<<<The list of recommended schools to visit will be different depending on whether he is interested in science/engineering/math or art/music - whether he is interested in an urban school or a school in a smaller town, etc.>>>

Not to mention whether he's a C student or an A+ :-)

Definitely check out CSU Monterey Bay. You will probably want to stay at least one or two nights in the Monterey area. Monterey has the Monterey Bay Aquarium, whale watch tours, kayaks and biking. Carmel and Big Sur are also nearby. Carmel has great shopping, restaurants and wine while Big Sur is known for amazing coastal views and hiking.

http://www.seemonterey.com/

Another good point about grades sf7307. I kind of assumed the kid was a top student if Stanford is on the list, but I probably shouldn't make assumptions. My in-laws were convinced that my sister-in-law was Stanford material until I showed them the admissions statistics. My SIL was always a good student, but not Stanford-good.

Stanford is ridiculously hard to get into. We know several stellar students, who had all the extra-curriculars, community service, music, and over-the-top accomplishments, and they did not get in there. However, a student who has all that, PLUS athletic ability, especially swimming, has a better chance there.

What sf7307 said. You are going to be visiting a lot of colleges unless you narrow the scope to fit his interests and grades. I would say 5 or 6 max or they will all run together, and the siblings totally bored.

The UC universities are actively recruiting out of state students as they pay more in tuition. ( Reality strikes again). Berkeley, Santa Cruz, UCSD, Irvine, and UCLA are all excellent, but each has a different flavor. I will admit I went to Cal, but these day I kind of like Santa Cruz and Irvine, especially for science. Both have the advantage of being close to nice beaches if he is interested, but without the "party school" rep that Santa Barbara has.

Peaceout, I know lots of kids similar to the one you described, who did not get into Stanford; some were accepted at Harvard, Yale, MIT, but not Stanford. Numerous Northern Cal kids with extremely high grade points and test scores (as well as stellar extras) apply to Stanford, it is the gold standard for many kids (and their parents). As far as the scuttlebutt goes Stanford basically only accepts one or two kids from Norcal public schools (except for Gunn which has a high concentration of faculty kids) Yes, sports with good academics is a good ticket and not just swimming--I know 2 kids who fenced and 2 who did crew who were accepted with good but not great grade points, etc.

That should be "from any Norcal public school"--did not wish to imply that it only takes a total of 1 or 2!!

<<<As far as the scuttlebutt goes Stanford basically only accepts one or two kids from Norcal public schools (except for Gunn which has a high concentration of faculty kids)>>>

Actually, that applies to both Gunn and Pali, but there are other schools that have an inordinate number of students accepted to Stanford - ex. Piedmont High School.

OK, yeah, this is a vacation and showing him colleges along the way. I know there are tons. This is a not college visit trip, more of a lay-of-the-land trip with casual college visits.

So I think we're going to start in Arcata. I think the kids would like the Avenue of the Giants. The thing I'm having trouble figuring out is how long to stay in each place.

We've narrowed when we can go, based on camps, etc. We're going right after July 4 -- can't remember the exact date. We'll have about 10 days.

Forgetting the college question, what are your suggestions for can't-miss sites? I'm polling the kids about what they want to do, of course, but I've found in the past that Fodors is a great place to discover things I never thought of.

A similar query I posted here about Boston and about trips to Provence and London yielded some great itineraries. So that's why I came back to this well.

Thanks!

For kids that age, I would definitely stop in the Santa Cruz/Monterey area. Beach/boardwalk/old fashioned amusement park in Santa Cruz; kayaking, fisherman's wharf, aquarium, cannery row in Monterey. Just listing a few of the many things to do in both areas.

OK- so now we've established the college visits are not the primary driver here. More visiting colleges that happen to be along the route of the family vacation.

