Reply to What school dropped off the list because of your visit?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My takeaway from most of this thread is that tours are unhelpful. Though people like to talk about “fit,” I think it’s largely bogus. A lot of kids - maybe most - get to their school and find good and bad points, but most adapt after finding some friends and especially after they decide on a major. Social and academic structure becomes their friend, memories are made, and degrees are obtained. As many have said, tours artificially influence kids, which may lead to a decision that becomes a mistake. It’s important to understand that for teens (they’re really not adults) this is a big emotional decision, as much as an academic one. That means many are looking for comfort, which they may find on a tour but later regret using as an over-weighted criterion.  [/quote]

Do you have kids in college or beyond? Just curious how necessary it is to travel all over the country looking at schools. I understand popping onto campus when nearby on a trip but to purposely go all over to look at these school?[/quote]

I have a senior who will attend UVA in the fall. Though he has visited the campus and is fine with it, the campus tour was never a deciding factor. For us, it was a great school, close enough to home, and the right price. I assume he’ll find his place on campus and come to love/like it, regardless of his first impressions. [/quote]

I’m the poster of the first and third comment. I think too many parents hype college tours to their teens as if they were choosing a pageant dress for a coming-of-age party. To me, that over-emphasizes the emotional side of a college choice and makes it seem synonymous with one’s identity. This leads to a bloated search for “the right one,” as if the perfect school can be found and it will transform their lives. How many adults thought the same thing about their career or spouse and later became disillusioned. I’m not trying to be a jerk, or suggest that one shouldn’t be happy/excited about one’s choice. But, I am suggesting that a student’s academic record, family finances, potential major, etc. should be sufficient to narrow one’s search to a handful of options. Apply, see where your student is accepted, then visit schools, if even necessary. [/quote]

This is very smart and well said. Doing campus tours is fun but in terms of actual meaningful information you get from them I would say minimal to none. The things that will really shape ones college experience - roommates, friends, professors etc. etc. will not be found on those no matter how much we try to make a couple of hours on campus help a kid decide of a place as a “fit“. We met just for two sessions with the counselor when my DD was a junior and we were struggling to figure out how to narrow a list and when the topic of tours came up here agrees with you PP he thinks that the parent over emphasis on them is not helpful to kids and actually not a particularly good way to make a decision about which schools are of interest.[/quote]

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