Spring Break College Tours

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What colleges are you touring over break? How many do you plan to visit in a week? How far ahead did you have to book your tours? For those parents and students who have done this before, do you think it is worth going in the spring vs the summer. I am just trying to think ahead to next years spring break in terms of planning (need to budget). Also if you want to share any details about your trips/colleges I would love to hear them. Thanks!

Over a week we will visit Penn, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Amherst, Dartmouth and Harvard. We have already visited, for one reason or another, and in the last few years, Virginia, Georgetown, UCLA, and Stanford.

Are these colleges that DC has been accepted to? My niece and parents will visit seven different colleges over spring break that she was accepted to ranging from U Penn to Brown.

How is she already accepted to the Ivies since they don't notify until Thursday? LLs?

MY child also received a UPenn email putting us on notice that was basically an acceptance barring any changes in the academic record. On Monday, we will be attending (well, DC will) a presentation, a psych or philosophy class, and a tour at 2pm.

So, if PP received the same email, she will probably have the same schedule as my DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What colleges are you touring over break? How many do you plan to visit in a week? How far ahead did you have to book your tours? For those parents and students who have done this before, do you think it is worth going in the spring vs the summer. I am just trying to think ahead to next years spring break in terms of planning (need to budget). Also if you want to share any details about your trips/colleges I would love to hear them. Thanks!

Over a week we will visit Penn, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Amherst, Dartmouth and Harvard. We have already visited, for one reason or another, and in the last few years, Virginia, Georgetown, UCLA, and Stanford.

Are these colleges that DC has been accepted to? My niece and parents will visit seven different colleges over spring break that she was accepted to ranging from U Penn to Brown.

No, DC is in 11th grade, and I forgot to mention Chicago, which we have also visited. The visits to these colleges and universities over some time has been to have them consider questions of large universities versus small colleges, graduate-school focused institutions versus undergraduate ones, research versus teaching, urban versus small town, the student population, the programs. Of course, if DC has a strong feeling, one way or the other, it may also help to focus the application process. We will hopefully get out to Duke soon.

Might want to mix in a couple of schools with admit rates over 10%. Even UVA can be unpredictable as a safety.

Thank you for that good and helpful advice, I really appreciate the experience of those parents who have been through the process before. These particular choices, and there are others, have been vetted by a very good, long-time college counselor at DC's school, and there are at least two schools in the mix which DC should feel good about.

Good luck. My DC is a senior and lots of perfect candidates are being shut out from that set of schools right now. UVA in particular seems to be admitting and denying somewhat randomly, including denying kids with 2300+ SATs.. UCLA is probably a good safety. The rest are a lottery. Just make sure your DC has some safer options s/he really likes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What colleges are you touring over break? How many do you plan to visit in a week? How far ahead did you have to book your tours? For those parents and students who have done this before, do you think it is worth going in the spring vs the summer. I am just trying to think ahead to next years spring break in terms of planning (need to budget). Also if you want to share any details about your trips/colleges I would love to hear them. Thanks!

Over a week we will visit Penn, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Amherst, Dartmouth and Harvard. We have already visited, for one reason or another, and in the last few years, Virginia, Georgetown, UCLA, and Stanford.

Are these colleges that DC has been accepted to? My niece and parents will visit seven different colleges over spring break that she was accepted to ranging from U Penn to Brown.

How is she already accepted to the Ivies since they don't notify until Thursday? LLs?

MY child also received a UPenn email putting us on notice that was basically an acceptance barring any changes in the academic record. On Monday, we will be attending (well, DC will) a presentation, a psych or philosophy class, and a tour at 2pm.

So, if PP received the same email, she will probably have the same schedule as my DC.

Great. Did she get the scarf too?

[Anonymous]

Head over to the Middlebury College thread. You will see how many kids did not get admitted with scores above 2200-2300.

Don't take your DC on a tour of every Ivy. Delete a few of those, and add some safeties. You are sweeping her into your Ivy fever. She is going to think this tier of colleges is really important to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What colleges are you touring over break? How many do you plan to visit in a week? How far ahead did you have to book your tours? For those parents and students who have done this before, do you think it is worth going in the spring vs the summer. I am just trying to think ahead to next years spring break in terms of planning (need to budget). Also if you want to share any details about your trips/colleges I would love to hear them. Thanks!

Over a week we will visit Penn, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Amherst, Dartmouth and Harvard. We have already visited, for one reason or another, and in the last few years, Virginia, Georgetown, UCLA, and Stanford.

Are these colleges that DC has been accepted to? My niece and parents will visit seven different colleges over spring break that she was accepted to ranging from U Penn to Brown.

How is she already accepted to the Ivies since they don't notify until Thursday? LLs?

Penn and other universities send out the 'likely' letter.

http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/likely/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What colleges are you touring over break? How many do you plan to visit in a week? How far ahead did you have to book your tours? For those parents and students who have done this before, do you think it is worth going in the spring vs the summer. I am just trying to think ahead to next years spring break in terms of planning (need to budget). Also if you want to share any details about your trips/colleges I would love to hear them. Thanks!

