sandracardoso

My name is Sandra and I am from Portugal. I want to visit the Ivy League Universities this summer. I need help to know the best way to see everything and the costs of the trip. If you can, help me to find a cheap hotel please.

Underhill

ALL of the Ivies? Or just some? In that case, which ones do you want to visit? If you want hotel recommendations, we need to know which towns/cities will be involved.

HappyTrvlr

The Ivy League colleges are located in Ithaca, Hanover, Boston, Providence, New York, Princeton, New Haven, and Philadelphia. Do you plan to visit all of these cities and towns? Or a select few?
They can be grouped geographically. Give us more facts please.

nytraveler

How many weeks do you have to do this trip?

Have you checked with the universities to see when they offer tours for prospective students (assuming this is what you mean?) Organizing schedules that will get you tours at all schools can be complicated - esp in the summer when most students are gone.

I am somewhat concerned about your having to do this trip on a very strict budget -since attending these universities is incredibly expensive - unless you qualify for full scholarships (given to only the most extraordinary students). And while they often make special exceptions for ex-US students they typically turn away multiples of the students that apply. Has someone at your current school told you that you will be qualified for scholarships at these schools?

Have you already taken the necessary entrance exams - or the pre-exams for these schools to have an idea if your scores are competitive?

Finally there are MANY superb schools that are or the same quality as the Ivies - esp for certain types of degrees - and you might want to consider other parts of the US - since the Ivies are all in areas with true winters - much more severe than those in Portugal.

IMDonehere

If you do not visit Dartmouth and Cornell, there can a very orderly trip especially if you can fly into Boston and leave from Philadelphia. It can readily be done by train. Harvard is actually in Cambridge, not Boston, but can be easily visited.

In order of appearance Harvard, Brown, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Penn. You can add Dartmouth which would be about a three hour drive and Cornell would be about between 4 to 5 hours driving

Ackislander

You can take a bus from South Station, Boston, to Dartmouth. It does take three hours.

Note that Dartmouth is in Hanover, New Hampshire, not Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It could be confusing at the bus station.

There are also buses from NYC to Ithaca for Cornell, but I don't think I would bother in your situation as it will be an overnight trip.

sandracardoso

I want to see all schools of Ivy League. The time is not a problem, I stay the weeks I need. I want to know the best route and the costs. My problem is the money ...

nytraveler

Assuming that you want the least possible expense you need to build a budget from the ground up:

First airfare - into Boston and out of Philadelphia (you need to check this from Lisbon I assume)

Second intercity trains - check Amtrak to get fares from Boston to Providence, Providence to New Haven, New Haven to NYC, NYC to Princeton and Princeton to Philadelphia (all available on amtrak.com)

You will need to check bus fares from Boston to Hannover and NYC to Ithaca (check greyhound and see if Mega or bolt bus runs these routes) the web sites of the universities should have info on transit to get there.

Check the web sites for each university to see when they offer official tours - there is little point in going and just looking - you need the official tour and should plan on a full day for each school and then the next day to get to the following school. To get an idea of city life you should also spend a day exploring the city the school is in. So you are really talking about 25 or 26 days if the schools offer tours on the days you need them.

In each city I would check out options for hostels - often about US$ 45-50 per night for a bed in a dorm room with locker to secure luggage. (Hosteling International is usually reliable or the school web sites might have information) You might also want to check if any of the schools offer lodging in the dorms if a full range of classes are not in session.

You will also need to allow for food and local transit and this depends on your travel style. If going in the summer you can probably get take out for many meals - from delis, gourmet shops, etc and casual cafes and eat picnics/outdoors - not have to use regular sit down restaurants I would allow at least $45-$50 per day for this plus $15 to $25 for local transit within each city. Do note that in the US the drinking age is 21 and not even wine or beer will be served to anyone under that age (proof of age is required) so you will probably need to stick to iced tea, sodas or water.

I think this should be enough for you to build a basic budget but do realize that this involves a significant amount of travel. Also it would help for you to identify what your major will be - since some of these school have very specialized programs in which they excel (Cornel has a very strong veterinary school and a famous school of hotel management, while Yale has a noted theater/acting school and Columbia a top notch journalism program) and your major may well determine which school is best for you.

