<p>I'm thinking about taking a big college visiting trip, but I was wondering -- is it better to visit before or after you apply? I was thinking about visiting over the summer, but that does seem less worthwhile since classes won't be in session. With that being said, should I just apply to all the schools I want to go to, and visit/do overnights to the ones I get admitted to? That way the visit would help me decide where I wanted to go out of all the choices I have.</p>
<p>Input?</p>
<p>If you visit schools in the summer, there may be fewer students on campus, but there usually will be some; most schools do have summer classes. However, there is a downside to visiting in the summer. That is, you probably won’t be there much during the summer. You will be there in the fall-winter-early spring months, so for the northern schools, if that’s where you are considering going, seeing campuses in the summer might be unreasonable. Winter months can be cold, dark, dreary, and snowy. I see that you are from California. The Northeast winter could be a shock for you. Your plan to apply, and then visit is a good one, if money and time are an issue. I would also recommend doing several trips, if that is at all possible. Things tend to run together in one’s brain, and you might not remember which school had that nice library, or where the cafeteria was closer to which dorms. I recommend taking a small camera with you to document your visits. If you do a couple of small trips, you can process what you see and hear better. If there are schools close to where you live, even if you are not really interested in them, it is a great idea to visit them because you can get an idea of what to look for and how you might want to feel on campus. It is a very subjective thing. You have to be able to imagine yourself living there. You will be able to get a great education at any number of schools, but some of them will have a gut level appeal that can only be felt once there. And, conversely, some of them that might seem wonderful from the literature and web images might feel awful once you are there. Do try to see many, but in manageable doses.</p>
<p>Before AND after if you can. Because if you visit before and hate the campus/can’t see yourself at that school, it’ll save you time and money–>that’s what happened to me with Stony Brook…I thought I would love it, but then I visited, and I really didn’t, so I didn’t apply.</p>
<p>I think it’s a good idea to look at a few places before applying-- it may not be all the places you’re considering to apply, but I think taking the tours and making the rounds and getting a sense of even how to compare these different schools and what it’s like to feel yourself in one place versus another can be informative across all the schools you’re considering. Experiencing the college tour thing helps you evaluate schools, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Then, if it’s impossible to see everywhere you apply, well, you should think about how you’re going to be able to get to see the places you applied to before decision time is made. Will it be feasible to see 9 schools in April? Etc.</p>
<p>^ Good point about seeing 9 schools in April…But most people who apply to that many schools generally don’t get into all of them…Or, like me, cut their list down while still waiting for decisions.</p>
<p>Uh, visiting schools first then applying isn’t probably the best ideal. Why? Say you visited 6 universities, and liked them all but 4 really stood out to you the most. It happens that you don’t get into either of the 4 schools, but if only you would have known the other 2 universities you’ve eliminated… you would have got accepted. Though just applying to all the universities ( if it’s not a lot) then visiting, it may keep your chances well. So I would apply to all universities, then visit if your list is not long.</p>
<p>Though I’m not entirely sure I followed you coolbrezze, are you saying it’s a good idea not to visit just in case you only get into a school you hate this way it won’t be so bad because you’ll just not like it once you get there?</p>
<p>If you eliminate 2 schools then it should tell you something more about what you like and you can add two schools that closer match that perception. Even if you don’t visit those schools, you’ll have more of a sense of what you want and choose the next ones better than the ones before it.</p>
<p>For starting out I’d suggest visiting schools of different types. A large U and a LAC, schools in cities and schools in rural locations, etc. Get a sense of what environment(s) are right for you. This helps you narrow down the types of schools you research in more detail. Then I’d say visit for SURE your safety; everyone needs one school they’re sure to get into and would be willing (if not exactly ecstatic) to attend. After that, visit matches if it isn’t a financial burden. For reaches, I wouldn’t spend a lot of money or time to visit unless/until you get accepted. </p>
<p>As for timing, I’d avoid the summer. It’s the kids that make the atmosphere. You can find 2 schools with similar grounds and setting, but with completely different attitudes. You won’t get much of a sense of this on a summer visit.</p>
<p>Say you only have like 6 universities you plan to visit. If you still visit the schools, I would not eliminate any when dong college application ( If you really like the universities still) due to odds of not getting accepted into those that you don’t eliminate.</p>
<p>My daughter’s feeling is this: she wants to visit schools that she considers matches & safeties before applying. That way she will know if she even wants to apply to them. But she doesn’t want to visit any reaches unless she gets accepted, for fear of getting her hopes up and then not getting accepted. Makes sense to me … plus why spend the money visiting schools that have such a low acceptance rate that your likelihood of admittance is small. Better to visit them afterward, with a number of acceptances in your pocket, and then you are the one making the decisions at that point.</p>