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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think tours are valuable in different ways at different stages in the process.

1. Very early -- to see a range of school types (big/small) and setting (urban vs suburbs vs college town) and see if kid had a strong preference. Some do, some don't. But if you do it's a helpful first filter for the list.

2. Deciding where to apply. If you have a lot of potential schools that aren't that different on paper -- have the program you want, you like the reviews and what you see online, same general range in ranking -- but you don't want to apply to 20+ schools then tours can really help narrow the list based on the quality of life/vibe you get on campus. I think this is most important for finding a safety and a couple matches you can love. IMO it's a waste of time to tour reaches and adds too much stress to the process.

3. After admitted to make the final decision.[/quote]

This is basically how it worked for my kids. Early tours in driving distance of home and after that DS decided he really preferred the big state school in a college town. Toured a couple others in that category in junior year that didn't require a long trip. He ultimately applied to 8 schools, some visited, some not, but all fit that basic profile. Went to Virginia Tech.

DD settled early on a preference for a LAC and doesn't want to be in a city. Wants to be within a reasonable drive from home. Needs to be strong in science and have good environmental science resources. There are many LACs that could fit the bill so we will be spending a lot more time touring with her to help narrow the list of match and safeties. There will also be reach schools on the list that we won't make a big effort to visit. She can visit if she gets in.[/quote]

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