Grace is Sufficient Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 The other thread on visiting colleges got me thinking... I've always assumed this is an 11th grade activity. What grades are your students doing it, or when do you recommend? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 We did most of our visiting during the spring and summer of junior year. We have done a 7-day "tour" for each of my kids during the summer before senior year. Yes, the summer isn't a wonderful time for visiting, but going to distant colleges during the school year really messes up my kids' class work (and potentially their grades!) We re-visited the most interesting schools during their senior year, mostly during scholarship interviews or during accepted students' days. Before their junior year my kids weren't interested in colleges and they had little enough idea of what they wanted to go into that for us the visiting would probably have been a waste of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 (edited) My now senior had had a few visits prior to this year. She had attended a Latin Day held yearly at one campus for five years; she also has had occasion to do various activities at the local state university. She visited one college in the summer after sophomore year, then revisited that one and one other the summer after junior year. This year, as a senior, she visited two nearby colleges in late September and was able to sit in on classes and stay overnight. She just returned from a scholarship event at a college to which she has been accepted so she was able to stay overnight and sit in on classes. This was her first visit to that campus. We are considering having her visit two other colleges to which she has applied in late March (before acceptances are announced) because we've learned just how valuable those visits are to colleges that are in session. She's taking community college classes now, so this would be during her spring break. Since these are distant campuses, she might not have the opportunity to visit in April if accepted. Gwen in VA said, "Yes, the summer isn't a wonderful time for visiting, but going to distant colleges during the school year really messes up my kids' class work (and potentially their grades!)" Both of those points are so true; however, I do regret that we didn't have my daughter do a couple of visits last year to colleges that were in session during her spring break. Regards, Kareni Edited February 24, 2009 by Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in MD Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I know a few families who start in the sophomore year, especially if they are looking at distant schools and want to catch some over the summer. We did it when ds was a jr. because by then he really felt like the wanted to go into engineering and so it seemed to me to make sense to start looking. I also had several friends whose dc were one year older than mine. They were going nuts during their child's senior year trying to go visit places and do all the applications and still get the course work done. We tried to plan our trips so that they would coincide with special visit programs that the schools offered. We were able to make a couple of long weekend trips that hit two schools in a row that way. Unfortunately it didn't work out well mileage wise, but we wanted to attend the special events. For example, we went from suburban MD to Grove City and then all the way to Boston to visit Olin. And on another trip we hit Lafayette and Rensselear over the same weekend. It would have been nicer if Grove City and Lafayette could have been paired and then Olin and Rensselear, but alas you don't get to choose the dates if you want to attend a program. I like the way we did it. We were able to go from the long list to the short list during his Jr. year. We were looking at about 10-12 possible schools and by the end of his jr year we had it down to 6. By the fall of his senior year it was down to 4. We did not actually visit all 12. After we had made those long trips to NY, MA and western PA, ds said he didn't want to go that far away, so we dumped all the other long distance schools off the list. I think we visited a total of 8 schools, but two of those were REALLY local and so I wouldn't count them as trips (20 minutes?) We will be going back to visit three of the schools he was accepted at over the next month and a half to attend their accepted students days. Then he'll make his final decision and we'll start trying to pay the bills! Oh and by the way, ds was not really all that interested in going to visit schools in the fall of his jr. year. It was really me that decided we needed to get the ball rolling. To him it seemed much more distant...so he didn't really see the need like I did. So, I wouldn't wait till you think the kid is interested to get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace is Sufficient Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 I appreciate the answers. My oldest is in 10th... I just can't imagine us being so close to the visiting colleges stage! Depends on what happens with $$$, I guess. We may just do CC for two years, or at least go somewhere local like Akron U or Kent State to save the costs of room and board. They really need to make one of those smileys for "My head is spinning!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I'm not sure what colleges are within a few hours drive of you (sorry I'm not familiar with your part of the country!) but I would suggest hitting as many of them as you can, whether you could picture your student there or not. We visited one highly regarded school within a few miles from our home, much to the loud protesting of my dd. Her first comment after the info session: "That was great - small classes all taught by professors!" She hasn't wavered from that opinion since. Visiting now (or early fall) will give your student a chance to discover what makes him/her excited about a college, or alternatively never want to step foot on that campus again. Take good notes. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 We actually looked at several nearby colleges that my kids were not remotely interested in. The colleges were convenient, and visiting them gave my kids more ideas of what to look for in colleges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisN in NY Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Or if you're like our family, it'll be a whirlwind at the last minute. Dd recently decided not only what she'd like to major in, but where she wants to go to school.. Physical Education... at a SUNY school within a couple hours of our home. There are two that meet that criteria. SUNY is still accepting applications for the fall, so she's going to apply, and we're going visiting after our vacation the first week in March. The one school told her that if she has average or below average grades, she would probably not be accepted to the program for the fall (but her grades are very good, so she's hoping). The other said they have openings. If it happens that things don't work out for the fall, she'll take community college classes for a year. (Where's the "pulling my hair out" smiley??) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Ugh! There's just not enough time to get it all done junior year or the summer after! We started viewing schools when my son was in ninth grade. Whenever we'd be in a town or passing through an area where there was a school that interested us; whenever we'd go out of town for a swim meet, etc., we'd also at least look at campuses, if not do formal tours. Summer after junior year is almost upon us and we STILL have a ton of places we need to see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie-Knits Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Like Regina, we have been looking at colleges informally for a while - at math competitions etc... But we seriously started looking at colleges for my ds, this year - his junior year. With the exception of September and December, we have been doing one open house visit a month. We started with what we thought would be his dream school, Rose Hulman. When we got his test scores back, PSAT and SAT, in Dec, I think it focused us even more - nice scores. So my strategy right now is to narrow it down this year, revisit the ones he is interested in early his senior year before doing applications. I will also say that visiting this year has given me thoughts about what courses we should consider for his senior year. A side note: I have been dragging my 14 yr old ds with us! haha He has been less motivated this year - same as most 14 yr olds, I guess. But after a detour to the music department, his "thing," at one of the recent colleges, he seems to be a bit more focused. Oh that is what college is (like he had never noticed being at one before) and that is what the music department is like.... He thought the math and engineering departments were boring. I will happily take a bit of fire for him as a nice side benefit. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I appreciate the answers. My oldest is in 10th... I just can't imagine us being so close to the visiting colleges stage! Depends on what happens with $$$, I guess. We may just do CC for two years, or at least go somewhere local like Akron U or Kent State to save the costs of room and board. They really need to make one of those smileys for "My head is spinning!" You ought to take a look at Malone College in Canton. My sister went there, as well as many friends. They all loved it! And, it's not far from Akron. At the time, we lived in Green and it was an easy drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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