Mon vs Tue Vs Wed … Spring Break edition

[utahgirl]

My DD and I will be in So Cal touring colleges over her spring break, first week in April. I know it will be crazy, but are Mondays still the worst weekday to be in the parks?

 

[Howry]

My son and I went in April last year and every day was flat out crazy busy. I am not sure it will matter that time of year. It felt just as busy mid week as it did early week. However, if I had to choose I would always choose mid week over a Monday just in case.

 

[LKing]

What schools will you be touring?

 

[Pluto468]

I think since it's spring break they'll all be about the same so just choose which day works best for you. I went a couple summers ago and the crowds were awful, but with rope drop and Genie+ we still had a great time and went on all the rides we wanted to.

 

[Aspencreek]

My son and I went in April last year and every day was flat out crazy busy. I am not sure it will matter that time of year. It felt just as busy mid week as it did early week. However, if I had to choose I would always choose mid week over a Monday just in case.

When in April did you go? We were thinking of going in mid-April but not sure when the Spring Break crowds lessen.

 

[MinnieMommyof2]

Just following along for this. We’re going March 14-17 (first timers) and I’ve been so curious what kind of crowd volume to expect.

 

[Howry]

When in April did you go? We were thinking of going in mid-April but not sure when the Spring Break crowds lessen.

We went March 31 - April 5

 

[Peachy0118]

Spring break varies it seems when we went last time. Our spring break (Canada) lines up with Easter but it seems lots of local schools do spring break earlier. I thought I saw a calendar somewhere with those dates... does anyone have any insight to that?

 

[bbeagle]

Easter is Sunday, March 31 this year.

Most school districts take off the week before Easter, the week after Easter or both weeks. Some school districts take off 2 weeks ending with Easter, some take off 2 weeks beginning with Easter.

And many parents are now taking kids out of school the week before or after Easter break. We did that last year around Christmas time - took the week off in mid-December before the break. Many other families did the same thing with all the school-aged children we saw there.

So, March 16 - April 14 will have Easter break crowds, with the biggest crowds March 23 - April 7.

School districts that only take 1 week off during Easter break will usually take 1 week off during February. Our school district, for example, is off Feb 17 - Feb 25 as well as being off the week after Easter.

 

[LKing]

If it is any indication of when Disney expects crowds, MK reservations are blocked for most MK from March 23- March 31. The first Friday and Saturday of April are blocked for some Keys, but otherwise, April is open.

 

[utahgirl]

What schools will you be touring?

We are looking at USC, Pepperdine & UCLA. We are just starting the process but hoping to get a fill if she like large/small - public/private

 

[LKing]

We are looking at USC, Pepperdine & UCLA. We are just starting the process but hoping to get a fill if she like large/small - public/private

You might check out Chapman as well.

I asked because the first week of April will be UCLA's first week of spring quarter. Great week to tour, but they might not list tour times until the student tour guides know their spring schedules. Look for department tours in addition to the main tour. For example, engineering has its own tour.

Are you from Utah? The UCs are notorious for not giving financial aid to out of state students.

USC will have a lot of admitted student events in April. Their big open house is on April 7. They also have an admitted student event on April 3. I would avoid visiting on those days. USC also offers a campus tour as well as department tours. Make sure you sign up for both.

 

[utahgirl]

You might check out Chapman as well.

I asked because the first week of April will be UCLA's first week of spring quarter. Great week to tour, but they might not list tour times until the student tour guides know their spring schedules. Look for department tours in addition to the main tour. For example, engineering has its own tour.

Are you from Utah? The UCs are notorious for not giving financial aid to out of state students.

USC will have a lot of admitted student events in April. Their big open house is on April 7. They also have an admitted student event on April 3. I would avoid visiting on those days. USC also offers a campus tour as well as department tours. Make sure you sign up for both.

Thank you for this info! My DD is a junior in HS & yes we are from Utah She would like to go to school in California but is pretty undecided as to where or what major. This trip is for helping her narrow down what she wants in a university (big vs small) & to have a little fun, hopefully in the sun.

 

[MillauFr]

You might check out Chapman as well.

I asked because the first week of April will be UCLA's first week of spring quarter. Great week to tour, but they might not list tour times until the student tour guides know their spring schedules. Look for department tours in addition to the main tour. For example, engineering has its own tour.

Are you from Utah? The UCs are notorious for not giving financial aid to out of state students.

USC will have a lot of admitted student events in April. Their big open house is on April 7. They also have an admitted student event on April 3. I would avoid visiting on those days. USC also offers a campus tour as well as department tours. Make sure you sign up for both.

Why would California taxpayers ever want the state schools to subsidize out of state students?

 

[LKing]

Why would California taxpayers ever want the state schools to subsidize out of state students?

I only mentioned it because some people from out of state don't realize the cost. Some also think that USC is part of the UC system.

Personally, I would drop Pepperdine and add Chapman. Shoot, it she thinks UCLA and USC are within reach, I would visit the Pomona consortium of colleges over Pepperdine.

This trip is for helping her narrow down what she wants in a university (big vs small) & to have a little fun, hopefully in the sun.

Great idea! Really map out where the campuses are, what time tours are offered and how long it will take to get from one to the other. You most likely won't be able to tour more than one campus a day. I would make it a priority to visit the colleges on weekdays when school is in session.

If you are flying into LAX over the weekend, I would stay in LA and visit USC on Monday, UCLA on Tuesday and then drive down to Anaheim to visit Disneyland on Wednesday. Chapman (if interested) is 5 miles from Disneyland. If you want to see another California public school, UC Irvine is 17 miles from Disneyland, but only a couple of miles from John Wayne Airport. If you are in Orange County at the end of your week, don't drive back up to LAX. Try to fly into LAX and out of SNA, or even LGB.