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Your Tips for Visiting Prospective Colleges with Teens

Your Tips for Visiting Prospective Colleges with Teens

Old Sep 25th, 2008, 09:23 AM
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Your Tips for Visiting Prospective Colleges with Teens

There has been a steady stream of questions on the U.S. board from parents planning trips to college campuses with their teens. We compiled several of the great threads and tips in an article that was featured in this week's newsletter:
http://www.fodors.com/news/story_3192.html

Do you have any additional tips? Does anyone here have one of these trips looming ahead?

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Old Sep 25th, 2008, 10:47 AM
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1) This is somewhat obvious, but make EVERY effort to visit while school is in session. You get much less of a feel for a campus during summers, holiday weekends, spring breaks, etc. We ended visiting in session and out of session and the differences were immense and very measuable. Weekends OK IF classes are in session.

2) Take a least one "official" tour. There are benefits in getting the basics down. But one of us always spent time observing the other kids and parents in the group (rather than the tour guide). You can get a very good feel for a school in seeing/observing what prospective students and parents are attracted to it.

3) If offered, take advantage of a weekend sleep-over staying with students in a dorm. Our daughter had one school very high on her list, and she started getting some bad vibes during the sleep-over. After following up on some concerns, the school fell way down on the list.

4) Definitely ask to see if you can observe classes. This had a large impact on our daughter's selection of the school she's currently attending. She had some ideas about what a good classroom environment should be and allowed her to see if first hand.

5) Spend as much time as possible independently walking around campus, visiting student union, etc. Great way to see demeanor of students, faculty, activities available - do they seem happy/content, engaged, segregate into obvious groups, seem to mix with professors, seem intellectually curious or more of a social atmosphere, etc?

6) If at all possible, set up a 1 on 1 with someone in admissions at a fairly high level - and not just for 5 or 10 minutes. 30-45 min is more ideal. Have the issues you want to discuss outlined so you make best use of time.

7) Take notes during or immediately after a visit about what they liked, didn't like, first impressions, observations, follow up issues to discuss, etc. These schools can sometimes look alike and start to blur when you get back home. The notes can be a great memory refresher.

Hope this helps.
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Old Sep 25th, 2008, 11:21 AM
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This website - unigo.com - was mentioned in the recent NYT education supplement. It features student reviews of their own universities.
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Old Sep 28th, 2008, 01:59 PM
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In the last month, we have visited 6 campuses so far, and we have more scheduled for next week. I sure have learned a lot since our first visit, lol!

For us, the single best tip is to take a small notebook and take tons of notes. Jot down notes about everything, even if you think it is minor at the time. And make notes about questions you want to ask later, but at that point in the tour it may not be the best opportunity.

Also, during the admissions meeting, bring along copies of transcripts and test scores. Although we have sent the various items, we have visited schools before those arrived and the admissions counselors were very happy to have something to see even though they knew the official ones were on their way. For one school, that enabled them to tell DD on the spot what she would get for merit based aid and a letter of acceptance arrived the following week!

Again, biggest tip is to take a pen and small notebook along. A camera is good too.
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Old Sep 28th, 2008, 02:02 PM
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Katie, sorry, forgot to answer the rest. Oh my, a huge yes about the trips! We took a week in August and headed to the midwest. We just got home today from a 4 day trip to the Seattle area, and we leave again for another trip next week to the eastern WA region.

DD was surprised that after visiting various schools, her top choices have changed dramatically, and it totally surprised her. At one private school, I was shocked at something we saw. Groups of new students and their parents were taking a tour because they had never visited the campus before. So the first time seeing it was the day they moved in. DD commented that she would not be comfortable with that at all.
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Old Sep 28th, 2008, 02:07 PM
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Another tip...check the college websites to see if they mention any hotels that they have agreements with. Most of the hotels we have stayed at have special "XXX University" rates that are not mentioned on their websites. So far 4 hotels we have stayed at for visits have had these rates, which beat everything else.
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Old Sep 29th, 2008, 03:32 AM
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My daughter is now a senior at UNC Chapel Hill, having transferred from George Washington. We had great fun looking at all the colleges on a 3 week driving trip that served as a vacation. She had a very high grade point, activities, and advanced placement from a good New ENgland Prep School. What we discovered in this day and age was that be ready for disappointment. She didn't really get in anywhere except her safety schools, even with these great credentials. (including living in South Africa and helping her mother with AIDS work)

What I also discovered is it really doesn't matter where you go to undergrad as long as you are happy and they have a fairly decent program in what you think your child wants, although they will probably change their mind. I never thought in a million years she would be going to a big state school, but it has been great for her and her department, African studies, is small and gives a lot of individual attention. She will be actually be going on to nursing school, another mind change but a good one to actually get a job!

