<p>
If you list the schools on this forum, people on here will do essentially all of this for you for nothing, and probably will do it better. There have been numerous threads like this in the past. You will have to make your own hotel reservations, of course.</p>
<p>$1500 for a bunch of college tours with hotel, air fare and the things sounds good to me. I don’t even want to think about what we’re going to soon be spending for my soon to be college applicant. The local area schools, not a problem. He has some southern schools on his list and some cross country. It’s going to cost. We’ll be knocking at your door Mom2collegekids.</p>
<p>My daughter went on a group tour of several colleges summer before junior year, it also included workshops and discussion beforehand about how you should choose a college and what to look for on tours. The kids on her particular tour group all had a common interest (i.e. engineering) represented at the colleges they saw. I think it would be kind of unproductive to just sign up for a tour of all the colleges in Boston, for example, if only one or two were of interest.</p>
<p>I think people aren’t really understanding what I’m trying to explain, but i really appreciate everyone’s feedback. Thanks!</p>
<p><<<
$1500 for a bunch of college tours with hotel, air fare and the things sounds good to me. I don’t even want to think about what we’re going to soon be spending for my soon to be college applicant. The local area schools, not a problem. He has some southern schools on his list and some cross country. It’s going to cost. We’ll be knocking at your door Mom2collegekids.
<<<</p>
<p>I suspect that the $1500 doesn’t include the cost of airfare, hotels, meals, etc…unless maybe it’s “per person” with a minimum of double occupancy??</p>
<p>Cpt…Which southern schools will y’all be visiting? </p>
<p>I agree with Thumper1 and hunt. The majority of the people on CC are helpful. Just post what you need.</p>
<p>@jmusch I think I completely understand. You tell the company what schools you and your family want to see in a given region, and they plot out your itinerary including campus tours and info sessions, on and off campus activities, book decent hotels, etc. This is not a tour with a large group, but just for your family. It’s much the same as what I planned for my family when we went to several colleges in the midwest with my son. If you post the schools you want to see in New England, there are many CCers that can provide the same service for free since many of us live in the area and / or have kids at these schools. Or send me a check and I’ll have your itinerary done by the end of the week ;)) (kidding, of course).</p>
<p>We did two kinds of college visits. Those that were combined with family vacations, where we toured a campus because we were conveniently close to it. And those which were focused college visits. Available days for the latter was limited and though in principle it would have been nice to see a lot of local tourist attractions, we usually had only one day per school (minus some travel time) and most of that time was spent on campus, or wandering around the area right near campus. There just wasn’t time or energy to go to some unrelated nearby attractions, so I question the value of having someone set up this kind of stuff for you. In most cases, I felt it would have been beneficial to have more time on campus, but we just didn’t have time in our schedule for it.</p>
<p>Some kids are able to tell if the school is right for them just by smelling the air.
Then its on to the next school.
I wonder if these tours would have that kind of flexibility.</p>
<p>Momtwocollegkids, Alabama and Auburn are on the list . He wants a school with the spirit, loves college football, plays high school but not college calibre. He’s a real nice kid, a sweetheart, and Mama here wants him at a LAC within three hours of home. He’s my baby, after all. But in the south, it’s the big schools, from UNC, Clemson, Virginia, Maryland that interest him. Michigan in the north and Penn state. Also has Tulane, Wake on his list. I’ve gone through it yet. I’m so tired of the process at this point that I’m ready to just pick a school out of the hat.</p>
<p>Alabama, Clemson, Auburn are the places for football fanatics and UNC for basketball fans.</p>
<p>Cpt…</p>
<p>Let me know when you plan on coming to Alabama, and I’ll help you with your plans.</p>
<p>We tended to work our views of campuses when we were otherwise vacationing. One exception was when my SisIL decided to take S and me on a tour of CA campuses that she thought he might be interested in and that he might qualify for. It was interesting for all of us and S was grateful that she was willing.</p>
<p>S generally thought that he would bloom where planted. It was useful for him to see Rochester snow fences and poles though, to convince him that he was an urban, warm weather type of kid, NOT a cold weather person. That did help him and us narrow the field. :)</p>
<p>The $1500 tour a friend of D’s went on did include everything. That was the whole point. It also gave the kids a chance to befriend each other during the year of meetings and fundraisers. And of course not all 9 schools were a fit, but they hit several states, different size schools, and both public and private-much like is often recommended here. This isn’t what the OP is after, but not everyone wants to plan a trip-I happen to enjoy so I am in the midst of planning our family’s summer trip. The only caution I would give to anyone letting strangers plan a trip is that not everyone has the same definition of "sketchy area, good service, good food, etc. and that some people are willing to trade certain things to save money. One of D’s friends has never flown other than first class because her father is an airline exec. My ex won’t stay in “urban” areas, etc. It’s all a matter of perspective. </p>
<p>I also enjoy these trips so would not outsource them. If one of my children is going to spend 4 years somewhere I would like to personally see that “somewhere” myself. </p>
<p>I have heard of tours for international students. Especially those from Asia who have high stats. Not sure who runs them but they tour the more competitive Northeast schools in a bus. Guessing it is more efficient and affordable to do it that way.</p>
<p>Cptofthehouse- UVA is a very good school but the spirit of the fans is a bit different from most schools. They rarely sellout their football games so if he can work it out in his schedule, he should try to attend one. Fans sit throughout the game but stand and make noise during big moments in the game. If you go down the road to Virginia Tech they stand and scream the entire game. I have an appreciation for fans of both school. As I get older, I prefer games at UVA because I can sit and enjoy the game. In general, UVA athelics do well even though football is down. </p>
<p>Overall the ACC is a basketball conference but there are some excellent football teams in the conference. </p>
<p>So much information about a school and it’s surrounding area can be gleaned during the visit planning process. I wouldn’t want to lose that opportunity to learn more by letting someone else do the planning for me.</p>
<p>Grandfather was a UVA alum, uncle a Wm & Mary alum, at least 3 uncles Virginia Tech alums and a cousin at VT, and a brother going to a VT arch rival school. So we’ll check out the VA schools. His stats are not going to be competitive for UVA or W&M as an OOSer though his grades are excellent, and I don’t think he’s bama merit material either–SAT around 2000 at this point and ACT scheduled next month. He’s just a real nice kid. We’ll try to enjoy the tours. At this point my hands are straight up in the air in terms of where he ends up going. Been through it too many times and know all the pitfalls.</p>
<p>I’ll PM you Mom2. Would love to meet you for coffee. </p>
<p>Just a thought…DD’s Dad and I decided that the best plan would be for him to stay home with D2, and me to go with D1 on some tours. I can honestly say that it was one of my favorite experiences ever with D1, but I went with very strict rules for myself. 1. She was required to spend 2 hours every weekend with me as her secretary researching colleges. Since she was interested in several geographic areas, she had to have 3 colleges near each other before we would visit. When we did visit, I kept my mouth…closed. Very hard, but even one word from a parent influences a decision. I simply pulled out paper, and listed her pros and cons before we went to the next school. We developed our own measuring sticks and techniques - e.g. we always asked several random people doing work study (e.g. in teh bookstore what THEY thought of the college - much more balanced opinions than the tour guide. It was truly fascinating to watch her decision making and insight grow - I won’t get that opportunity again, and I wouldn’t give it away for thousands of dollars. Can’t wait to do with D2! </p>
<p>One other comment - before we left, D1 and I were in one of those dips in relationships where you just get on each other’s nerves and don’t enjoy each other’s company. By the time we were done, we were so sad that we nearly pulled the car over. </p>