College Visits??

[...................]

We are on the west coast.  My son applied to several colleges here, but some far enough away that we'd still need to fly.

He applied to one in Pittsburgh.

3 in/near NYC near our family 

1 near Philadelphia, also near family- and that family very involved and able to help/drive etc.

I never knew that seniors only have ONE MONTH to make their decision.  Aside from buying last minute plane tickets which cost an arm and a leg, there's also the issue of his current schedule.  SPring break is March 26- April 1st, so no help there.  He won't have his acceptances yet at that point.

So basically, we have exactly two weekends, to fly anywhere, to make his decision.  So I thought, ok, well let's fly out beforehand.  Do you think we should get plane tickets for January (he has one month off), and fly east and tour some of the colleges then?  

Or should I just assume that he can narrow it down when the time comes?

[chiguirre]

If he's never lived somewhere cold it's probably a good idea to go in January. That might narrow the field really fast.

[Penguin]

I'm not sure I understand the one month to make a decision. Are you saying the East Coast schools do not notify until April 1? My understanding is that nearly all schools give until May 1 for a decision.

If you can visit them all in January while he has a month off, that sounds like a great idea. 

[...................]

7 minutes ago, chiguirre said:

If he's never lived somewhere cold it's probably a good idea to go in January. That might narrow the field really fast.

 

He has not.  But we have visited NJ/NY in February and he was totally fine even without the proper footwear.  He is ok with cold. But still, not a bad reminder ?

[...................]

2 minutes ago, Penguin said:

I'm not sure I understand the one month to make a decision. Are you saying the East Coast schools do not notify until April 1? My understanding is that nearly all schools give until May 1 for a decision.

If you can visit them all in January while he has a month off, that sounds like a great idea. 

 

colleges send out acceptances April 1st.  May 1st is Decision Day.  Although a few colleges may send out acceptances as early as mid-April we wouldn't want to start flying around until we have all of the acceptances in.

[Penguin]

Got it. It does make it hard if all of his East Coast schools have such late decision dates. In that case, I think I would go out there in January.

(Total aside: When we were living overseas, I was amazed at the short time frame between acceptance and the start of school. They would find out their acceptances in July and have to be moved in by August! And most universities do not have dorms, so you also have to secure housing.)

[...................]

Whoa, that is crazy!  I guess they didn't have many to choose from, so perhaps they were just lucky to get in somewhere?? I can't imagine that.

 

[kokotg]

I'd go in January....with the caveat that I'd make sure the colleges are in session the dates you want to travel--a lot of them won't start second semester until late January, and seeing campuses without students is of limited usefulness. 

[Penguin]

I can’t remember the details now, but I think you put in for your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices, so you would have already done your decision making. 

Anyway...

It has been hard for my DS to fit in visits without missing DE classes. I sympathize.

[kokotg]

Other thought--spring break would really be at least as good as January, maybe better because you might well have decisions from some of the colleges by then....although, again, it's possible their spring breaks would overlap.

[regentrude]

you do not need to visit the colleges to make your decision. You can simply decide based on factors you can discern without a campus visit.

Of the colleges DD got admitted to, she had visited only one. the decision was made based on hard factors that had nothing to do with anything we could have seen on a campus visit. DS never set foot on his campus until freshmen orientation.

[RootAnn]

DD has two left to visit of her top three. We are visiting on next month and the other sometime in Jan-Mar. DE does make it difficult to visit!

[kokotg]

2 minutes ago, texasmom33 said:

Here's an extremely unethical question. What happens if your ds were to accept at TWO colleges, and then cancel out on one of them at a later point so you're on your timeline and not theirs? How do they know? And what would the consequence be? 

Ethical considerations aside, you'd lose one deposit (is my understanding, anyway)

[kokotg]

11 minutes ago, texasmom33 said:

How big's the deposit? Might be worth it. I don't like people putting me on their timeline when it's unreasonable just because that's how it's "always done", so for me, there'd be a definite price where that becomes a consideration. 

With the disclaimer that I haven't done it yet, I think it's generally a few hundred dollars ( just quickly looked up UGA, and it's $300 there). But I think there are ethical considerations, too. You're on the colleges timelines because they have a timeline. They have to be able to plan for how many students are coming in the fall, make housing assignments, offer waitlist people a spot if needed, etc. I don't know the history of the May 1 commitment deadline, but I would guess it's meant to be mutually beneficial: colleges have a definite date when they can nail down fall enrollment numbers, and students are protected from being pushed into committing earlier, before they've heard from all their schools.

