<p>When did you guys start visiting schools? There's only one school I'm interested, in state, and that is University of Washington (Seattle). Since I live about thirty minutes away, I can visit anytime. Though I'm a sophomore next year. Should I visit junior year, the end of sophomore year, or what?</p>
<p>I've heard about visiting over Spring Break Junior year, but for a school so close, I just wanted to get a better idea of when people on CC started their visits.</p>
<p>Personally, I’ll do it after all the acceptances; I am applying all over the place.</p>
<p>I would honestly start college visits to local colleges in your freshman year. They don’t have to be in depth, but just a nice and quick visit to give you a feel of what college is like.</p>
<p>During your Junior and Senior year is when you need to get serious. Call ahead and get a student representative to give you a in depth visit and to answer all of your questions. Get down to the nitty gritty and get tuition quotes, scholarship information, applications, information packets, etc. This shows the college that you are a serious student.</p>
<p>Colleges like to put together visits/activities for Juniors and other college-bound students to visit the school. Get on their mailing list and they will send you announcements. Sometimes they give these students that attend incentives just for coming.</p>
<p>I didn’t visit my top school until November of senior year. </p>
<p>I started visiting schools in eighth/ninth grade though-but only local ones.</p>
<p>I started spring of sophomore year… but you do a lot of growing between 10th and 12th grade. I don’t think it can hurt to look at schools during sophomore year, especially if you’re interested in the school. It will show them that you have a deep commitment to the school and that you’re extremely interested if you visit sophomore year and continue to stay active with them.</p>
<p>That being said, I didn’t visit or even consider the college I’m going to (and my first choice) until October of senior year, so really, don’t rule out anything right now. I never pegged myself for a state school girl, but I’m honestly excited about where I’m going.</p>
<p>…And I live in a city of 6 colleges, and I didn’t visit any of them until junior year, so just because they’re close doesn’t mean you have to start early.</p>
<p>I would say sophomore/junior years for local colleges. It doesn’t really so much matter where, you just need to get an idea of the kinds of things you like (big vs. small, public vs. private, etc.). I visited a ton of schools I thought I’d like sophomore year. I hated most of them, but it showed me what I really wanted in a school, not just what sounds good in a brochure. </p>
<p>I would wait for serious visits after you get acceptances (unless the college asks that you visit to demonstrate interest).</p>
<p>I think anytime during junior years a good time to start. Definitely think you should be doing it by the summer before your senior year.</p>
<p>I did two after my freshman year, but it was an optional thing with a summer program and I figured I would get something out of it.</p>
<p>Went on one fall of junior year, two fall of senior year. I was supposed to go on two more but I was struggling in school and my parents cancelled them. Went to a scholarship weekend at the school I chose to attend in April.</p>
<p>If you can’t afford to go a bunch of places before you apply, try to go to a few different “types” of schools, i.e. a big state school, LAC, rural private, etc. While all schools are different, the general atmosphere will help you decide what’s important to you.</p>
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<p>This…</p>
<p>Visit your safeties now and wait until accepted to visit the other places your applying too.</p>
<p>I started visiting during spring break sophomore year, although I had already been on many college campuses before that for piano competitions, recitals, camps, etc.</p>
<p>Before you apply. Visiting schools helped me fall in love with a few of them and made me realize that I shouldn’t bother applying to a few others; I wouldn’t have fit in with the campus culture.</p>
<p>Then again, this advice varies a bit from place to place. If a school has something different about it (religious affiliation, reputation for crazy drug use, middle of nowhere, whatever), you need to visit it. If it’s a school like WashU or Northwestern, which are wonderful but are pretty typical “upper tier” schools, then you probably don’t need to spend your money until you get in.</p>
<p>Thank you guys! UofW is indeed, my financial and academic safety. My dream school is probably going to change, but it’s also on the opposite coast (Brown). So I’ll probably visit there after I apply, along with whatever schools end up on my list.</p>
<p>This was helpful, thanks again!</p>