<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>It will be better than not going at all. You should probably check and see if there is a tour scheduled and take that, but staying overnight probably is not necessary. Try and see a school day if you can, as opposed to a weekend.</p>
<p>I am sure it would; unplanned means that you can look at what you want, when you want, and really focus on what is important to you. If I do this, I will probably try to find a nice student there to show me around the parts I really want to look at :)</p>
<p>If I get into Harvard, that’s what I plan to do, since I’ll be in Cambridge anyway for another school’s Accepted Students Weekend.
I know two people there who can show me around though, so I’ll have a bit of guidance.</p>
<p>In association with admitted students’ events or not, just give the admissions office a call and let them know your date of arrival and if they couldn’t assign you a host/hostess – most likely a freshman. You’ll get food vouchers and a place to stay the night.</p>
<p>If you’re asking, though, whether Bulldog Days or a simple visit will be more informative, the answer is that Bulldog Days will have a lot more to tell you about whether or not Yale is the right choice for you.</p>
<p>Just a note from a current student - do not put all of your trust into Bulldog Days. While it can help you see the school for what it is, you are thrown into a situation with tons of stuff going on and your experience will be overwhelming and depend on who you happen to be hosted by/room with. Last year, it rained all three days, and I only stayed with one other person who I didn’t relate to at all and was going from place to place by myself, which was not fun. My hosts were writing final papers (late April is a busy time for college kids), and couldn’t always show me around. If you fall in love over an extended visit, that’s great, but a lot of people who are happy here did not have fun at admitted-student days.</p>