I tacked it on because it’s on the way to Davidson. My thinking was, they care about demonstrated interest, they have a high admit rate, and seem to be generous with merit, all making it a potentially good safety option.
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He seems fine with it, though also since we’ve never done one, doesn’t exactly have much of an idea of what it’s going to be. I think if he starts to react badly, I’ll drop the schools we care less about and reduce the number but it’s 1-2 a day, which doesn’t seem that bad to me, but maybe that’s just because I’ve never done this.
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How was the initial list of schools selected? What are his thoughts on them?
How long is the trip? Are there any days with no college tours? I’ve read many mentions of people getting burned out on 2 a day and that the students never seem to like the second school visited in the day.
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This was true for both of my D23 and S25. Maybe I will learn my lesson with S27! My kids could not tolerate more than one tour a day, and when they humored me and agreed to it, they were ready to leave half way though the info session. Neither applied to a single school that was the second tour of the day. I think they were burnt out and it was also hard to remember details. We never did more than 5 schools on a single road trip, but even that felt like a lot.
I would have your child take notes after each school visit you, or I promise they will all start to blend together.
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Are all of the schools that you plan to visit in session during your Spring Break window? If not, then I would drop the ones that are not in session – your child needs to see the student population in its normal habitat so that he can see whether he would want to be a part of that school. You can always apply sight unseen, and if admitted then go and visit during Admitted Student Days for the school in the Spring.
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So he doesn’t have a lot of thoughts yet — part of the point of this is to get to an idea of the type of school that appeals, which is why it’s a broad set. As a result, I’ve been the one to create the itinerary. Then, in junior year we can be more focused and he can weigh in more, was how I was thinking about it. That said, he wants academic, research opportunities, doesn’t want a party school, Greek life. But, it’s all very abstract to him right now. He also said he doesn’t want rural, but I’m not sure I agree that he wouldn’t like rural.
There’s only one day with two tours, so maybe I’ll drop the second one there, and it’s Elon which isn’t getting a lot of love on the thread! We’ve never been to the South, besides Texas, so I kind of think just being there and walking around and having nice meals and so on will make it a bit interesting and fun.
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If fatigue is a concern, then I recommend visiting Clemson over the University of Georgia.
Clemson is located on the shore of Lake Hartwell and the small town provides a charming, relaxing atmosphere. Nice place to visit even if not involved in the college admissions process.
While Athens, Georgia is nice and exciting, it may be a blur to a fatigued family in need of a break.
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I actually have a D at Elon and it has been a fabulous experience for her. She absolutely loves it. Both my boys love visiting, but neither will end up there…too rural and both my boys need more activity and more school spirit. My daughter is thriving though…the school does many things well, but it’s location is not for everyone.
I have no basis to opine on which school to visit, but I just want to share my experience that it helps to consider that these college visits could be some of the last big road trips you take with your child. Yes, it is important to see the schools, get a sense of the different vibes, and see what resonates with your child…but also take the time to share a nice meal together, talk about anything, and have a few laughs.
I found that these college trips gave me insight into how both of my kids’ minds work and how they react to situations (ex. my son would take every visit in quietly and mull it over while my daughter could knock a school off her list fifteen minutes into a visit 
).
I hope you have a positive experience together.
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Specifically regarding Elon, I’d leave it. It’s just as important to confirm the type school that doesn’t work for your student as the ones that do. And that seems to be the “isolated, rural” campus in your current plan so I’d see how your sophomore son reacts to that environment.
I’ll also add that I’ve shared our experience at Elon on the “schools that got away” thread. My D did not ultimately apply, but it gave the most personal and impressive tour we experienced. Granted, as a sophomore your son most likely won’t get that personal touch my D had as a junior, but It spoke so highly to the experience a student could expect I never hesitate to suggest Elon.
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We visited every school on your list except Elon. S20 graduated from GT. I’m assuming your son is a high stats student and wants/likes STEM. Is CS his favorite? He’s only a sophomore so he has time. Don’t overdo the visits.
Here’s what I would do.
Emory - urban private school.
UGA - large public that’s not urban. Substitute Clemson for another large public. It’s rural and probably better known for STEM than UGA although UGA has upped their game.
Davidson - small LAC. Kind of a wildcard.
Duke over WF if STEM is primary focus.
UNC - pretty campus but could be dropped.
Add NC State. Great school for STEM. Large urban campus. Might be good plan B if GT doesn’t happen.
I might do GT last. If he loves CS this would be the way to end on a high note. A reach for even top students. Especially OOS.
Good luck
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Clemson or UGA.
Why ? You have big already in Ga Tech (urban) and UNC (heavy suburban). I’d go Clemson - rural but UGA is less dense than UNC and Ga Tech.
You already have small but will go past Furman and Wofford - but these are more regional.few CA kids will end up there.
Based on your initial UGA over U of SC simply due to environment. UGA is massive compared to everything else on your list including U of SC so it’s a great way to build a sense of various type schools.
I’d just say that 1-2 schools a day can be a lot when it’s day after day for a week or more; so do be aware that some of the afternoon schools, or the schools later in the week may be subconsciously down rated by him because one (or both of you) are getting tired of doing visits over and over.