Edited October 25, 2018 by kokotg

[RootAnn]

On the CA, I seem to remember something DD had to sign saying she wouldn't put a deposit down on more than one school or she'd lose her acceptances at both. But, someone would need to check that for accuracy. I didn't have to digitally sign it, so I could be wrong . . . 

Found this advice on the CB website:

• Tell students not to submit deposits to more than one college, unless they are wait-listed at their first choice and accepted at another.
• Consider instituting a policy of sending each student's final transcript to only one college.
• Warn students that some colleges reserve the right to rescind an offer of admission if they discover that a student has made a double deposit.

Edited October 25, 2018 by RootAnn

[regentrude]

43 minutes ago, texasmom33 said:

Here's a question. What happens if your ds were to accept at TWO colleges, and then cancel out on one of them at a later point so you're on your timeline and not theirs? How do they know? And what would the consequence be? 

In the application, the student usually affirms that he/she will only accept one offer. In the Common App, the student has to sign "“I affirm that I will send an enrollment deposit (or equivalent) to only one institution; sending multiple deposits (or equivalent) may result in the withdrawal of my admission offers from all institutions.“ "

You would be encouraging the student to break this contract and to lie. That would indeed be unethical.

[regentrude]

5 minutes ago, texasmom33 said:

I guess that would change things. But does the second bullet point then mean that you weren't fully applying to more than one college? In other words, you rescind your application to all but one when that final transcript comes out? 

The final transcript is sent after the student has made his or her acceptance decision. It is sent to the one college the student will be attending. 

[regentrude]

2 minutes ago, texasmom33 said:

Yeah, I wouldn't be okay with lying. But it's astounding to me the amount of power parents have turned over to universities. It's stunning actually. You pay them. Not the other way around......take a stance. Anyway, I'll bow out now. 

You pay them - but we are talking about highly selective colleges who have more than enough applicants to fill their seats. They have the power because they are offering a highly coveted good that is in very short supply. You don't have to buy. You can choose one of the many colleges where you can even apply after May and be admitted. 

Edited October 25, 2018 by regentrude

[...................]

16 hours ago, regentrude said:

you do not need to visit the colleges to make your decision. You can simply decide based on factors you can discern without a campus visit.

Of the colleges DD got admitted to, she had visited only one. the decision was made based on hard factors that had nothing to do with anything we could have seen on a campus visit. DS never set foot on his campus until freshmen orientation.

 

That's true, but my son has severe life threatening food allergies with two extra food allergies as well.  So seeing how they actually handle his food situation and what it actually feels like to speak to the chef, order, eat there, how cumbersome it is etc. is definitely important. You have to see / do it in person. 

[...................]

12 hours ago, texasmom33 said:

For $300 I'd have zero problem taking an extra few weeks to decide, given a window of 4 weeks only. It's unreasonable. I know thousands of people fall over themselves to do it, but just because that's the norm doesn't mean you have to do it. I just think if you're in that big of a bind, well., don't do it. Pay the $300 or whatever penalty and buy yourself some breathing room. I assure you that penalty is there for a reason and not because it's uncommon. It's a minor deterrent because $300 is a drop in the bucket compared to a year's tuition. It's not like you're waiting until August. And it's not like you'll be the only person that does it. This is a huge decision. 

Colleges seems to be very one way on their "ethics" so I don't have a lot of qualms pushing back on them in certain cases, having worked for one for a decade. I'm sure that's a minority, unpopular stance, but they don't run the entire show. It is YOUR money in the end, and you're entitled to have some time to decide. I know 99% of the voices you're going to hear are going to tell you something else, but every once in a while it's okay to be a rebel and do things on your timeline. And to do what's right for your ds. If he can't decide in four weeks, that's OK. Take six, take 8. It's not the end of the world. 

 

No  you can't do this.  At the time you apply AND at the time you accept you e-sign saying that you will only accept at one college.  You'd be perjuring yourself and being unethical all at the same time.

[regentrude]

9 minutes ago, Calming Tea said:

That's true, but my son has severe life threatening food allergies with two extra food allergies as well.  So seeing how they actually handle his food situation and what it actually feels like to speak to the chef, order, eat there, how cumbersome it is etc. is definitely important. You have to see / do it in person. 

