<p>Nothing wrong with looking around now, but don't make it a huge part of your life.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>I really don't see the value in visiting schools unless you're accepted, and I don't think that campus "feel" should play much of a role in your decision about which school to attend.</p> </blockquote>
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<p>I think a lot depends on the schools. For super-reaches, I wouldn't waste a lot of time visiting. If you have one super-reach that you are really interested in, then go ahead and visit as part of your program to convince them that theiy are your #1 choice. For safety and ballpark schools, definitely visit - you will likely attend one of these schools, and getting a feel for the campus and environment is important.</p>
<p>At the same time, be aware that a few hour visit is an imperfect way to get a feel for a school. Supplement that visit with a lot of reading and research for the schools you are very interested in.</p>
<p>As to the original question, I don't think college search has to be a big focus during freshman and sophomore years. Rather, I'd use that time to get an idea of what fields of study excite you, and keeping your ears open for colleges that might be of particular interest down the road.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Come back at the end of junior year. There's really no need to get worried about colleges until then.
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<p>There's no reason to block off this resource. There's always good insight to be found here. Don't obsess over it, but there's really no principle to not visit CC. I wouldn't have <em>heard</em> of things like ISEF, AIME, RSI, etc. otherwise. If you learn about these opportunities at the end of junior year, it may be too late to take advantage of them.</p>
<p>As for the college search process itself, it's an important one. I don't see why it would be too early to start researching where you want to spend a very significant four years of your life (or more :p)</p>
<p>Zoogies makes a good point. CC isn't just college, you can use it as a resource for picking classes, summer opportunities ect.</p>
<p>That being said, its good that you realize you don't need to obsess over college at this stage. I wouldn't just block things off mentally until middle of junior year because I believe that is to late.</p>
<p>I am a rising junior, however I use CC mainly for the TASP thread so I can talk to other participants about this upcoming summer XD. I just started thinking about colleges and the like and took my first tour over spring break (Right place on a rainy day we figured why not)</p>
<p>The fact that you realize college is still important but know you don't have to obsess over it now is a good sign and shows you have a level head about this whole process. I know 8th graders on here predicting grades and awards all the way through their senior year.... Yeah right.</p>
<p>GL</p>
<p>I began reading up on the process in my freshmen year--I second the suggestion of "The Gatekeepers" and the Greenes' books, and I also liked Michelle Hernandez's books...just be careful to realize that even though the books really aren't old, the admissions process has gotten a LOT harder since the books were written--but I didn't start actually doing the college search thing until the fall of my junior year, and that was ample time for me. </p>
<p>As far as visiting, I am a huge supporter of it for those that can afford to do so. Of course, like every other part of the college admissions process (and life in general!) it is very much a personal thing. I would have applied to 15+ schools had I not visited, instead of 9, which was plenty. Additionally, I don't care how shallow it seems to some people--I am very much affected by a place's aesthetics and feeling, and I could frankly not have lived at some of the schools on my original list. Now, you could say that you could figure that out later if/when you got accepted, but of the 6 schools that I eliminated, I <em>could</em> have been accepted to all of them and probably would have been accepted to at least 4 or 5. Believe me when I tell you that it was hard enough to visit the 4 schools that I was considering this past April--I cannot imagine fitting in an additional 4+ schools into the month. I actually only visited 3, and 2 were within 20 minutes of each other. To visit all of the other schools, I would have had to go to 5 totally separate locations (Minneapolis, Philidelphia, New York, Connecticut, and Boston), probably wouldn't have been able to do overnights (which were helpful), and would have fallen even further behind in my school work. I really can't imagine doing it, and these schools generally weren't the kind that could be eliminated without visiting--2 of them were safeties, but even had I eliminated those, I still would have had 6 to 8 schools to visit.</p>
<p>I really don't get this "come back at the end of your junior year" advice.</p>
<p>For those planning to apply to certain schools, planning which courses to take and which honors course to take when (regular honors/APs/IBs) should start even before the sophomore year.</p>
<p>For example, the University of California system counts only the sophomore and junior year in its computation of its "UC GPA", and the courses that you have to take for all four years of high school are spelled out on its website.</p>
<p>If someone waits and doesn't realize these requirements, they will be at a serious disadvantage relative to others who know these rules--and what the requirements are. The same applies (as noted by others) relative to honors and science competitions. I see lots of people asking how to "improve my ECs" late in their junior year when all the competition deadlines have passed.</p>
<p>Think about it like college. How many students go into college planning to not take any of university-required courses or courses required for their major until their junior year? Hopefully not many.</p>
<p>I would agree with those who might say "don't obsess about college admissions" until the junior year--but knowing the requirements and the various competitions and SAT/ACT rules early is just good preparation.</p>
<p>"I know 8th graders on here predicting grades and awards all the way through their senior year.... Yeah right."</p>
<p>I'm not predicting my grades and awards, I'm just predicting my schedule. :P Being a male Asian rising 8th grader on these forums is apparently stereotypical Asian, but...</p>
<p>Eh.</p>
<p>aristotle: unless you have lots of money to spend on college apps, visiting is a great way to narrow down your list. also, it's hard to grasp how big a 20,000-student school is until you experience it yourself. You may find that you need a smaller student body, and by visiting before applying, you just saved yourself $50-100.</p>
