Tips/advice for Admitted Students Day visits

[Anonymous]

My kid cannot decide so we're visiting schools in his top 5. What should he be looking for, questions to ask, things to note?

[Anonymous]

Try not to get caught up in your own excitement/preferences. Ask your kid how they feel from time to time and gauge their reaction. I loved one of the schools we visited for admitted student day but my kid was lukewarm.

Colleges are putting their best foot forward for admitted student days, but they are valuable for getting a feel for the campus vibe. See how crowded or not-crowded the library is. See how well-attended campus events are that weekend. See how the kids sit together or don’t sit together in the dining halls. And just strike up conversations with the kids who are already there- ask them about their major, their activities, etc. most will be happy to talk about experience.

[Anonymous]

Ask how many classes are online, ask how hard it is to get the classes you need for your major, ask about housing after freshman year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try not to get caught up in your own excitement/preferences. Ask your kid how they feel from time to time and gauge their reaction. I loved one of the schools we visited for admitted student day but my kid was lukewarm.

Colleges are putting their best foot forward for admitted student days, but they are valuable for getting a feel for the campus vibe. See how crowded or not-crowded the library is. See how well-attended campus events are that weekend. See how the kids sit together or don’t sit together in the dining halls. And just strike up conversations with the kids who are already there- ask them about their major, their activities, etc. most will be happy to talk about experience.

Great tips! Thanks! It's going to take a lot of nudging to get my kid to strike up a conversation with college kids, but if it's important enough for him, I think he'll do it. Is it weird if a parent asks the college kids questions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ask how many classes are online, ask how hard it is to get the classes you need for your major, ask about housing after freshman year.

Oh great questions to ask. Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

What made the difference for my kid was meeting people in the departments for their major and interests. What does the department offices look like? Is the university investing money in those departments? What type of community is available for their major? What is the average class size? How easy is it yo get involved in research? These were the tipping points for my kid.

[Anonymous]

My tip is to have your kid arrange to meet up with a current student while on campus. Find a recent grad from your high school and have your kid meet up for a coffee or whenever they are free to get an inside perspective on topics like academics, social, housing, etc. Also, many admitted kids connect over social media before admitted student days and sometimes arrange to meet up as well- good way to meet some other incoming students. We arranged to stay overnight at a hotel so my kid could take their time to explore the school and get a sense of the local area.

[Anonymous]

How well they put on the day is interesting too since you are going to so many.

[Anonymous]

You don't ask any questions, you let your kid experience them and make their own decision. Truly, don't be that parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid cannot decide so we're visiting schools in his top 5. What should he be looking for, questions to ask, things to note?

Doesn’t he already know what he wants in a college? How did he put his initial list together? He should review his criteria, prioritize it and evaluate how each school matches up. My kid was down to two and did a pro con list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My tip is to have your kid arrange to meet up with a current student while on campus. Find a recent grad from your high school and have your kid meet up for a coffee or whenever they are free to get an inside perspective on topics like academics, social, housing, etc. Also, many admitted kids connect over social media before admitted student days and sometimes arrange to meet up as well- good way to meet some other incoming students. We arranged to stay overnight at a hotel so my kid could take their time to explore the school and get a sense of the local area.

Great advice that was also helpful for my student when making a college decision.

[Anonymous]

My child went to one yesterday and it helped break the tie. Meeting the department chair and the professors for the major and minor he’s admitted into. We loved the professor for his major. It’s a smaller college and it helped a lot.
The other choice was great too but it was the intangible, “this feels right” that made traveling yesterday worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid cannot decide so we're visiting schools in his top 5. What should he be looking for, questions to ask, things to note?

Doesn’t he already know what he wants in a college? How did he put his initial list together? He should review his criteria, prioritize it and evaluate how each school matches up. My kid was down to two and did a pro con list.

You realize that some colleges can be super similar in size, location, majors, etc? It gets down to less of a pro/con list and more of a feeling like this will be a better fit.

[Anonymous]

Eat in the dinning hall and just get the vibe. It’s your home for the next 4 years so it should feel like “your people “. God luck!

[Anonymous]

Sorry- good luck. 😝