Over a week we will visit Penn, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Amherst, Dartmouth and Harvard. We have already visited, for one reason or another, and in the last few years, Virginia, Georgetown, UCLA, and Stanford.

Do you drive from one school to the next each day?

[Anonymous]

We are visiting 3 schools in Boston and then home to visit 2 VA schools . Will hit the NYC schools late April over a weekend. DD will apply to more schools but will only visit if she gets in (Florida and UT Austin)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What colleges are you touring over break? How many do you plan to visit in a week? How far ahead did you have to book your tours? For those parents and students who have done this before, do you think it is worth going in the spring vs the summer. I am just trying to think ahead to next years spring break in terms of planning (need to budget). Also if you want to share any details about your trips/colleges I would love to hear them. Thanks!

Over a week we will visit Penn, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Amherst, Dartmouth and Harvard. We have already visited, for one reason or another, and in the last few years, Virginia, Georgetown, UCLA, and Stanford.

Are these colleges that DC has been accepted to? My niece and parents will visit seven different colleges over spring break that she was accepted to ranging from U Penn to Brown.

No, DC is in 11th grade, and I forgot to mention Chicago, which we have also visited. The visits to these colleges and universities over some time has been to have them consider questions of large universities versus small colleges, graduate-school focused institutions versus undergraduate ones, research versus teaching, urban versus small town, the student population, the programs. Of course, if DC has a strong feeling, one way or the other, it may also help to focus the application process. We will hopefully get out to Duke soon.

Might want to mix in a couple of schools with admit rates over 10%. Even UVA can be unpredictable as a safety.

Thank you for that good and helpful advice, I really appreciate the experience of those parents who have been through the process before. These particular choices, and there are others, have been vetted by a very good, long-time college counselor at DC's school, and there are at least two schools in the mix which DC should feel good about.

Good luck. My DC is a senior and lots of perfect candidates are being shut out from that set of schools right now. UVA in particular seems to be admitting and denying somewhat randomly, including denying kids with 2300+ SATs.. UCLA is probably a good safety. The rest are a lottery. Just make sure your DC has some safer options s/he really likes.

Thank you all for the excellent advice, it is much appreciated. I should add that we are not applying from the same regional market as you have experienced, and that there are several factors that may help with admissions. The guidance counselor at our high school has many years of experience with similarly-situated students coming from this school and region, and has advised us that the current choices -- not all mentioned -- are a good list. The competition for college admissions from the DC metro area is admittedly intense, and you all have my best wishes for that reason. In truth, it is one reason we decided not to return to the area after a brief stint away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What colleges are you touring over break? How many do you plan to visit in a week? How far ahead did you have to book your tours? For those parents and students who have done this before, do you think it is worth going in the spring vs the summer. I am just trying to think ahead to next years spring break in terms of planning (need to budget). Also if you want to share any details about your trips/colleges I would love to hear them. Thanks!

Over a week we will visit Penn, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Amherst, Dartmouth and Harvard. We have already visited, for one reason or another, and in the last few years, Virginia, Georgetown, UCLA, and Stanford.

Do you drive from one school to the next each day?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Head over to the Middlebury College thread. You will see how many kids did not get admitted with scores above 2200-2300.

Don't take your DC on a tour of every Ivy. Delete a few of those, and add some safeties. You are sweeping her into your Ivy fever. She is going to think this tier of colleges is really important to you.

Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it and will pass it along to DC. Reach for the stars, but keep your feet firmly planted in the ground! DC has visited and will visit other schools, some of which I have already mentioned. The college visits were chosen and planned by DC, and they will be travelling alone to Penn where they will be joined by another family member who has agreed to road trip with DC to these college visits. My own work and other family obligations currently have me too occupied to be of much help to DC on the college planning and application front.

[Anonymous]

I don't know on what planet UCLA could be considered a safety for anyone.

[Anonymous]

UCLA was for me (a safety). I went to a SLAC instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know on what planet UCLA could be considered a safety for anyone.

A safety for in-state residents but only admits 7% of out of state, and the competition for those slots is intense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know on what planet UCLA could be considered a safety for anyone.

On the planet where the PP is only visiting Ivy League schools and seems to be quite confident of admission to these schools. Now that she says they live in another region that makes more sense - if they are in Nebraska or Montana the geographic diversity will surely help.

[Anonymous]

PP, in all due defense to the previous poster you are referring to. That previous poster only wrote that their child has made visits or planned visits (and not submitted applications) to some Ivy League schools, but also to other private colleges and universities, as well as to some public universities. They have also written, twice now, that there are other colleges in the mix which are not referenced in the visits. I do not understand why we always seem to criticize one another, or put each other down, on these forums and threads. We are all in the parenthood society together, so let us support one another. I personally did not take that previous posters response to be some display of confidence, just an honest reply of where their child planned for themselves to visit schools, which was a direct response to the OP's question.