Dumb questions about college visits

[Anonymous]

Can you walk me through the basics? Sign up in advance, I know. What should kids (boys) wear? Parents (assume comfortable shoes for walking)? Will the tour be in a small or large group? What else happens, and how long should we plan to stay? Should we eat in dining hall, ask to attend a class? Do admissions people want to interview the kids who visit? I ask because DS is a sophomore. Thought we'd visit a few schools over the summer so that he can get an idea what sort of school he wants. But it's way too early for him to tak intelligently about it or even to know what questions to ask. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Oh my god, you're a helicopter parent. Your son is only about to enter 11th grade and you want to go eat in the dining hall and attend a class with your son? How embarrassing! I hope he goes to an away college for sure.

[Anonymous]

Ignore 12:32 who is looking to get a rise out of you. It might be a little early, but not so very early. Especially if you're just exploring big picture issues like large vs. small, city vs. rural.

Yes, sign up of you may not be able to join a tour. Group sizes depend on the school, but expect 10-20 at the more selective colleges. Jeans are fine. And yes, comfortable walking shoes. A small camera (for DC, not you) might be helpful for remembering because after a while they all start to blur together.

[Anonymous]

Sure visit colleges he's interested in if you're driving by. But lots of people recommend that you visit while classes are in session so you get a good feel for the vibe of the school. We made this mistake by visiting a smallish college that I thought DS would really love in the summer. Of course the campus was beyond dead and immediately scratched off his list. My kids were never interested in sitting in on a class. Also, most colleges have websites devoted to "Visit" and it will give you tons of good info. And check out collegeboard.com if you haven't already. Spring break of Junior year is a good time for college visits.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I'd wait -- sometimes the visits before 11th grade are a waste of time or even counter-productive as kids aren't focused enough to know what they're looking for.

Re summer visits: if that's the only time that works for your schedule, try to go mid-to late August when varsity athletes and students involved in some activities have returned to campus (e.g., orientation workers, newspaper editors, RAs).

Re the pace and number of visits: better to do fewer visits of longer duration than the forced march of 2-a-days where schools start to blur together. Try to make a day of it. Tour and admissions session alone will take 2-3 hours. Then, yes, definitely have lunch in a dining hall or at least grab a coffee or fro you in the student center so you can hang out and do som people-watching. If you know a student who is currently enrolled, encourage your DS/DD to contact him/her and set up a time to get together -- again, a quick bite at the student center is a good option. Or, if you're there on a Sunday night, many college kids -- including my own -- are delighted to get out of the dorm for a quick dinner near campus.

[Anonymous]

Sign up for the tour and information session. They are usually back to back. Plan on about 2-2.5 hours for that. Size of the group will vary dramatically. We've been in info sessions from about 40 people to over 1000 people. Tours are usually 20-30 but we've done some with under 10 people. Don't worry about attire - they aren't recording that. The only time you need to dress a little better is if there are on campus interviews but you normally can't do those until the summer before senior year.

We only ate on campus a couple of times. It may not be an option in the summer. We usually go to the town or neighborhood around the college to eat as it gives you more perspective on the location. We also go to the campus bookstore, maybe a café, sometimes the sports complex if that wasn't on the tour (they usually aren't).

Neither of my kids did class visits but it was helpful to see classes in session (you get a sense of size, set up, etc.).

Agree with PP that summer visits can be a challenge. Some schools are a little more lively, at others you are just seeing the buildings. But it's a good start for a rising junior.

[Anonymous]

We are about 14 years away from this but for casual visits I'd be inclined to let DC take a friend or close in age sibling and ask them to wander the campus for an hour or two. Then meet up at a designated spot later. That will give them a realistic taste and let them be free to explore independently. Post tour, so they know their bearings.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PPs. We started visiting spring and summer before senior year. Otherwise, DD wouldn't have been as focused or remembered the experience as much. Also, she had a clearer idea of the schools she was interested in applying.

The visits we were on were very well organized, pretty fast paced but with sufficient time to ask questions. People dressed casually. Enjoyed having lunch in various dining halls to get a feel for the place and see how students interacted. Also liked seeing the dorms. The student reps were friendly and helpful in answering random questions.

[Anonymous]

A terrific resource for this and other questions about college applications is collegeconfidential.com. Sign in and explore the discussion threads of parents and students who've recently gone through the process.

[Anonymous]

Do not visit class, though your child can. Remember that as your child evaluates the schools, they evaluate him. Its important for your child to take the lead as much as possible -- make the arrangements, ask the questions. You can and are expected to take the tour and go to the information session. You can wander around the campus together and get a cup of coffee together, or whatever. But do not go to class and I think its also a good idea not to ask questions at the sessions (unless they are about things like financial aid).

I think summer before 11th grade is a good time to do a kind of practice run, see a school that your child isn't necessarily so keen on so he can get a sense of how this works and will feel more comfortable when looking at more serious choices.

[Anonymous]

I recommend visiting schools when they have open houses for prospective students. You will be able to not only hear from the university admissions office, but the individual schools/programs will have information sessions, too. There will be representatives from financial aid, residence life, and other university departments. We attended 3 open houses during the spring of DC's junior year and found them very informative and much better than just a standard college tour.

[Anonymous]

I worked in admissions. Except in cases of really egregiously unacceptable or weird behavior, nobody will monitor or evaluate you or your kid on a visit. Feel free to ask questions -- just try not to ask questions that can be answered by checking out the website and please don't hog the airtime by asking too many follow-ups. I strongly encourage students to sit in on a class -- for my own kids visiting classes definitely fired them up to do their best on applications.

[Anonymous]

My DD who is a freshman has been visiting colleges since 5th grade (due to a program she was in where they stayed overnight for about 2 days in summer at various schools), and knows a few things about her preferences from those short visits. She definitely does not want an urban all over the city (like NYU) school. She wants on campus housing where all students or majority stay in dormitories. She does not want a commuter type school and she wants lots of activities/clubs/sports on campus and she wants a lively surrounding community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A terrific resource for this and other questions about college applications is collegeconfidential.com. Sign in and explore the discussion threads of parents and students who've recently gone through the process.

You don't even need to sign in to browse the threads. You do need to log in to post or start your own thread, though.

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much for the helpful advice. I agree summer is not a great time to visit. I just see that junior year is so busy and hoped to get a head start so DS could do fewer visits during the school year. But now I can see how that might be counterproductive. As for helicoptering, if we are forking over $60k for a school, I certainly think that the parents have an interest in checking out the campus, too!