When do college visits begin?

[ski_mom]

My oldest DD is a sophomore this year and has no idea where she wants to go to school.

I was just wondering when students usually begin doing college visits? I didn't know if I should look into doing a couple this summer or if it's too early. If we did any this summer, it'd probably just be a couple that are pretty close to home so she could at least get the feel of a college campus.e

She also got a post card in the mail today about a college fair that is coming to our community college that says dozens of colleges will be represented. I think we are going to try to go to that too. I figured since it was addressed to her that her age group is encouraged to go.

Thanks for any advice / opinions!

 

[disykat]

It's never to early to start getting the lay of the land if you happen to be near a school and stop in to see it. However, I think the best visits happen when school is in session. Junior year we took our sons to see some schools around the state on days when our schools were out for things like teacher work days - when the schools would still be in session. Spring Break sometimes works too, just check the school's website.

We took our kids to see a mixture of big, small, public, private. They had some schools they were interested in that were further away as well, but those we told them we'd take them to see Spring of senior year before they had to make decisions IF they were accepted. Our kids ended each ended up choosing from the schools we saw in state so we saved some traveling. (Well, technically our senior is still considering an out of state school, but if they don't make him an offer soon he'll drop it because he wants to make his decision!)

 

[SC Minnie]

DD is in her 1st year of college. She started visiting schools in her Jr year. Narrowed down the choices and started applying in Oct of the senior year.

I would suggest going to collegeboard.com and narrow down the schools that offer the major your child is interested in.

 

[clh2]

We have a DD who is a freshman in college this year.

If we were doing the whole college thing all over again - we would have definitely started doing a little bit of college touring.

Our problem with trying to do this during the school year is our DD was too busy to do much college touring. Not to mention ACT's, a job, extra curricular activities and sports.

Ironically - DD is going to a smaller private school, that none of us had even heard of until the middle of the summer between her junior and senior year.

 

[disykat]

We have a DD who is a freshman in college this year.

If we were doing the whole college thing all over again - we would have definitely started doing a little bit of college touring.

Our problem with trying to do this during the school year is our DD was too busy to do much college touring. Not to mention ACT's, a job, extra curricular activities and sports.

Ironically - DD is going to a smaller private school, that none of us had even heard of until the middle of the summer between her junior and senior year.

Everyone has those things. We just did them on district days off. Many colleges don't take things like MLK day either so the campuses are still booming then. For the schools across the state we left after school on Thursday and drive, stay the night, tour in the morning, sometimes another school in the afternoon and then come home on Friday night. We live in a big state, so I think this is probably doable for everyone. Then for a one day trip we got up early, drove to the nearest city, toured one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and came home. We did this for both kids, one toured 4 schools, one 5 in two or 2 1/2 days total this way for minimal cost and time. That gave them a good baseline - then we offered tours again after they were accepted (especially if it was to a school further afield they hadn't seen yet) but so far neither of them has taken us up on it.

 

[christineann]

Kids are very busy these days, but it can be done. We planned college tours (sometimes two in one day) around school, sports and work. We did some in the fall and some in the spring during my kids' junior years. We also found that the open houses at the colleges were good sources of information and made it work those weekends. The students get to meet professors, deans, students in the major fields and representatives from the clubs.

A good way to start planning is for your student to get brochures, DVDs, etc. from the college admissions offices and to attend the college rep visits at the high school to decide what colleges to visit. I know people who visited 20 or more schools, which I find a bit puzzling - does the student really not have any idea what schools appeal to him or her? That's a lot of time and expense that can be avoided by doing some research.

 

[debster812]

DS is also a sophomore with NO idea where he wants to go. His soccer team is playing this weekend in a tournament in NYC, and he has about 7 hours between games on Saturday, and his team's game on Sunday is not until 3pm, so we have time then too. I think we are going to try to check out a couple of schools during one of those breaks, just to get him on a campus, to see what he thinks.

 

[erincon23]

I don't think there's a "too early" when it comes to college visits. I took DS20 to his first official college visit during spring break sophomore year. It helped him get some focus on what the college experience is like, and because it wasn't me talking, he started to understand what he needed to do to get into a good college (but keep in mind that not everything goes the way you initially plan -- DS has now done two fall semesters at two different colleges, and has been home not in college for a year). We went to two more the summer between soph and junior.

DS17 - took him on a college visit day this past summer, between soph and jr. He hadn't paid any attention when we took DS20 on visits, and had never visited his brother at college,so this was an eye opener for him. On college visits, they get a feel for big vs small, types of curriculum, outside activities available, etc, See a dorm room. Visit the food halls. Talk to students. It's not too soon! Even if they arent' schools you think your child WANTS to go to, they'll learn a lot to help them figure out where they do want to go.

