ED to a school without visiting - has anyone done this?

[Anonymous]

expect to get bashed here but we did - and DS was accepted to a reach school. Now we will visit, but he’s going regardless of the visit. In my opinion, there is a ton of data to help kids make informed decisions, and arbitrary crap like a rainy day, snotty tour guide, or empty campus should be kept out of the equation. Let kid do his research and make the call - if a visit is needed to make the yes or no call, the process was mishandled.

[Anonymous]

Hope you are not back here in a year complaining that your kid is unhappy at his T20. We seem to get a lot of that in this forum.

[Anonymous]

I disagree, OP, but congrats to your kid. Which school, if you don’t mind sharing in an anonymous forum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:expect to get bashed here but we did - and DS was accepted to a reach school. Now we will visit, but he’s going regardless of the visit. In my opinion, there is a ton of data to help kids make informed decisions, and arbitrary crap like a rainy day, snotty tour guide, or empty campus should be kept out of the equation. Let kid do his research and make the call - if a visit is needed to make the yes or no call, the process was mishandled.

You should be fine. It is true that a single visit to a campus can distort the reality of daily life at that school.

I agree that there is a wealth of information available to prospective students and families--including video tours with student interviews--that are quite helpful. Although it is probably more important to visit a small school before applying ED.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:expect to get bashed here but we did - and DS was accepted to a reach school. Now we will visit, but he’s going regardless of the visit. In my opinion, there is a ton of data to help kids make informed decisions, and arbitrary crap like a rainy day, snotty tour guide, or empty campus should be kept out of the equation. Let kid do his research and make the call - if a visit is needed to make the yes or no call, the process was mishandled.

Visits are overrated, sometimes bad visits paint a bad picture of a good school and vice versa.

[Anonymous]

I did it. I knew the school that I applied to was the best school for what I wanted to study. I also knew that if I visited the campus I would hate it and not attend. So I didn't visit and when I got there I made the best of it. It took me a year to adjust but after that it was fabulous.

[Anonymous]

I'm really confused. What's your point?

Are you saying don't waste doing any visits, even if you are doing ED, because your kid might hate it and decide not to apply ED (or to even apply at all)?

Weird post.

[Anonymous]

We'd never consider it, but you do you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: We'd never consider it, but you do you.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm really confused. What's your point?

Are you saying don't waste doing any visits, even if you are doing ED, because your kid might hate it and decide not to apply ED (or to even apply at all)?

Weird post.

I think OP is looking for feedback on how it turned out for kids who didn’t do a visit. No need to be nasty, but what’s a DCUM post without a few negative comments. Nothing weird about the post it in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:expect to get bashed here but we did - and DS was accepted to a reach school. Now we will visit, but he’s going regardless of the visit. In my opinion, there is a ton of data to help kids make informed decisions, and arbitrary crap like a rainy day, snotty tour guide, or empty campus should be kept out of the equation. Let kid do his research and make the call - if a visit is needed to make the yes or no call, the process was mishandled.

Making blanket assertions as if they're gospel doesn't turn them into universal truths applicable to everyone, everywhere. Congratulations to your kid on the acceptance. Not all kids want to "make the call" without first seeing the place where they'll live for four years. It's fine if your own student doesn't feel that way but it also is not "mishandling the process" to visit colleges.

There was a thread here recently started by a parent whose DC seemed to have thoughtfully worked on the application process and the DC realized she needed to visit colleges and see them for herself. My DC was the same. And there were colleges that looked ideal on paper, online, in videos, in virtual visits, via all those "tons of data" you cite, which got knocked out of the process when DC visited. Not because of "arbitrary crap like a rainy day, snotty tour guide or empty campus" because those things are shallow, and a smart kid who knows those are merely arbitrary things is going to keep asking questions and checking things out during the visit. I won't go into the reasons I'd advise any kid to visit his or her top choices (and a few not-so-top ones) because the other thread delved into all of that. But it's not "mishandling the process" to decide there are reasons to go to a campus in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really confused. What's your point?

Are you saying don't waste doing any visits, even if you are doing ED, because your kid might hate it and decide not to apply ED (or to even apply at all)?

Weird post.

I think OP is looking for feedback on how it turned out for kids who didn’t do a visit. No need to be nasty, but what’s a DCUM post without a few negative comments. Nothing weird about the post it in my opinion.

No, the OP is not looking for feedback but is dissing the idea of visiting, period. "If a visit is needed to make the yes or no call, the process was mishandled." Meaning: We know The Way To Do It and anything else is mishandling the process, whatever that means.

Of course the OP tried to deflect by adding "expect to get bashed here." Eh, it's not bashing to point out the snottiness in the post. It's an odd thing to come here and trumpet about.

[Anonymous]

Well, I hope he likes it!

Though I wonder, why visit now? Since he has no choice in the matter, why not just see it for the first time when school starts? Mightn't it just make him anxious or unhappy if it isn't what he wanted?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really confused. What's your point?

Are you saying don't waste doing any visits, even if you are doing ED, because your kid might hate it and decide not to apply ED (or to even apply at all)?

Weird post.

I think OP is looking for feedback on how it turned out for kids who didn’t do a visit. No need to be nasty, but what’s a DCUM post without a few negative comments. Nothing weird about the post it in my opinion.

Ok point taken. I was not meaning to be nasty, I just really couldn't understand it. I should have left my thoughts (weirdly presented post) out of my response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really confused. What's your point?

Are you saying don't waste doing any visits, even if you are doing ED, because your kid might hate it and decide not to apply ED (or to even apply at all)?

Weird post.

I think OP is looking for feedback on how it turned out for kids who didn’t do a visit. No need to be nasty, but what’s a DCUM post without a few negative comments. Nothing weird about the post it in my opinion.

No, the OP is not looking for feedback but is dissing the idea of visiting, period. "If a visit is needed to make the yes or no call, the process was mishandled." Meaning: We know The Way To Do It and anything else is mishandling the process, whatever that means.

Of course the OP tried to deflect by adding "expect to get bashed here." Eh, it's not bashing to point out the snottiness in the post. It's an odd thing to come here and trumpet about.

Perfectly said, and I suspect op is a troll trying to drum up outrage. Let’s just ignore them.