OK, I see. In that case,  since the colleges are all fairly close geographically, I would simply go during spring break and visit them all in one trip. you don't have to wait for acceptances to do college visits.

Edited October 25, 2018 by regentrude

[J-rap]

45 minutes ago, Calming Tea said:

 

That's true, but my son has severe life threatening food allergies with two extra food allergies as well.  So seeing how they actually handle his food situation and what it actually feels like to speak to the chef, order, eat there, how cumbersome it is etc. is definitely important. You have to see / do it in person. 

In January, I suppose you'd want to make sure the school (or at least the kitchen) is open and functioning when you visit -- not on a holiday break or J-term break.  Also, know that in January you're getting a very different perspective of the school.  People hunker down more in the winter and the campus might not feel as lively.  Apart from that, I think January would be a fine time to go.  

[...................]

So I think we've decided to either go during my son's Spring break which is different than their Spring break, or wait till acceptances and just go to his first choice out of the acceptances the second weekend in April

He feels like there's  a fairly clear hierarchy for him, and we did at least vet each college before applying as far as checking out their allergy situation, emailing dietitians, and/or speaking with each and every college to see how they handle food allergies.  

So he feels like acceptances will make it pretty clear and then one visit should do the trick.

 

[Julie of KY]

I agree with your plan - I'd go visit some earlier than the decisions. 

You are right that the common app has you sign that you will only accept and pay a deposit at one school, unless you cancel the first school when you change your mind and accept the second.  This is also in the agreement of most schools that I've seen when you pay the deposit. I would not intentionally break these rules. 

[GoodGrief]

Both of my daughters ended up deciding in the couple of days before May 1 because of the logistics of fitting in visits from our location. It's not ideal, but worked out fine. One daughter's final scholarship competition was the weekend of April 9! We did a huge driving trip centered around that...Atlanta (Ga Tech with side trip to Plains to attend Jimmy Carter's Sunday School class) to Kentucky (UK) to Arkansas (bestie currently living there, no college) to Pennsylvania (second look at Messiah) to New Hampshire (accepted student weekend at Dartmouth) to New Jersey (accepted student weekend at Princeton.) It was crazy, but great memories. However it plays out for you and your son, I hope he can soak it all in and enjoy this time of life.

[Kareni]

My daughter visited one college in September of her senior year when she had a holiday and they did not. She visited another school in February for an invited scholarship weekend.  She visited several other colleges during her spring break which was the week before April first.

Regards,
Kareni

[linders]

I would want to visit, especially with the allergy concerns. Can't you make reservations now for a weekend in April in NYC?  You will have acceptances and know where to target from there. From NYC it is pretty easy to take a train to Philly or Pittsburgh, if either of those schools pan out. And if none of them pan out, hey, a weekend in NYC would be fin.

As long as he really understands how dreary January can be, the weather should be nice in April.

[mom1720]

Not sure what schools you are specifically talking about but since you mentioned Pittsburgh, know that CMU will have nothing for interested/accepted students during spring carnival which is April 11-13, 2019. Also, most Catholic/religious school will not have anything over Easter -- my DS"s school is closed April 18-22. And, finally, many Massachusetts schools will be closed on April 15 for Patriot's Day.

Oh, one more thing, just in case, Pitt's last day of classes in April 19 -- you'll get a very different vibe after that as students prepare for finals.

Good luck planning!

Edited October 26, 2018 by mom1720

[katilac]

On 10/24/2018 at 3:29 PM, Calming Tea said:

 

colleges send out acceptances April 1st.  May 1st is Decision Day.  Although a few colleges may send out acceptances as early as mid-April we wouldn't want to start flying around until we have all of the acceptances in.

 

They routinely send out acceptances on April 1, or April 1 is the last day they send out acceptances? That's something I've never heard of before. I have heard of final financial offers not being made until then, but not that schools don't notify anyone of acceptances until then. 

I have friends in several states, including Pennsylvania, who have been doing the college thing the last few years. Nobody had to wait until April 1 for an acceptance decision. I would double-check that for sure.

[Kareni]

7 minutes ago, katilac said:

They routinely send out acceptances on April 1, or April 1 is the last day they send out acceptances?

Many schools alert students of acceptance before April 1; however, more selective colleges often send out acceptances on April 1.