 

[christineann]

Great point. My daughter said that she learned a lot about what colleges were looking for when she went along with us on college visits and tours for my son. She was in 8th grade, and I didn't really think she was paying attention

 

[krcit]

My dd is a senior right now and I wish we had started earlier. We had planned to go last spring but due to circumstances we weren't able to and now we are under the gun to get in a couple more before she makes her decision.

 

[sillylily]

My oldest DD is a sophmore, and we're already touring. Well, we WERE touring, she's found the place where she wants to be, because their music program is unbelievable. Small school, great reputation and close to home? Mama is relieved!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

There's nothing wrong with starting this summer. At this stage, I would focus more on general stuff, like the size/location/possible majors that might interest your child. Don't put any pressure on picking the exact one, just see what you think of, say, a state university versus a small private college, city living versus more isolated, that kind of stuff. I would also stay more local (day trips) at this point, unless your child is focused and has a good reason to visit a specific school or area--for example, if they're super into politics, a family vacation to check out colleges in the DC area would be time well spent.

We didn't start until last summer (right before DD17's senior year). I don't think it harmed her at all, BUT--she knew exactly what she was looking for in a college. Some kids don't. And of course, she wouldn't even tour any colleges in-state. Even though she was dead set on a certain type of school, I had her tour a state university (not ours), just so she could see what it was like.

Once I have DD17 set, I'll likely take DS(almost)16. He's much more likely to stay in-state, so at least it'll be a lot less travelling.

 

[goofy4tink]

The problem with touring colleges before a kid knows what they want to study is that they/you may spend time/money looking at schools that will have no relevance to the program of study the child decides on. So, unless you're sure that your child is going to just focus on LibArts, it may be better to wait until this time next year. Then, once she decides on a field that she wants to think about, she can then choose schools that have good programs in that field.

 

[clm10308]

My DD did went on many college visit with her school. Do other high schools do this, or is it different in small schools?

At her first HS which was a charter school there were optional field trip college visits starting in the 9th grade.
Between 10th and 11th grade we moved to a different state. She now attends the very small public high school. This school has had several college recruiters come to the school and has taken the kids to visit several colleges. There was even one state university about 4 hours away that several kids were interested in but no visit was planned. The kids got together and asked to go visit and the trip was approved.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

There's nothing wrong with starting this summer. At this stage, I would focus more on general stuff, like the size/location/possible majors that might interest your child. Don't put any pressure on picking the exact one, just see what you think of, say, a state university versus a small private college, city living versus more isolated, that kind of stuff. I would also stay more local (day trips) at this point, unless your child is focused and has a good reason to visit a specific school or area--for example, if they're super into politics, a family vacation to check out colleges in the DC area would be time well spent.

This. DS is a Junior and we just did our first visit last week. Cracked me up what worried him the most was the dining hall. (He was confused with the different plans- some allowed more money on their card for use in the student center food court vs meals in the dining hall. I assured him no matter what college he went to, if he was in the dorm- he would have his food provided.) He was also worried about the physical size of the campus. (Which was SMALL, but figure most of them are coming from one-building high schools, so anything bigger is huge. Not sure he understood he wasn't going to have to change classes in 5 minutes either. )

I'm not sure we needed to have started any earlier, but our next visits will be to some different size campuses locally. Don't even know that he'd want to go to them program-wise. But I want to get him used to the basic college stuff before we devote any time to longer distance trips. If he comes up with things he doesn't like- that will help narrow it down, too.

 

[StephMK]

My DD did went on many college visit with her school. Do other high schools do this, or is it different in small schools?

At her first HS which was a charter school there were optional field trip college visits starting in the 9th grade.
Between 10th and 11th grade we moved to a different state. She now attends the very small public high school. This school has had several college recruiters come to the school and has taken the kids to visit several colleges. There was even one state university about 4 hours away that several kids were interested in but no visit was planned. The kids got together and asked to go visit and the trip was approved.

Our school does this too. THey have a day in the fall when jr/sr kids can either go on college visits or take a bus to visit the local college. We had to sign a form telling the school where we were going so kids weren't able to just take the day off.

OP, at this point, I'd take her to some places close by if possible to get a sense of size, atmosphere, etc. Start researching online to see where she might be interested.

We took DD to a tiny liberal arts school, larger private, couple large public, and a few others. Her choices were limited by her major choice (which she promptly changed 1/2 through 1st semester). However, she LOVES her school even though it was originally her last choice. It wasn't until her 2nd visit that she really thought she could see herself there. It was also close to home so a win for all of us.

Good luck & keep an open mind about schools. Visits really make all the difference!

 

[PlutoPony]

Couple things we've found with our senior -

*Formal campus tours are very helpful, much more so than simply walking around on your own. The interaction with the student guide is invaluable, and gives high school kids much more to think about. Maybe it was simply a coincidence but we liked the schools with the smallest tour groups the best.... seemed to get the best information about not only the school itself but what it's like going to college, and they were able to personalize it to the students in the group.

