Anonymous wrote:we're just starting out but have very few long breaks we can use. could fly/drive Friday. just limited on time.

You can see a lot of variety in DC area, Boston, and Philly.

Each has big and small, religious and not, T20 and not, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly is the question? Is the kid interested in GU, GW and AU? If so, obviously visit them. Are you looking for restaurants and hotels? Tourist sites outside of the colleges?

sorry meant some cities/areas we can get to and see some schools. just need to start somewhere. my adhd can't process

How far does your kid want to be from home? Does your kid want urban, rural, college town? small college or large univ?

Start with a few tours in your own area first to see what likes

Anonymous wrote:You have to figure out what kind of school your child wants first. City school, flagship or SLAC? So, initially pick schools to visit to rule things out.

A general geographic area is also helpful.

A lot of people find that touring some local schools can help their kid figure out what they want in terms of size, campus, and neighborhood.

You have to figure out what kind of school your child wants first. City school, flagship or SLAC? So, initially pick schools to visit to rule things out.

A general geographic area is also helpful.

If you’re a Virginia resident do a loop of JMU and UVA and if you have an extra day add in VT.

Pittsburgh: Pitt, CMU, Duquesne

We did Duke, NC State, UNC and Wake on a weekend. Part of that visit is the campuses are all really different so figuring out what kind of campus is favorite.

Richmond/Williamsburg also give three different types of school in VCU, U of Zurich one and William and Mary.

Agree with Philly- can also see Villanova or Widener

Boston- so many options

We did the three DC schools between Christmas and New Year's. No official tours. Just city and campus infrastructure vibe check. Also toured Georgetown the neighborhood.

Pitt, CMU, and Penn State could be a set for a long weekend. We looked at Pitt and CMU on the weekend following Thanksgiving (we grew up in Pittsburgh so are familiar with how to showcase the area even when the buildings are closed).

Campus tours have inconvenient outages at times when parents and high schoolers might be free. It's necessary to understand each school's quirks and plan far ahead.

We visited other schools in passing on vacation. Cornell on the way back from an NYC vacation. Drexel on a trip to Philly.

I believe in the idea that you can take a look at "representative types" of campuses near you. Then wait to visit the ones that emerge as important when it's closer to application or decision time.

Anonymous wrote:Philly is a great place to do this. Quick trip from DC and lots of fun thing to do.

It depends on how strong your student is, and how much stamina you have for touring. I'll give you a couple of different combos:

Very strong student: University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore, Haverford, Villanova

Average strong student: Temple, Drexel, St. Joe's

And Ursinus.

Know that there are not a lot of weekend tours. You need to look for dates when your school is closed for professional development or minor holidays and book tours for those dates. Try touring schools within driving distance even if your kid isn't interested. You can still get a feel for large vs small, urban vs rural, etc.

Philly is a great place to do this. Quick trip from DC and lots of fun thing to do.

It depends on how strong your student is, and how much stamina you have for touring. I'll give you a couple of different combos:

Very strong student: University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore, Haverford, Villanova

Average strong student: Temple, Drexel, St. Joe's

Some ideas:

Raleigh Durham area: Duke, UNC, NC State
Philly area: UPenn, Drexel, Villanova, Swarthmore. Can swing through UDelaware on the way.
Boston area: Harvard, MIT, BU, Northeastern
Chicago area: UChicago, Northwestern, DePaul

Anonymous wrote:What exactly is the question? Is the kid interested in GU, GW and AU? If so, obviously visit them. Are you looking for restaurants and hotels? Tourist sites outside of the colleges?

sorry meant some cities/areas we can get to and see some schools. just need to start somewhere. my adhd can't process

What exactly is the question? Is the kid interested in GU, GW and AU? If so, obviously visit them. Are you looking for restaurants and hotels? Tourist sites outside of the colleges?

we're just starting out but have very few long breaks we can use. could fly/drive Friday. just limited on time.