Have you (parent) visited every school your child is considering?
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Anonymous
| Not all schools track interest. Make sure the school you spend $/time to visit is one of those. |
Anonymous
We attended Washington University in St. Louis' local info session. It was awful and boring. We were visiting a relative in a St Louis suburb and decided to visit Wash U. What a difference between the DC info session and the 'real' info and campus visit. While DC prefers New England, we were very impressed with the school but the local session would have been a deal breaker. |
Anonymous
We went to a local Washington University session as well and had the same reaction. My DD still wants to go and visit though. We also went to a local one for University of Chicago though and my daughter really loved it and definitely wants to visit to see it for herself. I think the guy from Chicago was just very engaging and unique but also cerebral, which from what I've heard is a good reflection of the school. One thing I will add is that I've vowed to not allow my DD to visit anymore schools when they aren't in session if we can help it (I know it's hard!). One school that I loved and know would be a great fit for her is one she won't even talk about anymore because it seemed boring to her. We visited in August... |
Anonymous
| I don't think DC would consider applying to a school without visiting and he's not visiting any schools without one of us along. He has a short list of schools in NYC and Boston plus our state flagship. We're trying to coax him to consider some other schools so we're adding a west coast trip that will be mostly fun with only a little time devoted to school visits. I am certain DC would balk at the idea of touring 7 schools in 5 days or some other crazy schedule like that. |
Anonymous
Not to gang up on Wash U because it is an excellent school, but why would anyone give a 90 minute local presentation with no visuals? We kept waiting and waiting. People were pulling out cell phones to Google the school. Maybe we were at the same bad presentation. Again, Washington University is a good school but the presenter did it a real injustice. |
Anonymous
| We visited all the schools DD considered. I would not let her go to a college I have not visited, nor would I let her go to a college she has not visited. We went on two tours, pre and post acceptance, and she chose the school she liked. That worked out for us. |
Anonymous
| Wash U is a great school. We went to an off-campus thing on one of DD's schools, and it was boring, but the school was great when we visited, and she loved it. Go see the real deal, OP. It makes a difference, but try to let your child state her opinion first, and don't make any attempt to influence her. I told DD that I liked all the schools, pointed out the pros and cons, and let her make her decision. It was interesting to hear what impressed her (usually not what impressed me!). We had a lot of fun on our college tours, and DD is happy at her choice. |
Anonymous
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Visiting while school is in session is a must if you can. My cousin attends school in Boston but applied to a west coast college and planned to visit only if accepted. I was not going to pay $$$ for a two hour visit with no guarantee of admission. I did agree, however, if accepted to the college to foot the travel bill since the school was highly rated, after scouring the internet for information, watching school site videos, etc.
DC was accepted and went to visit, picked up at the airport by a school rep, stayed at the college overnight, attended a class, and went to a party. It was enjoyable but in the end chose the present school as a better fit. Nothing beats a test run if you're able. |
Anonymous
| One thing my DC found really great was the "shadow students" programs- it can be kind of tricky with missing (high) school but my DC was able to stay overnight at her top 3 choices, attend classes with the person she was shadowing, and hang out in the dorm with her host. Her final choice was based off those programs. |
Anonymous
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I don't know anyone who actually does this. Most people can't afford to take time off of work and travel around visiting potential schools. This is very much an affluent person thing.
Do you think that some colleges are really sneaky traps just pretending to be colleges? And by the time you enroll, it's too late, and there is no escape until you get to Shanghai? |
Anonymous
| Not even one , my son is a freshman now , no big deal. |
Anonymous
Nonsense. Penn offers shadow days and a short driving distance. Use your spring break and some imagination. Many schools, while in session, offer Saturday tours and classroom visits AND there are classes in session. Understandable if you're traveling to the west coast which can be costly but if traveling along the east coast, mid-Atlantic, and south east, Southwest and Jet Blue have bargain tickets. Try taking advantage of the days off from school. Of course, you don't have to visit every school but certainly you can give up one or two vacations days from work for something so important. Geez! |
Anonymous
And if flying doesn't work, get yourself behind the wheel of your car. There are plenty of schools to drive and visit within a 2-3 hour radius. |
Anonymous
How funny -- University of Chicago was the school DC chose despite the boring local info session. Different presenter from the one you saw. |
Anonymous
You're right that many may not be able to afford lots of college visits. There's a reason why college reputations and brand names are so important. But, students/families pay different amounts. Parents paying the full sticker price of more than $250,000+ are going to spend the time and money to make sure it's a good fit. And, they're also more likely to have strong opinions different schools and what's best for their DCs. |