<p>from what i know, the program that lets accepted prospective students stay overnight is somewhere in late-april. if i take a simple unplanned campus tour during my spring break, which is this week, will it help with my choosing a college? or will i be missing out on some significant factor that will persuade me to attend?</p>
<p>Erm, this week there are no classes, and almost no people here. The administration is pretty much shut down, so all you’ll get to see is the beautiful, wet, rainy campus. If you get in, going to accepted students’ days is worth it, even if it means missing a week or so of school. That’s how you’ll get a feel for the student body, the social dynamics, you’ll get to (hopefully, anyways) meet some professors, sit in on classes, eat the food, etc. Going to campus, talking with people, and seeing how things run is a much better way of determining your school than going when no one’s around.</p>
<p>I agree that it’s better to tour when people are there, but I think overnight visits are so much better because you get a real “feel” for the college and its atmosphere. Your mind can change so quickly about a place when you compare what you have read about a place vs. what you actually see when you visit.</p>
<p>I agree with bugsliberty: a day trip to Stanford made me adore the school (I wasn’t able to visit Brown until ADOCH), but it happened when school was in session, and I fell in love with the people there more than anything. A trip to Berkeley the day before convinced me not to bother applying (I’m not a cali resident), because I got to talk to a professor, interact with the students, and didn’t think the feel was that much different from my local university. Even during the summer session, you’re more likely to get a feel for the campus than when it’s on true break, such as now. If you happened to come, say, monday of next week, you’d experience the campus in all its glory. Even a weekend trip would be better, as the campus won’t be dead.</p>