When my daughter applied to colleges, she applied to a mix of schools.  About half had rolling admissions, but the others announced on April 1.  It was good to have some acceptances in hand before April 1.  Be aware, too, that many schools send need based financial aid information in early April though merit announcements might arrive with an offer of acceptance.

Regards,
Kareni

[RootAnn]

1 hour ago, katilac said:

They routinely send out acceptances on April 1, or April 1 is the last day they send out acceptances?

Harvard says "late April." Yale and Stanford say "by April 1st." Here is a list of 2018 admission notification dates for some of the more selective schools.

[katilac]

1 hour ago, RootAnn said:

Harvard says "late April." Yale and Stanford say "by April 1st." Here is a list of 2018 admission notification dates for some of the more selective schools.

 

I know people who were informed way earlier than that at extremely selective schools, but I guess they did either early action or early decision. April would give me a heart attack. 

[Penguin]

This has been an enlightening discussion for me. I hope the OP has found it helpful ? 

I did not know that the highly selective schools wait until April. I thought that "Ivy Day" was in March, and that they were the last notifiers. but now I know I was misinformed. 

My kids have never applied to the tippy top schools, so I think the latest decision date we have ever had was March 15.

Edited October 26, 2018 by Penguin

[RootAnn]

3 hours ago, RootAnn said:

Harvard says "late April." Yale and Stanford say "by April 1st." Here is a list of 2018 admission notification dates for some of the more selective schools.

Gar. Sorry. "late March" for Harvard. Not late April!
Mid-to-late March for many. Some lucky Regular Decision kids will have a "likely letter" before then. Early Action and Early Decision kids will know something before then (accepted, denied, deferred to regular decision). I think more and more kids are applying EA to at least one school. But, I don't have statistics on that.

I'm not sure when the rolling admit schools that my DD applied to will send out their financial aid / merit letter notifications, but that is definitely something that will play into her decision.

[regentrude]

20 hours ago, katilac said:

They routinely send out acceptances on April 1, or April 1 is the last day they send out acceptances? That's something I've never heard of before. I have heard of final financial offers not being made until then, but not that schools don't notify anyone of acceptances until then. 

I have friends in several states, including Pennsylvania, who have been doing the college thing the last few years. Nobody had to wait until April 1 for an acceptance decision. I would double-check that for sure.

I know that there are a number of schools that released acceptance decisions exactly on March 28 this year. Has Ivy day for 2019 been annonced?

Edited October 27, 2018 by regentrude

[...................]

REg- I don't think so...

He's applying to only two actual Ivies

One top comp Sci school that's not an Ivy

One that people think is an Ivy but technically isn't ?

One amazing private college here that has a great AI program and his stats are right on for it ...(I hope he gets in!)

two safety schools 

and some UC's 

? 

Edited October 27, 2018 by Calming Tea

[katilac]

2 hours ago, Calming Tea said:

 two safety schools 

? 

 

Well, he should at least hear from them before April 1! 

Does anyone else think that April Fool's Day is perhaps not the best choice? 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

We didn't do much visiting, but it sounds like the food concerns make it more important for your son. Can he do any visits before winter break?  In his case visiting even though he doesn't have acceptances yet might be necessary. 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

For others who have younger kids and are reading the timeline here and getting worried, it is possible to pick a college without visiting. There is even some discussion of how useful the visit tour really is. I did one a couple weeks ago. The only classroom we entered was a large lecture hall. We didn't get any real sense of the quality of the departments. The tours are scheduled after lunch, so checking out dining wasn't a thing either. Colleges obviously vary a lot in how they do tours.

One other suggestion is to do college visits earlier in high school as the opportunity presents. Many high schoolers don't really have a sense of how college is different than high school. Many colleges can stand in for that and give the student a baseline for comparison. If you have a college or two near you take a day and do an official tour to see what it's like. It can help clarify what factors will be important for your kid in finding the right fit.

[8filltheheart]

I would visit colleges that are closer to you so that he can get a sense of what size and what type of school he wants. If $$ is an issue, I would not fly out to see any of the competitive schools until you have an admissions offer in hand or it is just wasted $$.

He can make contact with depts via email if he has specific questions he wants answered.  You can contact student services now and ask about dietary issues.

[...................]

Thanks! I think he definitely wants a big-ish campus, as he has been taking classes at a big CC for two years now.  He wants to have a solid college feel although he isn't into sports.  TO that end, every school we applied to is on the larger side ? He has no problem navigating around and being personable when needed.