Ann.without.an.e Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I know this isn't ideal. The last day of class at Washington and Lee is May 22nd and we can make it there on the 18th. We are going right through the town that day and it seems crazy not to visit since dd is very interested in this school. It is over four hours away. Also, it is the only school that DH has shown interest in visiting (it intrigues him for some reason). Most other schools we visit will just be DD and me since DH works a lot and we have three other kids at home. Last week - exams, etc.... I know that it isn't ideal but how "off" will it be from a normal school week? It will be ok, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 If it is the last week of classes, everything will be normal. If it were Finals week, it would be different; there won't be any classes, many students won't be there, and the general atmosphere may be different. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Depends on what you mean by "last week of school". Is it the last week of classes? If so, everything will be normal. Is it Finals week? In that case, there won't be any classes, many students won't be there, and the general atmosphere may be different. Visit anyway. I am pretty sure it is the last week of school. I wish we could go earlier but we had to move our vacation later because of AP Exams. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 That's probably finals week. The student population will be thinning out since many finish exams before the end of the week. Are they even having tours? Many places we've visited don't have tours during finals week, since tours are led by students. If you have time and aren't getting the full college tour, visit anyway. Visit the town too and take the tour of VMI if they are doing tours. All that will give you a feel for the history of Lexington. It's nice to hear all the stories of historic figures as ordinary people around town. The two colleges are literally adjacent and the distance from one admissions office where tours start to the other is probably not more than 500 yards. Because they are so close together it's nice to see how the two very different schools mesh historically and today. OK, I guess I just think Lexington is a nice a little town to visit. And there's a great ice cream shop.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 If it's exam week, they might not be giving tours. Most colleges rely on students to give the tours and students generally aren't available during exam week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I agree with Techwife, there likely will not be tours, and you may not be allowed to observe classes because of exams. On top of which, I would not expect to be able to speak with faculty. Exam week is extremely hectic for them, and they have final grades to get into the registrars office as quickly as possible for the seniors. You should be able to wander around on your own, and you might find someone in admissions or financial aid to speak to but it isn't likely that you can get into specific departments to the see the facilities and such. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 You can still get a good idea of "fit" by just being on campus, especially since you're not making a special trip! Older dd thought one school was perfect for her. It was, on paper. Then we visited and she discovered that, while the profs and the program were excellent and engaging, the physical campus and environs were not. There was no place within walking or safe biking distance to get pizza or a salad, to pick up OTC medicine, or to nurse a cup of coffee while writing or studying. Dd had no idea just how important the "nearby" factor was in her college-decision-making process. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Luckymamma, I read your post and thought that if I were shopping for college for myself today, space for sitting and quietly slurping java would rank high on my priority list!! LOL That was one thing that did get me when we visited U MINN. I thought to myself, "This might be too busy for me to disappear with my coffee muug!" Meanwhile ds was thinking, "I love this place!" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 W&L's campus is beautiful, and Lexington is a neat little town to stroll around. I would stop by even if you can't do an official visit. It's well worth the time just to get a feel for the place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Thanks ya'll. I called the admissions office and they are giving tours that day so it is a start. If she is admitted and torn between more than one college, we could always visit again Senior year :) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*LC Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Okay, I looked it up. It is odd & you will need to call to get a feel for what kind of visit you can have that date. As you said, the last day is May 22. Exams are May 23. It struck me as odd to have all exams on one day. So I looked a little closer, and the school's spring term is a short 4 weeks that started April 27. So, I don't know if all students participate in that short session, especially since I saw mention of spring travel. There was also mention of six-week course grades being due June 5. That said, my college kid visited colleges in summer, because that is when i could find somewhere for the younger kids. At one, an OOS private school, my daughter "couldn't picture the School with students." However, at another, a OOS public school, she didnt have that issue. The public school has 2 to 3 times the number of students, depending on if you look at undergrad or undergrad+grad. However, I think visiting the pvt school on a Friday afternoon in the summer was the bigger issue. That school is 4 hours away, so we had planned to go back, but she really fell in love with the public school. She visited an in-state public during the school year, and knew it wasn't the type of campus she wanted. All that rambling to say even less than ideal visits can be useful. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 You will love Lexington. For such a small town, there is a lot to see and do. W&L is beautiful. Make sure you give yourself some time to stop over at VMI. It's worth a couple of hours. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 We've visited campuses at many different times. There is a difference in activity and mood. During dead week and finals week, things tend to be more somber and there is just generally less activity. Probably fine since your student is already interested, but if you are trying to "sell" a school, it's a good idea to warn a kid. Some kids seem to soak up the emotions of those around them, and there is a big difference between the first or second week of class and the last couple. Just FYI, something else we've noticed is that although campus activity is very high the first week of classes, discussion oriented classes are more quiet. I think students are more nervous and tentative until they get to know the prof and the other students in the class 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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