By Virginia Young
I purchased plane tickets to check out east coast schools with my daughter, a high school junior. And then it hit me: we are just visiting a few schools on this trip...what about the rest of the schools that interest my daughter? Her potential college list spans all corners of the United States, and frankly I don’t want to spend the time and money to see them all. When another parent told me that her teen never set foot on a single campus before applying, I started to question whether visiting colleges is even necessary.
I decided to enlist the advice of other parents who’ve been through this process once or twice with their own children. There are apparently two camps (maybe three), and they all make valid arguments to support their viewpoints:
Camp 1: “Visit Colleges BEFORE Applying”
- Ensures a teen’s specific checklist is met. If your teen wants a college with specific attributes (ex., urban, large campus, smaller class size), visiting the school is a good way to ensure it meets his needs. The best time to visit is when school is in session so he can gain first-hand experience with the classes, facilities, and other important aspects of the school.
- Helps a teen without a specific checklist to build one. If your teen doesn’t have a clue as to what he wants in a college, it’s probably best to visit a few to help him determine what’s important to him.
- Provides important, qualitative information for a teen applying Early Decision (E.D.). If there’s a special school on your teen’s list and he wants to apply E.D., then a college visit may be a good idea since E.D. acceptances are binding.
- Provides insight into unique aspects of a college for the application essays. While it is possible for your teen to research school missions and mantras that define a college, physically touring a college and listening to the guide may better inspire him on how he can work these themes into his essay.
- Shows demonstrated interest. Schools want to know how likely it is that your teen will accept an offer of admission. One of the best ways to show solid interest is to actually go on a tour. If your teen visits on a day that the campus is not conducting any tours, he can go to the Visitor Center and fill out a card to leave in the Visitor’s Box, if available.
- Encourages a teen to apply to a school. Visiting a school in person may inspire a teen to apply if he finds himself loving the school. He may be so deeply inspired that he’ll compound his efforts at school and in his application to ensure the best chances of getting in.
Camp 2: “Don’t Visit Colleges BEFORE Acceptance”
- A brief college visit may not provide a teen with enough information. Walking around campus for an hour doesn’t always give a prospective student the full story, so your teen might shortchange himself if he writes off a school based on limited information.
- Falling in love too soon. What’s the point of falling in love with a college if your teen hasn’t received an acceptance letter yet?
- You can do a tour from your couch. Many colleges have 360-degree tours on their websites as well as promotional YouTube videos. In addition, my son found all kinds of reviews and videos posted by students that gave him a glimpse of campus life.
- Demonstrated interest can be shown without setting foot on campus. You can show your interest to a school by signing up for the email updates, attending a college information night when the school is in your area, and asking for an alumni informational interview.
- Current students and/or alumni can offer helpful and knowledgeable insight as an alternative to a college visit. Formal college tours are always going to give you the rosy side of the school story. If you want to get the inside scoop on what people really think about the school, ask someone who has direct experience. Even better, get more than one perspective. Your teen can ask the school to connect him with an alumnus if necessary.
Camp 3: “You’ll Be Fine, Just Go”
- Throw caution to the wind with a (very) educated guess. This third option may not actually have a camp attached to it, but it worked well for my family. Some kids are very adaptable and can “make do” as long as their main criteria are met. My son applied E.D. to a school, got accepted, and set foot on campus for the first time on Move-In Day. His focus was on the academics and culture of the college. The online tour, and interviews with both a current student and an alumnus, were enough to help him make a decision, and he’s very happy with his choice.
What I learned from talking to experienced parents is this: choosing to visit colleges before or after applying (or not at all) really depends on the person applying. My daughter has never lived anywhere but in sunny California. The best way to decide if she wants to move to the east coast is for her to go there and experience alternative environments. For my daughter, this could be a great way for her to narrow down her college choices. For now, we’ve agreed that this trip will be the only college tour we go on. The rest we can consider visiting (or not) after the acceptance letters are in. As you can see, there’s more than one way to handle college visits and applications: just get creative and find something that works for your family.
If you are interested in speaking with one of our Advisors about helping your student find a focus, you can schedule an introductory free consultation here.
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For additional information and insights, check out our blog:
On the Road: Insider Hints for Helping Your Child Get the Most out of a College Visit
Crafting a cohesive college application
Does your child need a private college admissions consultant?
How to choose colleges to apply to
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