*You can typically sign up for tours on line, and during the times when high schools are out of session (teacher work days, etc.) those tours fill up early so plan ahead.

*Most schools do information sessions and tours, and you can typically sign up for them separately i.e. you can do one without doing the other. If this is your first kid going to college, I would recommend doing an info session right off the bat to get a feel for the type of info they present.

*Spring break junior year is an especially busy time for kids to "make the rounds" and again they fill up early. Last year in a visit to UVA the admissions officer asked for a raise of hands if this was the 4th or 5th school you'd visited that week and there were a LOT of hands in the air!

*You get a much different feel from schools when they're in session vs. during the summer , no surprise. So we made sure we saw any school that he was serious about in both situations and that was a big help. We did find that summer tours typically went into actual dorms (that weren't occupied with summer students), while during the school year security prevented going into the dorms. YMMV though

*In the spring, schools have several dates for accepted students campus visits/programs. We've also been to a couple accepted student events that were done just for those students accepted in early decision, before the general acceptances come out. These events have been really well done as early accepts are typically the best students and the ones they really would like to get commitments from early.

*If/When your student has a feel for the major they're interested in, do a tour of that particular department. Most schools have regularly scheduled tours of their business school, engineering school etc. and you can work that in with a general campus tour. In some ways these tours are the most helpful, they are typically student led and you can get a great feel for what the program is like. I remember being so happy on an engr tour when the student tour guide spent time talking about all the tutoring opportunities available and how useful they were, even for great students who had never needed a tutor before in their lives. Made much more of an impression on my son than my telling him the same thing, kwim?

HTH - good luck! It's an exciting time for sure!

 

[java]

I have a college freshman (loving it) and a now high school sophomore.

We started late I think for my oldest. So this time we are going to start looking this summer- Really big picture stuff- big school vs. small State vs. Private- city or country

My oldest was very driven with his major. So his school choice was simple. My daughter is more of a liberal arts kind of student. She loves languages and is fluent in Spanish and French. She is trying to decide if she wants to do something with that- or be a Psychologist. Clearly liberal arts is the way for her- she will probably change majors too. Our search for her will be more involved than it was for my son. He had 4 schools he was interested in. We went to look at 2 of them and one for me. He ended up picking one that we didn't visit until he got accepted in- we then went to check it out before we sent in the $$$.

So no I don't think it's too early to start.

 

[MrsPete]

FIRST you need to talk about what kind of college your daughter might want to attend:

- Does she see herself at a big school or a small school?
- A rural school, or a school in the heart of a big city?
- How far from home would be ideal?
- Does she want to attend a school where football is big? or Greek life? or where she can ski?
- How much can you realistically afford?
- What does she want to study? High school students usually do not understand that every college doesn't offer every major. Also, younger high school students usually don't understand that all college degrees aren't equal (Associates vs. Bachelors vs. Graduate degrees vs. Doctorates). IF she's very uncertain, I'd steer her towards a larger school; this would allow her to change majors without changing schools, a huge benefit.

When you're talking about these things, do not discuss specific schools (for example, if she currently has a college-crush on a certain school, don't let her tailor all her answers to that school). Instead, get a general picture of just what kind of school she'd see for herself.

NEXT do an internet search (which gives you everything a college fair can give you, but you can wear your pajamas) and see what schools fit into her criteria AND offer the things she wants to study. Create a list of possible schools.

ONLY THEN are you ready to start visiting schools. Search to see if the schools you've identified as good possibilities have Open Houses coming up any time soon. Open Houses are perfect first-contacts with the school.

Don't be surprised by what you find at Open Houses. When my oldest started searching for colleges, I was pretty sure she'd go to one of two schools. One of those schools -- the one I expected to be her #1 choice -- dropped her major, so we didn't even visit. And neither of us liked the second school; it did not live up to its reputation, but we wouldn't have known that without a visit. However, she FELL IN LOVE with the school she now attends before we'd even parked the car. Neither of us really knew much about it before we visited, but from that first moment it was "right". She's 3/4 of the way through her freshman year now, and both she and I are thrilled with her choice.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

MrsPete, I agree with most of what you said, except I don't think it hurts to visit a campus--any campus--to get the feel of college life generally. Investing half a day to visit a local school, even one that doesn't offer your major, will give your child a general "feel" for dorm living, class size, that sort of thing.

Of course, it's easy for me to say, we have several colleges that fit this description. DD17 wouldn't visit one of them, much less apply, even though she wants to be a teacher and we have a good teaching school right here in town. I wouldn't recommend investing in lots of time and effort before the child has given some thought to field of study, though, and you're certainly right about tons of information on the internet.

Also, it definitely helps if you can visit the college/department of interest. My DD's #1 pick is a school she visited during an Open House for education majors--she really felt like she'd "found her people".