Fra_Diavolo

Figuring you'll need a minimum of 14 days, and probably a few more, and using nytrav's cost estimate, plus travel, I would say the absolute minimum for such a trip , excluding transatlantic airfare, would be $2000, or approximately the cost of one week's tuition at any of the schools.

IMDonehere

Many of the Ivies are well endowed and many students receive some sort of financial aid.

nytraveler

Yes, many students receive partial - and some even full financial aid - but there's still a lot left to pay out of $60K per year.

fun01960

I believe Dartmouth Coach is the only bus from Boston to Hanover NH. Round trip ticket for one person is $50.

You can take Amtrak from Boston to Providence Rhode Island or you can take Boston's commuter rail. Commuter rail costs a tiny less.

An Amtrak non-refundable ticket purchases in advance costs $11. Commuter rail costs $10.50 but there is no need to purchase in advance so you have more flexibility. There are 19 or 20 commuter rail trains between Boston and Providence each weekday.

Good luck. It will be nice to visit all th Ivy League Schools, but the costs for transportation and lodging will add up quickly.

IMDonehere

For me the most beautiful campus is Princeton and the most beautiful setting is Cornell.

When at Harvard be sure to see:

The glass flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. It is most extraordinary exhibition of craftsmanship I have ever seen.

http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/on_exhib...s_flowers.html

Ackislander

1 Fly into Boston. Massachusetts has a large Portuguese population, so there are regular flights on TAP. Stay at one of the hostels.
2 Visit Harvard. Second night in hostel.
3 Bus to Hanover. Tour Dartmouth. Stay overnight.
4 First bus back to Boston South Station next day. Bus or commuter train to Providence from same station. Tour Brown. Spend the night
5 On to New Haven by Amtrak Northeast Regional train. Tour Yale. Continue on to New York City by train. Night in hostel.
6 Tour Columbia next morning. Take New Jersey Transit to Princeton Junction. Change for Princeton. Visit campus in afternoon. Spend night.
7 Continue to Trenton on NJ Transit train. Connect to SEPTA train to Philadelphia. Tour Penn, the University of Pennsylvania. Spend night.
8 Fly back to Boston to take early evening TAP flight to Lisboa.

What happened to Cornell? It would take two full extra days. If you have the time and money, go for it as a side trip from New York City before you go to Princeton.

Take lots of pictures on this trip because you won't remember what you are seeing at this pace.

ekscrunchy

You are also leaving out some top-level colleges that are not Ivy League. Several are considered just as prestigious and might be even more selective...I think you need a bit more research before just showing up to look around...

Don't you need an appointment to visit these schools for a tour?

doug_stallings

A question to the OP: Are you visiting as a prospective student, or is this just a pleasure trip? The choices may be different depending on your reasons for this tour, which will take you to a few off-the-beaten path places as well as big, expensive cities. If you are doing campus visits, you may be able to get on-campus housing, and that is likely your cheapest option; it's sometimes available in the summer if you are visiting when classes aren't in session.

Cheap chain hotels are typically in the suburbs and require a car, but that's probably not going to be your cheapest way to travel over all. But you can also look into hostels (there's a hostel near Columbia in Manhattan, for example). But Air BnB may be your cheapest option in other places (just avoid Craigslist for the many scams).

I tend to agree that it's going to be easiest to start in Boston and work your way to Philadelphia, and Ackislander's itinerary makes the most sense. Dartmouth is a side-trip from Boston, and Cornell a side-trip from NYC (both are only accessible by bus).

sf7307

>

Just an aside - the story goes that the founders of Cornell had a conversation along these lines. Ezra Cornell to Andrew Dickson White --- “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” ADW to EC (paraphrasing) - "Impossible. you'll have too many students wanting to attend". EC - "Wait till you see where I put it".

sf7307

Also, you can fly from NYC to Ithaca.

doug_stallings

While you "can" fly from NYC to Ithaca, flights are both infrequent and ridiculously expensive. The OP expressly asked for the cheapest way possible to do this trip.

Ozarksbill

Pardon me, but I don't see the point of visiting the Ivy League colleges. Are you looking for a college to attend? And what are your interests and do you have qualifying grades? Also just visiting doesn't do much other than walk around lovely campuses. All this advice about travel may be beside the point of the why. And you state you don't have lots of money.

I'm familiar with most of the schools and a graduate of Yale living near Harvard. By the way, enjoyed a trip in Spain and Portugal last October.