Spring Break College Tours

[Anonymous]

OP, we just completed the spring break tour. We visited a number of SLACs in the Northeast. My advice for planning a tour:

1)Insist that your child take the lead. Give her the tools and information to help her make choices, but don't make the decision for her.

2) Make the tour fun! Do not rush from school to school! Plan something fun every day in addition to seeing a school or two.

3) See two schools only if they are very close to each other.

4) Try to see no more than one school per day. Go to the info session, take the tour, then wander around and see the parts of campus your child is interested in, eat a meal on campus, hang out where kids hang out and look around. Get a feel for the type of kids who go there, the atmosphere of the school.

5) Visit the town where the school is located, and eat a meal there. Go shopping, hang out. Does your child enjoy this environment?

6) Bring a notebook and insist your child write notes about each school at the end of the day or after seeing each school if you are seeing two in one day. It is easy to get confused, as many schools are similar. Take notes yourself in a separate notebook so you will be able to compare notes. You will remember things your child won't and vice versa.

7) If you are driving, let your child navigate. It really helps get your child oriented. We had a few navigational mistakes, even with the GPS, but my child learned a lot about geography on our trip.

8) Keep your opinions of the schools to yourself. Ask your child what she thinks, and if your opinion differs, keep quiet about it. I pointed out things DD missed, and corrected her if she confused schools, but other than that, I told her that it was completely up to her which schools she wanted to apply to, and that it make no difference whatsoever what I thought of the schools. FWIW, I didn't like the schools she liked, but that matters not. I tried very hard to let her explain what she liked about each school. In the end, I was surprised by how well she knows herself and what she wants and needs.

[Anonymous]

correction to #2 above: See two schools IN ONE DAY only if they are close to each other.

[Anonymous]

meant #3, signing off DCUM, reading too much!

[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.

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.

DC who has visited these colleges and universities took the SAT, one and done, 2350.

[Anonymous]

The SAT is not to say that DC will be admitted to any of the fine colleges and universities which they have visited over the years -- UVA, UCLA, Amherst, Chicago, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale. DC understands that there are many, many students equally, or even more deserving of admission to these schools, and to many other excellent colleges and universities. It simply suggests that it was okay for DC to "reach for the stars" in visiting these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, we just completed the spring break tour. We visited a number of SLACs in the Northeast. My advice for planning a tour:

1)Insist that your child take the lead. Give her the tools and information to help her make choices, but don't make the decision for her.

2) Make the tour fun! Do not rush from school to school! Plan something fun every day in addition to seeing a school or two.

3) See two schools only if they are very close to each other.

4) Try to see no more than one school per day. Go to the info session, take the tour, then wander around and see the parts of campus your child is interested in, eat a meal on campus, hang out where kids hang out and look around. Get a feel for the type of kids who go there, the atmosphere of the school.

5) Visit the town where the school is located, and eat a meal there. Go shopping, hang out. Does your child enjoy this environment?

6) Bring a notebook and insist your child write notes about each school at the end of the day or after seeing each school if you are seeing two in one day. It is easy to get confused, as many schools are similar. Take notes yourself in a separate notebook so you will be able to compare notes. You will remember things your child won't and vice versa.

7) If you are driving, let your child navigate. It really helps get your child oriented. We had a few navigational mistakes, even with the GPS, but my child learned a lot about geography on our trip.

8) Keep your opinions of the schools to yourself. Ask your child what she thinks, and if your opinion differs, keep quiet about it. I pointed out things DD missed, and corrected her if she confused schools, but other than that, I told her that it was completely up to her which schools she wanted to apply to, and that it make no difference whatsoever what I thought of the schools. FWIW, I didn't like the schools she liked, but that matters not. I tried very hard to let her explain what she liked about each school. In the end, I was surprised by how well she knows herself and what she wants and needs.

OP here. This is very helpful. Care to start another thread on your trip report. Would love to hear it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The SAT is not to say that DC will be admitted to any of the fine colleges and universities which they have visited over the years -- UVA, UCLA, Amherst, Chicago, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale. DC understands that there are many, many students equally, or even more deserving of admission to these schools, and to many other excellent colleges and universities. It simply suggests that it was okay for DC to "reach for the stars" in visiting these schools.

Yes, I would definitely agree that we should let our children guide the tour process, and visit the places that they want to visit; even if those schools might not ultimately the right "fit". Let your kids take ownership of this visit part of the process, and have them consider questions like big universities versus small colleges, rural locations versus large cities, fraternities and sororities versus less structured social groups, science focus or liberal arts.