Help us plan PA college visits, please...

SouthJerseyChessMom
Sat, 21 Mar 2009 09:04:33 +0000

Hello Itsmygop- You will be a pro after a sweep through PA schools.
Are you visiting during the summer ? It is VERY difficult to get an accurate feel of a school in the summer.

We did summer PA trip, knowing we would revisit, so it became more of a trip deciding which would make the final cut.

Interview with schools you are least likely in,at first , and work your way up to the top schools on your list. Consider those first interviews, practice interviews, even the most confident kid will be nervous during the first couple interviews.

FYI- husband and I are Bucknell grads (long ago) D is a senior at Muhlenberg, so it’s been some time since we’ve made the PA tour.

If your daughter is consideirng Eng- you have rule out some of these schools. Know that many engineering kids switch majors (most kids switch anyway, so know that ahead of time) S is eng major at ND, so we are familiar with how challenging that path is.

Lafayette, Lehigh , Muhlenberg close together -

Bucknell, Susquehana, (not that you added that one but for others reading this) and Penn State,- all nestled out there in western part of PA

Dickinson- Gettysburg - might be doable
I did not go on the FandM visit, husband and D did, so I can’t help work that one in.

Try to make “official” visits to schools higher on your list, so you are demonstrating “interest” early on. This means attending admissions sessions, and tour if you have time.

If you are cramming more schools in, just walk the campus on your own, and don’t spend time in tour.

Try not to let you d be “overly” influenced by some of those random things that happen on school visits-
ie don’t like the tour guide,
the weather is dreary, hence the school appears grim-
all those random things.

I actually like attending the “official” open houses- which we did at Gettysburg, Bucknell, and Muhlenberg. Overnights at Dickinson and Muhlenberg. Sport camps at Bucknell, Colgate and others. All of these events painted a picture, but know they are “dog and pony” shows, but some were helpful.

Like I said, you will be a pro, after about …three college visits :)