, he only cared about their computer departments. I thought he ought to look at a few anyway, and I had a hankering to see California again. After he pronounced Caltech, Stanford and Berkeley all just fine, I figured he was telling the truth - he really didn't care about size or location. That said, I could really see him at Caltech, all the kids were just like him. However he didn't get accepted there.</p>

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<p>Both sons went to college programs for two summers while in HS, so they had a strong sense of what kind of school they wanted. We circled all the "Teacher Conference" days in the school calendar and planned trips around them - usually 2-3 schools on a long weekend, although there was one school where S2 flew in and out the same day. We squeezed in a school in conjunction with a wedding, another with a sports tournament, and one with a convention my husband was attending. One son tagged along with a friend of ours when he went for a visit to his alma mater.</p>

<p>So, the short answer is: Be creative, and plan in advance! </p>

<p>Do not leave a bunch of school visits until April acceptances are in. April is the cruelest month.....
It has discouraging rejections that take the wind out of your sails.
It has a limited number of "accepted students days" so you'll probably have conflicts, and the airfares will be high.
It has AP tests looming right around the corner.
It is nearly impossible to make a decision without seeing all the schools involved, and that leads to a very stressful time for all the family.</p>

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<p>Both my kids visited most of the schools to which they applied (as well as some where they decided not to apply). Neither visited all of them. In general, I don't think visits are all that. You can learn more of what's important about a school by other means.</p>

<p>However, when April rolled around, and there were lots of things happening (including exams there), it proved difficult/impossible to visit far-away campuses that had accepted them. In one case, that became a huge barrier to the child giving the school the consideration it deserved. It was really hard to consider picking an unknown quantity over a known (and loved) one.</p>

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<p>aashad, I'm in favor of visits because they were so instrumental in my son's decision making process. Our situation is somewhat different from most because we live overseas and knew that there would be no opportunity to visit after acceptances came in.</p>

<p>We visited 14 schools -- all during summer. The schools that were at the top of the list prior to visiting dropped off all together. The new #1 (where he matriculated) was a last minute add on. Seeing, feeling, experiencing is irreplaceable. </p>

<p>You say "We will definitely visit her top two schools." I know it may be counter-intuitive but you might just want to hold off on the top two, which are going to be the top two no matter what, and concentrate on the lower 6 to 8. These, the safeties or less selectives, are the schools that are going to require some selling. Seeing the campus, meeting some kids does SO much to make safeties more appealing.</p>

<p>I would put super selectives, especially if they are ivies or large universities, at the bottom of the visit list. Everyone loves HYPSM etc, etc. If she gets accepted she can visit; the college won't care much either way.</p>

<p>The schools that do tend to care are the smaller colleges and LACs where demonstrated interest can make a difference in admissions and help the applicant craft her "Why College X" essay.</p>

<p>Good luck and let us know how she does.</p>

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<p>nngmm - you are not the first to tell us that summer visits aren't as useful, it's frustrating since D is a three-sport athlete, with state ski meets during this week off and track meets during the spring break. We figure if a coach is interested enough in her (or she is interested enough in a school to return) we'll have to maybe sacrifice a XC meet in the fall to go back to a school...</p>

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<p>Our approach was very similar to momrath's and we are also overseas so our choices were limited. But we also knew that my d needed the visits because she had no "state school" or even a school that she was familiar with - she was out of state everywhere and her friends were applying to schools all over the world. We visited 10 schools in the summer - safeties, reaches, urban, rural, big and little. She eliminated 4 and added 2 that we didn't visit (one that did a presentation at her HS in the fall and one that was suggested by the admissions dept of a rival school as a similar program).</p>

<p>We ended up flying back for spring break senior year to attend an admitted student weekend - and we added a second visit to another accepted school and a first visit to a school she had been deferred at (that was tough because she really loved the school and they had just sent decisions that day but wouldn't tell her she was still waitlisted). Our break was the last week of March so too early to have heard from everyone but her top choices were those 3. </p>

<p>I would suggest including the Ivy or reach school in the visits - sometimes they find out that the competitive atmosphere is not what they really want. Or they may decide that they love it but that there are also other schools they love just as much. </p>

<p>My d was interested in nursing school so she made a point to set up appointments with the nursing depts. That had a huge impact on her decision - the schools where she only spoke with secretaries or couldn't get appointments got cut from her list early. </p>

<p>We used priceline to book hotels but tried to stay on or near the campus whenever possible to get a good feel for restaurants, campus layout, etc. Often those hotels are much cheaper in the summer anyway. However, staying on campus didn't seem to be too important to my d - she cut one of the best college town schools - UVA - because their nursing dept wouldn't give an appointment. But I enjoyed it!<br>
Another tip is to check out the CC College Visits area - you can get recommendations on places to stay and eat from others who have visited.</p>