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Is fall of sophomore year too early to make a college visit?


MorningGlory
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My son is interested in a very specific major that is only offered at a handful of schools within a day's drive from home (I don't think he would consider going further away than that...but time will tell). Anyway, we are going to be vacationing near one of those schools this coming fall (his sophomore year). It sure would be nice to take a look while we are in the area. Would it be too early to make a visit to this school? I don't want to appear to be overly eager beavers. Although...we are rather eager and extremely curious! :)

 

Thanks!

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I'd go for it - and let HIM ask a lot of questions. If ahead of time he can research who the professor's are in his major and ask to meet with one or two of them - or at least send them (copy to Admissions) specific questions about their research and what courses the recommend he take in high school to prepare for that particular major - so much the better. Following up each year is good, too - this will get him on the radar of the department and school as a very interested, motivated potential student.

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Totally fine. Check with the admissions office to see when the campus tours are. A tour will have no impact on your son's future application to the school (unless you really scare them off! haha), and it will likely get him thinking more about his academic/social independence.

 

We did a lot of college tours in the middle school years, and the memories that stuck with me were that SAT scores are important for admission/scholarships, and that college is essentially like heaven: they have huge libraries full of "real books" and around campus they have coffee shops where people just sit around relaxed and reading a book. Not bad impressions to leave a kid with!

 

While on campus, be sure to stop by the places of his interests or talk to the tour guide staff, and I'm sure he'll have his own heavenly experience discovering that he'll have an opportunity to work on the university telescope or be on an archeology dig or get involved with a "build-a-speedcar" engineering team once he's arrived to college.

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I don't understand how people do visits in their junior/senior years with balancing academics, extra curriculars, SAT prep etc. We've already visited one campus and DD will be doing a weekend visit in 2 weeks. She is a sophomore. I want her to get a feel for as many of the contenders as she possibly can now. We will be working on essays early too so by the time she applies she is editing and not starting from scratch. Scholarship essays and college entrance essays can earn one a credit in English composition as far as I can tell! Start now!

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Thank you so much! We will book the appropriate hotel reservations and make this school a stopping-off place on our fall trip. How exciting!

 

(Speaking as the parent of a junior who can't find time to actually visit any colleges! High school juniors surely are the most over-booked people on the planet!)

 

Gwen and jamajo...I just found out yesterday (from reading the high school forum) that AP Physics B is now a 2 year course. So I reworked my son's junior year plan and realized then that he is not going to have time to breathe! What is it about the junior year??? I taught high school juniors/seniors before retiring to teach my own, and those poor juniors were always so over-worked! It was like they were trying to "get it all in" that one year. I swore that wouldn't happen to my own children, but here it is approaching, and I find the junior year crunch to be almost unavoidable.

 

One more question...how appropriate is it that whole families attend campus tours? I have two other children that will be with us...one of them quite young. Should I take them and just hang out somewhere while my older son and dh actually go on the tour? I'm a newbie; I'm sure I will have lots of questions!

Thanks!

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Totally fine. Check with the admissions office to see when the campus tours are. A tour will have no impact on your son's future application to the school (unless you really scare them off! haha), and it will likely get him thinking more about his academic/social independence.

 

We did a lot of college tours in the middle school years, and the memories that stuck with me were that SAT scores are important for admission/scholarships, and that college is essentially like heaven: they have huge libraries full of "real books" and around campus they have coffee shops where people just sit around relaxed and reading a book. Not bad impressions to leave a kid with!

 

While on campus, be sure to stop by the places of his interests or talk to the tour guide staff, and I'm sure he'll have his own heavenly experience discovering that he'll have an opportunity to work on the university telescope or be on an archeology dig or get involved with a "build-a-speedcar" engineering team once he's arrived to college.

 

I had the same experience. I toured a campus in middle school because of an engineering workshop, and I was so enthralled with all the LARGE trees! It was so shady and calming and peaceful...it WAS like heaven! That feeling never left my mind...my future school just had to have trees...and it did! :)

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My younger two went on visits with my oldest and I never regretted it at all. (Mine are all two years apart academically, so not a huge difference.) It really helped the younger two start focusing earlier on what they liked or didn't like about places - and just to realize that all colleges offer degrees, but they sure aren't equal (not meaning just academics).

 

Because my youngest had been on the most visits, it's the easiest for him to tell me what he wants in a college - a nice bonus since he's in ps and it's REALLY tough to visit schools then. It was tough homeschooling too (esp with some DE classes), but a breeze comparatively.

 

Your 3 year old won't get anything "college" out of it, but the rest of you should (kids/parents). If she's not disruptive, it wouldn't be a problem to bring her. If she is too antsy, plan to have someone take her out or do something else (walking around campus or something).

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Clambering aboard the bandwagon to say it's not too early to make that college visit.

 

High school juniors surely are the most over-booked people on the planet!

 

Boy, isn't that the truth. It certainly was my daughter's busiest year with PSAT, SAT, AP, and National Latin exam tests as well as AP classes and a boatload of community colleges. She, too, was lucky to squeeze in a college visit or two.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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