<p>energize:</p>
<p>I wasnt naming people in specfic. But, I have seen a handful that have gone as far as predicting grades which I personally think is a waste of time and obsessive.</p>
<p>philosopher,
My suggestion would be that if you are near a college campus next summer (after soph year) take a look around if you have the time. Summer after soph year we were visiting the Philadelphia area, had some extra time and I took my son to look at Penn (tour and info session) and he really hated the location. That's the first time he really started to think about the urban/suburban/rural thing. If you are interested in any selective schools, waiting until the beginning of senior year is going to be too late to start dealing with the whole process. Everything is going to feel very rushed. I firmly believe that if you have the time and resources, that campus visits to a number of schools can be crucial in deciding where to apply. My kid wanted to see not only the campus exterior, but the inside of the library and wanted to sit in on classes. When he narrowed his list way down he did some overnights, and this sealed the deal in terms of where he was going to apply. This is what worked for him and I can certainly see that many people would not be interested in doing it this way.</p>
<p>I recommend you come back to cc the beginning of your junior year. In the meantime read the Fiske Guides to Colleges, <a href="http://www.fiskeguide.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.fiskeguide.com/</a>, two I would recommend you read over the summer: 'Getting Into The Right College'; and 'Fiske Guide to Colleges 2007'; in DECEMBER of your junior year get a copy of 'What to Do for College When' this will give you an 18 month step by step guide with critical dates to be on top of scholarships, free (or those which give financial aid) prestigious summer programs to attend between junior & senior year. For schools you are really interested in they will have campus visit programs during your senior year, many of which cover the cost of travel but they have to know that you are interested in the college...call admissions offices of your top picks to see if they have such programs and eligibility requirements like being a first generation college students (neither of your parents graduated from a 4 year college).<br>
Also, begin to look for local scholarships by getting info from your school counselor and looking at the guidance websites of the best public and private high schools in your area, this is also a good way to find out about summer internships/programs. You may also wish to visit different type of schools in your area, a small liberal arts school, a large university and a medium size university, these trips are often sponsored by high schools. This will give you an idea of what type of campus appeals to you most without the cost of travelling far from home.</p>
<p>Here is my standard advise:
Ways To Give Your Parents & Yourself a Tuition Break</p>
<p>Get a copy of 'How to Pay for College Without Going Broke' either the 2007 edition which is out now or the 2008 edition, which will be out in October, it is published by <a href="http://www.princetonreview.com%5B/url%5D">www.princetonreview.com</a>. Also, look for schools where you may qualify for merit aid such is those profiled by Loren Pope at <a href="http://www.ctcl.com%5B/url%5D">www.ctcl.com</a> and get to book, 'Peterson's Smart Choices: Honors Programs & College' 4th Edition, at <a href="http://www.peterson.com%5B/url%5D">www.peterson.com</a>.</p>
<p>An excellent primer on financial aid can be found at <a href="http://www.finaid.org%5B/url%5D">www.finaid.org</a> and you may calculate your EFC expected family contribution at <a href="http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml%5B/url%5D">http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml</a></p>
<p>Ruggs Recommendations will tell you a lot, I especially like which school have the largest endowments and which schools give generous financial aid: <a href="http://www.ruggsrecommendations.com/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.ruggsrecommendations.com/index.html</a>
Rugg's Recommendations on the Colleges, 24th Edition </p>
<p>Sorry this is so long.</p>
<p>I think if there is opportunity and willingness, then look, get a feel. D kept saying near city, hated "in the middle of the cornfield" of one school she went to a camp for.</p>
<p>Bad skiing over break, drove to NH for day, loved campus feel, town and overall size. She did this during sophmore year. This led her to look at schools in that size range and not eliminate a more rural location.</p>
<p>Also this board has been invaluable for info regarding schedules, not that she spends time here, but I have asked many questions based on things she is thinking and have gotten excellent feedback.</p>
<p>I would not get crazy, but there is alot of great info, that is very beneficial prior to waiting till junior year.</p>
<p>I started fall of junior year. and i had made a huge list of colleges... but over the year i have narrowed it down. by the summer entering your senior year, you should finalize your list.</p>
<p>well with 160 posts already, are you really going to just walk away and not come back for 2 years?? I dont think so. Just use this website to maximize your potential and hopefully it'll help you achieve your goals :)</p>
<p>In my opinion, the best time to start looking for colleges is at the beginning of junior year.</p>
<p>Jeez, I wish I'd known more about college issues back in MIDDLE SCHOOL. In my school system, the classes we'd be eligible for in high school were largely decided in the sixth grade. If we didn't get into a particular level of math at that age, we were screwed for the next five or six years. Start researching requirements and opportunities as soon as possible. CC will be a wonderful resource for that. It's purely awful advice to say "Don't worry about it, don't even think too much about it, till the end of Junior year."</p>
<p>^ It's same here too disgrace. Luckily my math teacher put me in Algebra in 7th grade (It was my year in United States too).</p>
<p>Well with 160 posts I don't see a point in me sticking around her any longer DeltaRoyale ;)</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice everyone else. I'll probably stick around then if it does pay off...</p>
<p>lol, funny rationale...
I dont see a point in me sticking around here any longer....i'll probably stick around then :p</p>
<p>Ya funny rationale indeed. I personally don't see a point</p>
<p>But if others think sticking around pays off, why not ;)</p>
<p>I think if u start on this website too early..... they will pollute your mind.......and get u into thinking that only certain schools are good...... i really think u should begin ur search beginning of junior year, and don't come on to this site until summer beginning senior year.</p>