Help me figure out this Pennsylvania college tour!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d probably drop Villanova - Lehigh is midsize and you can go back to Philly schools once he narrows things down. Do Lehigh/lafayette one day (stay at the Hotel Bethelem) then it’s a 2 hr drive to Dickinson and perhaps add Gettysburg that day.

I think this is your answer for narrowing down to 3 schools, with the option to add Gettysburg.

[Anonymous]

I just want to give general advice since I've been through this twice. I had one kid who ended up not caring about any physical aspects of a college. He didn't care about size, location, weather, dorms, etc. He only cared about academics.

My other kid fell in love with a college the summer before senior year. It checked all of her boxes location wise. Unlike my other kid, she had a strong preference in size, location, and type of campus. She applied to other colleges as well. In the end, she changed her mind in April of senior year. She accepted admission at a college that is quite different than her original dream college, but several weeks after making that decision wonders if she should have applied to college in the location she hated in the fall.

Kids mature a lot senior year. What he thinks he wants now may not be what he wants in April of senior year.

I think the most important part of college fit is finding a friend group which can be very unpredictable. I know a kid who wants to transfer from a large state university because he didn't find his people freshman year. Not finding friends can happen at any size school in any location.

You'll see on these college tours that they become repetitive very quickly. Every college seems to be ranked #1 in something. Every college talked about amazing opportunities and study abroad and the large number of clubs and their incredible students.

Only private schools are on your list. I hope that is because the cost of all of those schools is not a concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did one weekend of Lehigh Valley tours and then a separate weekend for Philly area schools.

Us too

[Anonymous]

Advice:

More than 2 a day becomes a blur and exhausting for both parents and student.

Focus on what the kid likes or dislikes about a school not which school they like or dislike to allow you to use that info to decide on which schools to apply to. Remember that this stage is about where to apply to and possibly where to ED. But unless your kid is applying ED somewhere it isn’t a commitment to a specific school so you can visit again after acceptance.

Don’t visit any reach schools unless you are considering ED, you don’t want a kid to fall in love with somewhere that they aren’t likely to get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This will be our first college tour trip. We have a Thursday and Friday in October - could definitely drive up on Wednesday night so we can start Thursday morning.

My son doesn't know what he wants yet. We are visiting a big university later in the fall, so I want him to see medium size and smaller size schools.

Villanova, Lehigh, Lafayette, Franklin & Marshall, and Dickinson are on the list. Definitely want to do Dickinson because there is a sports possibility there. And it's hard to imagine not doing Franklin & Marshall if we drive right by it. Likewise, doing just Lafayette or Lehigh is hard to imagine because they're so close.

What do you recommend if I'm trying to show him options, see what he's drawn to, and then can go see more of those types of schools. thanks!

We had all the same schools on our list less Villanova but add Bucknell. Bucknell a bit larger than Lafayette, F&M and Dickinson and the size was a sweet spot. Suggest swinging by.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This will be our first college tour trip. We have a Thursday and Friday in October - could definitely drive up on Wednesday night so we can start Thursday morning.

My son doesn't know what he wants yet. We are visiting a big university later in the fall, so I want him to see medium size and smaller size schools.

Villanova, Lehigh, Lafayette, Franklin & Marshall, and Dickinson are on the list. Definitely want to do Dickinson because there is a sports possibility there. And it's hard to imagine not doing Franklin & Marshall if we drive right by it. Likewise, doing just Lafayette or Lehigh is hard to imagine because they're so close.

What do you recommend if I'm trying to show him options, see what he's drawn to, and then can go see more of those types of schools. thanks!

Your list is perfect for a two day tour if you start early on Thursday.

[Anonymous]

That's a pretty ambitious list. You need some low targets and safeties -- don't just tour the schools at the top.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's a pretty ambitious list. You need some low targets and safeties -- don't just tour the schools at the top.

I doubt that OP’s list of geographically-related schools for a 2-day tour represents their kid’s entire college list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's a pretty ambitious list. You need some low targets and safeties -- don't just tour the schools at the top.

I doubt that OP’s list of geographically-related schools for a 2-day tour represents their kid’s entire college list.

But a reach-focused college tour is a real waste of time. Start by finding targets/safeties they can get excited about.

[Anonymous]

We’ve done a lot of college tour road trips, and divided the list of schools for each geographic area into three buckets:

1. Schools the student is most interested in. For these, book the full tour, plus a departmental tour or meeting if the student has a narrow/specific interest. Most schools are willing to do this, and the student will really get the vibe better than just a general tour, which is also important.


2. Schools of medium interest. Do the general tour.

3. Schools of so-so interest. Just do a quick drive through of the campus and surrounding area.

This requires more advance planning but helps prioritize the stops and avoid fatigue. Virtual tours can also help narrow down the list.

Agree with others - the school tours schedules will dictate your route and schedule more than anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's a pretty ambitious list. You need some low targets and safeties -- don't just tour the schools at the top.

I doubt that OP’s list of geographically-related schools for a 2-day tour represents their kid’s entire college list.

But a reach-focused college tour is a real waste of time. Start by finding targets/safeties they can get excited about.

It’s fine. Some may be a target for this student. We don’t know their stats and that wasn’t the nature of OP’s question.

In terms of logistics, it makes sense to visit schools in clusters that are in proximity to each other. A lot of the liberal arts colleges in PA tend to be similar range schools but their campus and cultures vary so it helps to visit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's a pretty ambitious list. You need some low targets and safeties -- don't just tour the schools at the top.

I doubt that OP’s list of geographically-related schools for a 2-day tour represents their kid’s entire college list.

But a reach-focused college tour is a real waste of time. Start by finding targets/safeties they can get excited about.

You’re making a lot of assumptions that 1. these aren’t targets (except for Villanova, they’d be targets for my kid) and 2. OP hasn’t already got a handle on targets and safeties.

OP asked for advice about this specific 2-day college trip, not advice about how to approach the whole application process.

[Anonymous]

Since you are looking at October, there is time for your kid to do a little research. Dickinson and F&M are the same size and less than an hour apart. Have your kid pick one. Lehigh and Lafayette are super close, but I'd lean towards Lehidh since it's a little bugger. If your kid loves the 203K schools, they can still apply to Laf. or visit later (we aren't talking about long trips). My kid hated urban schools, so we didn't check out Villanova, but it would be good to see a school in a city so your kid knows.

What grade will they be in this fall? If they are below junior, this could backfire. Definitely do real tours. Walk-arounds/Drive-by visits are a good way to immediately cross a school off a list.

[Anonymous]

My dd went to Dickinson & played a sport. Loved it & she got a great job from an alum!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Id also considered looking at Drexel and St Joes

Not st Joe’s it’s maga

Then they likely won't have their federal funding cut...am I doing this rite?