Do build in some time to do fun and unrelated stuff - tickets to a ball game, a side trip to a attraction that he’d like or a show…and definitely scan around for several options in each locale and along the way of enjoyable places to eat. No need to lock yourself in anywhere, but knowing 2-3 restaurants in each town, and what your options are for breakfast everywhere helps smooth the way. (A great bakery? local hot spot? terrific brunch? great ice cream? Pin them all in a google map for yourself).
As another noted above: you’re doing great to start early! When you start early you don’t have the pressure of needing to make decisions on a short time frame, and this process can be a fun bonding experience for the two of you. Just keep it all enjoyable (for both of you) so that you both look back on it fondly, and so any future trips you may take sound like a great idea, and not “my mom/dad is forcing me to go look at schools” 
)
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Hey! Fun things to do that aren’t explicitly college tours on the trip:
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Duke Lemur Center. For some reason I can’t get the website to load for me but basically it’s a state-of-the-art research center in the middle of a forest and the tours are magical. You have to book in advance. https://www.discoverdurham.com/blog/visit-duke-lemur-center-durham-north-carolina/
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If your son likes baseball, check out the Durham Bulls schedule and see if they’re playing at home when you’re in town.
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Walking through Duke Gardens in the spring can be a magical experience.
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Regional foods to try: biscuits for breakfast. There are a bunch of great places between Duke and UNC but two that spring to mind are an incredible farm-to-table sausage biscuit Neal’s Deli in Carrboro (used to be the other side of the tracks/working class part of Chapel Hill, now very trendy) and the Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen in Chapel Hill. Also barbecue. If you eat meat, a smoky, spicy, vinegary pulled pork sandwich with slaw on the sandwich and hushpuppies on the side is a unique and special thing. If you’re on the road, look for a Smithfield’s BBQ, which is a decent chain. In Durham, the place people have been going for decades is Bullock’s but I have a feeling that the quality has slipped in recent years (and it looks like they might have moved away from their old location). But Durham has so many amazing restaurants (including places with decent salads) so maybe save the BBQ for an on-the-road thing. Cheerwine is a regional cherry-flavored soda.
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If the colleges are too much and you a fun day activity, check out Asheboro Zoo (huge, very outdoors, and as zoos go, worth it – albeit on back roads), hikes around Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain, the US National Whitewater Center (on the far side of Charlotte), or (kinda near Davidson) the Carolina Raptor Center.
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He is interested in STEM- does this include or exclude engineering?
Strongest interest is CS, especially AI, but he’s joined the robotics team and is building a drone on his own partly to explore engineering. Besides that, not a ton of exposure to engineering. Likes and is good at math and physics, less interested in bio and chem.
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I agree with the previous poster that these can be great bonding trip, but I also agree that this is definitely ambitious in volume. I’ll gently suggest being ready to pivot if burn out hits. Both my kids ended up really hating a couple schools because they toured under less than ideal circumstance. Everything worked out for the best in the end, but it made me realize that tours can do more harm than good. We hit a couple local ones to try and narrow down basic parameters on urban/rural and size. Good luck!
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The reason why I am asking is because UNC only has biomedical, environmental/environmental health, and materials engineering.
On the one hand that might be a reason to eliminate UNC (depending on the student’s interests) while OTOH it is so close to DUKE that you might as well see it.
I agree about adding NC State.
If these are his interests then GT, NC State and Duke rise to the top…by a wide margin. Maybe add UNC and/or Clemson.
If he’s considering math or physics as a major then the other schools are fine options.
Considering all these schools are reaches and there’s only so much time I’d prioritize schools that align with his interests.
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You haven’t shared how long the trip will be, but if I was creating a plan with some of the parameters you shared, I’d probably do something like one of these two options, trying to keep visits to one a day, keep driving times manageable, minimizing the packing/unpacking of accommodations, and keeping opportunities for fun and memory-building that are not just college-related.
Option 1: If flights/rental cars are nonrefundable and can’t be changed. 3 nights in Atlanta, 2 nights in Charlotte area, 2 nights in Atlanta area with 5 colleges visited. Save Wake Forest and Research Triangle schools for a different visit.
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Day 1: Fly into Atlanta
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Day 2: See Georgia Tech & do Atlanta sightseeing
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Day 3: See Emory & do Atlanta sightseeing
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Day 4: See UGA or Clemson enroute to Charlotte area (4h34m drive from Atlanta to Charlotte). If you want a city experience, stay in Charlotte, if not, stay in Davidson, a cute town on Lake Norman.
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Day 5: See Davidson & then chill and relax or do Charlotte-area sightseeing
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Day 6: See UNC-Charlotte (which I’ve seen recommended as a school with approachable admit rates with a strong CS program) and then drive back toward Atlanta.
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Day 7: Have fun in Atlanta area
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Day 8: Fly back to CA
Option 2: If flights/rental cars can be changed with a reasonable (or no) fee. 3 nights in Atlanta, 1 night in Davidson, 3 nights in Triangle area with 6 or 7 colleges visited.
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Day 1: Fly into Atlanta
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Day 2: See Georgia Tech & do Atlanta sightseeing
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Day 3: See Emory & do Atlanta sightseeing
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Day 4: See UGA or Clemson enroute to Davidson, a cute town on Lake Norman just outside of Charlotte.
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Day 5: Drive to Wake Forest and visit and then continue on to the Triangle area.
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Day 6: Visit Duke and then sightsee in the area. (If dying to do UNC, then adding it here could be reasonable.)
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Day 7: Visit NC State and then sightsee in the area
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Day 8: Fly back to CA