So, you were all correct, and Revisits really do paint a picture that no website, marketing materials, internet intel, or school parent phone call can duplicate.
Revisit #1 (small school) was phenomenal - we all were just so impressed by the academic standard, the school spirit, the friendliness, the ability (and inclination) of the school to “make it happen” - whatever “it” happened to be for any student. Got lots of answers to questions, had a lot of exposure to various faculty and students. Definitely a dog-and-pony show, but genuine and welcoming too. We were happy but exhausted by the end of the day.
Revisit #2 (large school) wasn’t like revisiting at all. We all - Nextkid on her track, parents on ours - felt like we were going through an orientation on a done deal. Campus was comfy and familiar, LOTS of staff & students remembered our faces and greeted us as though we were always on campus, and many conversations felt like we were just picking up where we left off last time. We found we connected with other parents incredibly easily. Instead of being “impressed”, we felt integrated into an impressive place. The last activity of the day, we walked into the room to see Nextkid sitting with a pack of new friends - smiling, laughing new friends (not “uncomfortably sitting next to the kid I followed all day psuedofriend”). That evening, we were all just happy - not exhausted, despite considerable walking.
It was a bit surreal - like we had merged into another dimension where she was already a student there. And when the school feeds your energy back to you, well, that’s definitely a great environment for a motivated student!
I know Revisit days don’t typically look like this, and if you’re reading this someday in the future, please don’t expect this kind of emotional connection. We are happy it happened, as it resolved the path we need to take.
Thanks to all of you for your ideas and sage advice to just wait for Revisits. Now I’m off to admire my bank account one last time before I hit the “accept” button…