Having gone to Pomona and Harvard for medical school, I rarely find that it makes any difference to my CV. So check out those schools that are not as prestigious and have a happy child!

Kim
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Old Sep 30th, 2008, 03:49 PM
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How about trying not to be a 'helicoptor parent' and letting your kid visit colleges on their own?

OK, ok, only teasing (well, mostly).

Having fun with lady at work whose son has just started uni at 18. She is a nervous wreck and worried to death as she visited last weekend and discovered that (shock) there is a GIRL sharing the accomodation with 3 lads and (horror) there was lots of beer in the fridge. Drinking age is 18 here don't forget. Mind you, she was still picking him up from school in her car rather than have him take a 10 minute bus ride at 17 years old. Bless. Part of me hopes he goes completely nuts and has a whale of a time throwing wild parties!
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Old Oct 1st, 2008, 01:46 PM
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nona--If they could rent a car, that would work Seriously though, I hear you with the helicopter parent thing. After seeing enough parents like that it was a great lesson for me. DD does all the arrangements for the school visits, but I come along to pay for the hotels/car/etc, lol!
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Old Oct 1st, 2008, 02:05 PM
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Yeah I do understand really - the distances make things a bit different over there! Not many places you couldn't do as a day trip or maybe an overnighter in the UK!

Good luck to everyone and their kids. I'm proud as punch as my baby has gone back to college this year age 21 after dropping out of school at 16...
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Old Oct 2nd, 2008, 10:58 AM
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Just wanted to check back in---these are great tips. I emailed this thread to a family friend who has been traipsing all over the place with her high school senior. I'm sure she'll be able to relate.

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Old Oct 8th, 2008, 09:02 AM
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If the school has a Hotel and Restaurant Management program, see if they run their own hotel.

It usually provides you with a nice place to stay on campus and get to interact with some of the students in a different setting.
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Old Oct 11th, 2008, 02:00 PM
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We just got back from yet another one of these trips.

One thing that I neglected to mention earlier is the parking situation. If the university does not specifically tell you how to make parking arrangements, arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled meeting time. Sometimes visitor parking can be hard to find, and is often full. You do not want to to rushing and fretting about parking, trust me.

If a university has not mentioned parking in their emails, then ask about that before you leave home. Print out a campus map if they did not send you one.

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Old Oct 12th, 2008, 09:55 AM
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I don't ever go on the US board so haven't seen the responses, but have a couple of suggestions.

Eat some meals in the dorms, dining halls, cafeteria and student center. If it's a private school, ask if there are any dorm rules (if that matters to you). DD's dorm had no rules except they weren't supposed to have someone living with them in their dorm room that wasn't a dorm resident. Check the bathroom situations (once again if that matters to you). DD's school's dorms was totally co-ed right down to the shower stalls. In dorms with shared/communal baths, that meant you could be showering and the person in the next shower stall could be the opposite sex (not separated by locked doors - only shower curtains). DD chose a dorm (her school allowed each student to choose their own dorm) where two rooms (a single and a double) shared a bathroom so only 3 people to a bathroom. From her sophomore year on, she had a single room which meant she shared her bathroom with two guys (or one year two girls). She preferred sharing with the guys.
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Old Nov 16th, 2008, 03:34 PM
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Everyone loves the East Coast in the fall and who doesn't want to wear flip flops at the beach when the rest of the country is in long underwear, so go in the LEAST desirable season. I want my student to see San Diego at 90 degrees with no air conditioning and New England in March with slush and gray. Ireland in January was a huge wake-up call for DD but fortunately it was an internship and not a 4 year experience or a new job!
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Old Dec 3rd, 2008, 08:53 PM
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Just wait till you do international graduate programs-I am overwhelmed already!
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