But now we do have a bit of a reality check. You say you to start in Arcata. Arcata is a looooong way from anywhere you are likely to fly into. At least a day's drive. (From SMF for example it is a 6 hour drive w/o any stops. About the same from SFO)

So - where are you flying into/getting your car? Then you'll have about 8 days left after getting to Arcata. (assuming the 10th day is when you fly home). Eight days is not very long to make it all the way to southern CA. SF needs at least a few days, plus in July many places on the coast have a 2 night minimum, especially on weekends.

It might make more sense to take your 10 days and focus on either the northern bits (between Arcata & Monterey) or mid/southern bits (between SF and LA)

If there are any particular schools you want to see in-depth, check to see what's possible in the way of tours, etc., during your timeframe. Many (most?) schools don't offer much to visitors in August, weekends in July, etc.

I think all of the well-known schools have been mentioned already, but if you told us your son's possible field of study, you may get suggestions of great smaller colleges you haven't heard of.

Flying to Eureka on United. Renting a car there.

I just want suggestions. I know there's a lot -- I've been on this route, at least part of it, before, but I didn't have kids then.

I picked up a book -- Unofficial Guide to California with Kids. Seems helpful.

Avenue of the Giants -- is that a one-day drive? Should we stay overnight somewhere along it?

Oh, and we can just scratch the college question. We'll stop and tour them, but these won't be full-fledged visits. Just wanting to give him a birds' eye view, and if something piques his interest, we can go back later. My husband travels a lot for business, so we've always got FF miles to use.

Hey - just have a good time and if you visit all the suggested places - it will be a fast paced trip - which I like myself.

Ahhh - the old Stanford-Cal Rivalry. I could have gone to Stanford (played baseball) back in the 60's - but went to AF Academy instead, and had friends who played ball there - and one of my nieces finished her PhD there - and my father in law was a Cal grad, and had friends who played ball there - and my wife - went to Santa Barbara -another good UC school, and I wound up going to UC Hastings - a Cal law school - in SF.

Now tht we are down here in SD - I am a big fan of the SC Trojans - another good school - which of course has a big rivalry with UCLA, another top school where another niece of mine is currently going.

All the top schools are hard to get into today - as there are so many kids coming out of school with very good grades (BTW -we never had A plus grading when I was in high school) - and scoring well on SAT's - which I was fortunate to do.

I think with most kids - give them an idea of the entrance requirements and then - if they are realistic candidates - let them see as many schools as possible the first time and then let nature take its course, which sounds like it will be your approach.

Have a blast. :)

I'd suggest skipping Arcata and the Avenue of the Giants. There are redwood trees further south, like in Muir Woods, which would be just as interesting.

Have you thought of the cost of a car rental? Where will you pick up and where will you drop off? For your family you'll probably need a very large car, or better, a minivan, to travel so many miles comfortably.

If you're starting in Eureka and heading south on the 101, you'll be going through some of some of the best redwood country in the state. You can drive as much or little of the Avenue of the Giants as you wish. The Benbow Inn in Garbarville would be a possible overnight (we stayed there many years ago, liked it, check for current reviews). An intriguing area near there that we never made it to is the Lost Coast. There's an abbey near Shelter Cove that makes wonderful creamed honey(http://www.redwoodsabbey.org), which I first discovered in a grocery store in Arcata.

I have to second the Muir Woods stop. We've been 4 times for a nice 1/2 day trip north of SF with the kids. We all love it. It is a get-out-and-walk thing. You could spend 2+ hours walking around, but on a misty day we were happy with a quick picnic and were in and out in less than an hour. Walking among the redwoods is highly suggested!

"<i>I have to second the Muir Woods stop.</i>"

W/ all due respect, Muir Woods doesn't hold a candle to the major Redwood stands up north where the OP will be starting. Muir Woods is great for those visiting SF and w/o the time to go farther north. But it is a small/usually crowded park. If one is visiting Redwoods National Park/Avenue of the Giants etc . . . there would be no reason to also stop at Muir Woods.