Wildcat Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 (edited) . Edited January 6, 2023 by Wildcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I honestly don't know that order matters, or at least it didn't for my guys. They were able to look at the pros and cons of each place they visited and remember (better than I could!) between places. As they went to more colleges they were able to zero in on things they cared about more, but generally we kept an open mind for each visit. Of course, my guys also knew finances were going to play a big part of where they could afford to go, so while they had preferences, they didn't fall head over heels in love. I MIGHT have that problem with my last son though. His brain just works differently... My other two knew to focus on the pros of each place if it ended up where they'd be. We did let them cross places off for applications if they didn't like somewhere. There's no sense in applying if you really don't want to go there at any cost. But back to the "order of visit," I'd just pick in order of convenience. He might like the first place he sees, or the last, or anywhere in between as his top choices. Once acceptances and $$ offered are in, then revisit (and spend the night if possible) the top choices before deciding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Try to visit when classes are in session, and see if the admissions department can arrange an overnight visit in the dorms. I really think it's important for kids to visit the campuses they don't know much about when in session so they get a real non-admissions feel for the culture. Go to the places they're considering their highest choices first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 You want to make the best impression where it matters most. So I wouldn't go to that school for my first interview. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 You want to make the best impression where it matters most. So I wouldn't go to that school for my first interview. :iagree: If what you mean is how the college see you, but if what you mean is how your son views the colleges then I think only you can answer that questions. Some people fall in love with the first item they see, others have to look at all the choices sometimes multiple times. How does your son choose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 (edited) . Edited January 6, 2023 by Wildcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 (edited) . Edited January 6, 2023 by Wildcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 especially if they are "different". If you can look at a small, med size & large school w/o too much travelling, it might save you some time, if he decides definitely against one of those categories. Also the rural/urban thing may become a big deal (the schools we looked at where there was absolutely no place to go if you walked off campus completely turned off my dd, for example). One of my son's was convinced he wanted to go to this school that was quite distant. He ended up flying down for a visit. It was in a location that was off the beaten track, and he had to tranfer to a very small airplane. I think this tramautized him quite a bit, because he had no interest in the school after that. Also, keep in mind, that as you start visiting, some schools may be crossed off the list and others added, it's definitely not going to be set in stone, so if you are travelling to an area with a several schools, you might want to consider popping in to see several on the way if there is a possibility of interest. And if you can see all of them before paying those application fees, you might save yourself a bit of money (we weren't able to w/ 3 kids wanting to see 22 schools) and we could have saved a few application fees as it turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 There is one school on our list that would require a plane ride (about 5 hours I think not including getting to the airport, checking in, etc). I'm not sure ds really wants to consider that school. Plus, I think merit aid would be *extremely* difficult to come by, but dh wants ds to apply there anyway. I'm not sure why. :confused: It is also ds' "reach" school. This will also be the school that is most difficult for us to visit. The others are all within a decent driving distance. One thought ~ If your son applies and is accepted to his reach school, you might arrange a visit at that time. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) . Edited January 6, 2023 by Wildcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I thought schools wanted to see a 'visit' before deciding on acceptances, so we were trying to figure out how to make it there. I would much rather visit after ds is accepted. I am sure that in some cases, not visiting might mean no acceptance. However, my daughter was accepted at some good colleges (Wake Forest, St. Olaf, and College of the Holy Cross are some examples) without having visited. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 (edited) . Edited January 6, 2023 by Wildcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I would make sure that the one that he thinks is neat but is also stingy with merit aid is not the first or the last. I'd probably try to make it 3rd or 4th on the list. My oldest only visited three schools. I took her to the school I thought was the best fit first for one of their junior visit days. That got her really excited about going to college. She absolutely loved it. Next I took her to one that I thought was a bad fit (and we wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway, but it's only 30 minutes away). She could see how bad of a fit it was right away. The last school I took her to was what I thought might be a decent fit since their art and computer programs are both strong (and she's into digital art/animation). It was also the school that dh and I went to. It was awful. She came away from that school insistent on applying only to the first school we had visited and that is where she is going. We looked at several other schools online, but most of them were rejected for having too much of a football culture (like Texas A&M). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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