Son will be a Sophmore in Sept. - too soon to look at college?

[lisaross]

Hi!

I know my son has no clue what kind of college and or where he would like to go, But we are thinking an instate school and will be on a roadtrip and can stop at Binghamton University. Should we book a "information tour" which is 2 hours or just stop and walk around on our own? Or do you think its waay to soon.

any suggestions appreciated.

Lisa

 

[Colleen27]

I don't have any first hand experience yet, but I've been told that it doesn't hurt to start early. My daughter will be a freshman in the fall and has an idea of where she'd like to go (she's been set on a career path for a while, and her intended major is specific enough to narrow the field a lot), so I was asking the same thing of friends with older kids and of the college counselor at DD's school. And the consensus was, at worst it is wasted time and at best it helps them get a better idea of what they want in a college environment. So we're going to visit one of DD's "front runner" schools this fall since it just happens to be close to my SIL's house, and we'll visit another as part of a family trip to New York next year.

 

[lisaross]

will you be setting up a formal tour or just walking around on your own?

 

[Colleen27]

Formal tours at both. That ties into another piece of advice I've gotten from this board and from people I know IRL who are familiar with admissions at competitive schools - Let them know you're interested early and often. Not sure if there's any truth to it but particularly in regard to Notre Dame that same advice seems to keep coming up. So we're going to arrange a tour when we go visit, even though we'll almost certainly be back again before she makes any final decisions.

 

[sersee05]

If your son is interested, then I think it's a decent idea. My daughter leaves for college this fall . When my daughter hit her senior year, she had completely different views on things. So what she said she might be interested in as a freshman/sophmore completely changed when she was a senior. It's a big difference from a freshman to senior. When my daughter was a freshman , she had an idea of her college and major. When she was a senior she looked back and told me she had no idea what she wanted back then.

I think it is helpful in letting you guys get information on what kind of school he might want to attend(big or small?, city or middle of nowhere? , etc.). We went to many where my daughter said nope right away. But even this will change as they get older.

So if your son is on board...might be fun to go check them out. Just don't put it in pen..definitely use pencil because they change their minds..lol

As far as a walking tour on your own or formal tour...we started with walking around on our own to see if it would be something she was interested in at all. Like I said there were some that she knew she didn't like. She did tell me that it did help her to see the different types of college set ups and the areas around the college. Make sure you do drive around the area so you can see the whole thing .

If it becomes a school that he likes, you can always book the long tour later. When we went to formal tours, we met with admissions too.

 

[crisi]

We've been walking around college campuses with our kids since they were small. Not formal tours, but it is never too early to start thinking "big inner city school" or "small rural school." And at that age, you might as well knock off the formal tour, one less to do next summer.

 

[Marionnette]

Hi!

I know my son has no clue what kind of college and or where he would like to go, But we are thinking an instate school and will be on a roadtrip and can stop at Binghamton University. Should we book a "information tour" which is 2 hours or just stop and walk around on our own? Or do you think its waay to soon.

any suggestions appreciated.

Lisa

I wouldn't go out of my way to visit colleges with a student who is just entering his sophomore year. But if you're in the neighborhood and it's a school that he has expressed an interest in, then there is no harm in just checking it out. I don't know if I would bother with a 2-hour tour at this time unless you really have a day to kill during your road trip. There will be a lot of changes between now and when your son starts the admissions process (new labs may be built, dormitories may be refurbished, academic requirements could change, programs could be added, etc.). A quick look-see of the campus and perhaps a visit to the admissions office for brochures would probably be enough at this point. He hasn't even taken his PSATs yet, has he?

 

[unrequited23]

I would definitely stop and look around versus taking a formal tour. Your son will be able to get a feel for the campus and how he will fit just by walking around.

 

[Moomduck1]

I think a formal tour is better than walking around on your own. The tours are usually led by students. Your son is liable to be more interested in things a peer is pointing out, as opposed to things mom and dad are pointing out. The student giving the tour will point out freshman dorms, cafeteria, and other places that aren't always clearly marked for visitors. It gives high schools a sense that they might be able to fit in and make their way around on their own. If you wander aimlessly and get lost, your son might not be as interested.

 

[wishesuponastar]

I think a formal tour is better than walking around on your own. The tours are usually led by students. Your son is liable to be more interested in things a peer is pointing out, as opposed to things mom and dad are pointing out. The student giving the tour will point out freshman dorms, cafeteria, and other places that aren't always clearly marked for visitors. It gives high schools a sense that they might be able to fit in and make their way around on their own. If you wander aimlessly and get lost, your son might not be as interested.

totally agree!

 

[lisaross]

Yes he would like to do the formal tour so I will try and schedule it.

 

[tvguy]

I would absolutely would start looking. My kids are 4 years apart, the youngest benefited from her older brother's campus tours even though she hadn't started High School yet. Even with her head start, and touring campuses on her own, she picked the wrong college. She knew by the end of the first semester she had to find another college. 4 colleges and she still managed to get her degree in 4 1/2 years.

 

[Jaya]

If your student is hoping for an athletic scholarship, it doesn't hurt to let the college coaches know that you're interested in their teams. Coaches start watching high school athletes as early as their freshman year. Recruiting, of course, can't start until the designated time but I can assure you that they're watching....and making plans to recruit.

 

[sersee05]

Oh..if he is looking to play sports..That's a different story. . ..Then yes, you need to be looking now . Depending on the sport, freshmen are committing these days. Waaaaay too early imo..But don't get me started on that...lol

 

[lisaross]

Ok he does play soccer - he goes to a very large HS - he is on JV - varsity is for mostly jr. And seniors. By going to visit the school, how does the coach of a team know you play a certain sport - domu go see them - make an appt etc?

Also for the tour of school does just the student go or parents also tag along?

 

[Moomduck1]

Parents definitely tag along. When you are speaking with the admissions counselor, mention that your son plays soccer and would like to speak to the soccer coach. They may or may not be able to arrange that. Example. ... your tour is scheduled and the team has an away game, clearly not possible.

 

[Moomduck1]

Also, whether or not the schools are D3, D2, or D1 clearly makes a difference for athletics. Much easier to meet with a D3 coach. I am not sure you could meet with a D1 coach, unless your child was being recruited.

 

[lisaross]

How do u know if the school u r looking T is D1 2 ?

 

[Moomduck1]

I'm not sure. Google? Maybe someone knows a better way. D1 is like Penn State and other big schools that can give full scholarships for sports. They have all the best athletes wanting to play for them, so those coaches generally meet with people tbey want to recruit. A D3 school cannot give athletic scholarships, so their coaches are easier to meet.

 

[sersee05]

My kids play lacrosse so we would research schools on the national lax website. I'm sure soccer has one to. You can also Google.
There are rules about contact in regards to recruiting. You can Google the differences. D1 attracts top athletes, but D3 also has top athletes. It's just the experience that the child wants.

If your son wants to play in college, he needs to be emailing all the college programs that he is interested in. He needs too tell them about himself and where they can come watch him play. If he plays on a club team in summer..they usually go to "recruiting tournaments". Many college coaches attend these.

You have to contact them so they know your interested. Sometimes they will contact you if they saw your child play..But for the most part you have to be proactive. Once you have some contact ..You can go from there...

As for meeting the coach, it's not super easy. When they aren't coaching, they are recruiting. I would be surprised if you went on a tour and could meet with a coach d1 or d3. D3 may not give sports scholarships, but they can sometimes have some nice academic packages. D3 coaches are also recruiting. They usually invite you to the school to meet them if they are interested.



....just my experience.