Here’s a range of colleges grouped by location. I’m missing a bunch obviously.

So Cal:

Chapman
UC Irvine

UCLA
Loyola Marymount

USC
Cal Tech
Occidental

Pomona and surrounding schools


Nor Cal:
Stanford
Santa Clara University
UC Berkeley
UC Santa Cruz

We started this summer for our rising junior. Still feels early in that he is not all that focused on what he wants. But I feel like he needs to get focused if he's going to apply anywhere ED a year from now. So we're just taking him to see small/large, city/rural, competitive/less competitive options we think he might like at this point. I hope by spring break he'll be working on his own list, but that's not happening yet.

10th grade spring break we took ds to a bunch of schools in PA (big,slac, urban, suburban and isolated college town). The goal was to identify the type of college he was interested in. Based on this we ruled out big schools and small college towns.
11th grade spring break we took ds to visit 4 schools in and near Boston
Over 11th grade we visited local universities in the DMV when he had a school holiday or early dismissal

A trip to California sounds expensive and I think I would only plan one if I was pretty sure about the type of school my child was interested in

Way too early. Go junior year.

Looks like you are doing NorCal and So Cal. Flying between?

Maybe just pick northern or southern for now.

Engineering and law would be different focuses.

It sounds like it's too early. I would delay until after sophomore year unless you are going out for other things.

Public? Private? Large?

You are two years too early.

- 3x college mom

Thanks, please list colleges that are close by...sure I don't want to visit only top schools, this might be for engineering/law

Anonymous wrote:I may be jaded because I have a senior, but I would see schools in a range, not just top schools. A lot can happen between freshman and senior year and you are setting him up to feel like a failure.

This.
There are a lot of schools in CA. And a lot that are near each other.

I may be jaded because I have a senior, but I would see schools in a range, not just top schools. A lot can happen between freshman and senior year and you are setting him up to feel like a failure.

Pomona?

If you are all anxious, maybe spring break of, or summer after, sophomore year.

Please let me know what is a good time, I am new to to this college search and visits

Yes. Too early.

yes, but it can't hurt to visit colleges now to learn about various campus vibes...

My DS is a freshman and we are planning to tour Stanford, Berkeley, Caltech, UCLA during spring break April 2020 .
Is it too early?