Daria Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 Does anyone take note of student demeanor on college tours? My son, like many teenagers, presents himself better when he's well rested. We have a college tour scheduled that would mean leaving home around 4:30 in the morning. I'm trying to figure out whether it would be worth it to go down the night before and pay for a hotel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 I would assume that people take note and plan accordingly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 A regular group college tour, with no special meetings? Unless it's a tiny college, they aren't likely to note or remember your ds, so I'd be okay with 'not at his best' as long as he is able to pay attention and be civil. The hotel would be better, though, if it's on his short list and he's a rising senior. There tends to be a lot of walking and a lot of information thrown at you. Also, when we drove a bit of a distance, we always wanted to stay and eat lunch in the cafeteria and then wander the campus a bit for a more natural feel. If he's a rising junior, I'd probably drive up that morning and not worry about it. We did a fair number of college visits, it does get expensive! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Assuming it's a regular group tour -- Unless it's a very, very small college it's unlikely that anyone will be paying any attention at all. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 No, nobody will notice the student' s demeanor on a regular college tour. They won't know the student from Adam. Where it will be noticed is at individual department visits or private meetings with department chairs. But the general campus tour and admissions info session? Nobody will take notes. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetC Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Truly awful behavior will compel someone to take a note, but the most common note taken is just the names of the kids that showed up. The sleepy side of normal is not a problem. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cave canem Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 They won't know the student from Adam. I love this expression! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 I vote for driving up the night before because you never know what will happen the next day. We went to the large fall open house at a university with thousands of other students and parents. But, when ds and dh walked into the college ds was interested in, the Dean of Fine and Applied Arts gave them a personal tour. As in - the Dean, my son and my husband, no one else. For that reason, I wouldn't count on not being remembered! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Go up the night before. From the moment you signed up for the tour they started a file on your child. They are tracking who is interested. Who sent an email with a follow up question, etc. You never know who you are going to meet on the tour and you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Even the general open houses throw a lot of info at you and you want to be alert and present. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Student sleeps in the car on the way there? My teenager could do this :) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 It's a tour and not an interview so probably the person conducting the tour might even be another student. I doubt it will matter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Student sleeps in the car on the way there? My teenager could do this :) Yep. Either of my kids would sleep in the car. The tired one would be *I*. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 Neither of us drives, so it will be walk, to the subway, to the Megabus, to the local public transport. Not as restful as a car trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 It is a morning presentation and tour of the whole campus, followed by an afternoon open house at the school of the arts and a tour of the arts facilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 It is a morning presentation and tour of the whole campus, followed by an afternoon open house at the school of the arts and a tour of the arts facilities. Based on your description of transportation and this long day, I'd advise going the night before. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Being well rested or not can make a difference in how he feels about the school; morning tours did not set well with one of my daughters, because she tended to be hungry. After lunch, she liked schools much better, lol. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Yes, for an all day thing, I'd probably go with the hotel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted July 18, 2016 Author Share Posted July 18, 2016 You all have convinced me that my crack of dawn idea is a bad one! Unfortunately, we can't go down the night before the day when we made the reservations, so I think we're going to go to another school in the other direction where the transportation works better, and save this one for a day when we can spend the night. So, that brings me to my next question which is -- how do you cancel a tour you signed up for? Is that going to reflect badly on us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 There is usually a contact number or email. Simply send a sorry need to cancel. No muss no fuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat w Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I think it does matter. We know someone at Flagler college. They are small, but when we went to talk to UF ( we made a private appt) thwy said the same thing. They commented on students coming through with lackadaisical attitude , demanor. Etc. And that's true , they start paying attention right from the start. More people are attending college these days , it's competitive to get in and deal with acclimating to college life. I would go the night before and get a hotel. We live close to our schools so that helps but we have always been well dressed, like for a job interview , rested, fed lol, and minful of putting our beat foot forward . I would take this opportunity to put beat foot forward and to stand out in a positive way. Asking pertinent questions shows them you are listening, make eye contact with school personnel, be friendly, smile, etc. This all dies make a difference . it's been our experience anyway. 3 times around. They want students who they know will make their college look good. That starts right away. They will remember, even on the big schools. It's like the scale goes with everything Top few excelling on first impression = remembering positively Top few making a negative impression with body language etc. = remember in a negative way All the ones in the middle and the biggest number of student /employee what have you. = don't know from Adam lol We always strived to be in that top few thst got remembered positively. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 We went on one yesterday. It's the largest school in my state, and there were 80 of us in the group. I seriously doubt that anyone noticed anything about us. Later my oldest will have an interview with his department. That one will count. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 I posted this a couple of years ago: "My daughter who's home briefly for a time from South Korea went for a few days to visit friends at her alma mater. (While I won't name the college, it's one of the Seven Sisters.) One of her friends who just graduated is working for a year at the Admissions Office. This friend is a first reader of applications, conducts tours and information sessions, interviews prospective students, and more. My daughter shared a couple of tidbits that I found interesting. First, those who write thank you letters after taking a guided tour and attending an information session (these are a package deal) or being interviewed are given a point towards admission. Second, those students who are inattentive during the tour (by wearing head phones or ear buds, for example) lose a point. (I know that discussions often arise about what a student should wear during tours; however, my daughter said that topic didn't come up.)" Regards, Kareni 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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