I didn’t know where else to post this, so here goes nothing. I’m a senior in high school and I’ve gotten most of my college decisions back. It’s time to start making plans for the admitted student weekends, but I just have one problem: I have no one to go with and my parents won’t let me travel alone ( they don’t want to come with me, but they want to make sure I get there ok). For each of the two colleges that I want to go to there is one other kid at my school who got in besides me, but I don’t know either of them. I’ve tried asking one to see if she would go with me, but she’s been very vague, so I doubt that’s happening. As for the other person, I’ve never said a word to him in my life (he’s popular and the school president, and I’m a nerd) so I don’t really feel comfortable asking him. What should I do? If I can’t visit the schools, my parents won’t let me enroll there. 
It’s really your parents’ job to schlep you around, not some random people from school. Why don’t your parents want to go?
They don’t feel like buying plane tickets (the colleges are going to cover the cost for mine, but not theirs). So they’re like, “Find some people to go with!” And I’m like “Who? STRANGERS?” 
Ugh. This whole thing is really stupid, but I don’t want to miss the opportunity to attend such great places because I never got a chance to visit.
If it is a direct flight, they should be okay with that part. Once you arrive at the airport near the school, you will likely meet up with lots of other students. Will the school shuttle you from the airport, or do you have to arrange transportation from the airport to the school? My daughter went alone on Amtrak and met up with others along the way.
Start acting very mature and independent and convince them you can handle traveling alone.
If your school has an accepted students facebook page, you may find someone to meet up with on the other end - flights arriving at the same time.
Something else is going on here. They are putting you in an almost impossible position by creating obstacles to visit but saying you can’t enroll if you don’t visit. Also in a mere 6 months you will have to be ready to travel back and forth to these school independently so their objection to you traveling alone now is illogical.
Is there some other reason they don’t want you to attend these schools?
Agreed with @whatthewhat. These are schools you might attend next fall. You will be there alone. With thousands of other kids. It’s illogical that they are telling you you cannot travel alone. You won’t be completely on your own. There will be people from the school directing you and taking you to the school if the colleges are covering your plane ticket. (Congrats on that!)
Sit down with your parents and have a talk with them about this. Do they not wanting you going far away? Is there an underlying financial reason why these types of back-and-forth travels may not be feasible in the future? Don’t ask random people from school that you don’t know; tell your parents that you are serious about possibly attending this school and demonstrate that you are mature enough to travel alone.
@musicmerit It would be a direct flight, but we have to arrange our own transportation to the school. Luckily, the subway is underneath the airport (and lets you off at the colleges metro stop) so once again, it shouldn’t be an issue. I’ve tried chatting with kids on the Facebook page, but all of the ones in my area are flying out the night before (which I can’t do because these college visits overlap with each other). So I’m stuck. 
@whatthewhat For one of the colleges, they really don’t want me to attend because it’s an 8 hour drive. The other one is fine, but they’re just really overprotective. They think that I’ll get kidnapped if I travel alone, like in that movie “Taken”!
Did you apply to any schools in-state? How or why did they even allow you to apply to schools that are 6+ hours away if they are afraid of you being kidnapped?
@TheDidactic Thanks for the advice! My parents are the helicopter type who hover around me constantly, which is why they’re acting this way. They think that Boston is too far north from where we live, so they have vehemently objected to me going to that school (although they let me apply. The other one is in Pennsylvania (about 2 hours away from us) but they’re still convinced that I’ll wind up dead before I ever set foot on campus. I really don’t know what to do with them. Smh.
@TheDidactic I did, but these two are really prestigious schools that are way better than my state universities (not to sound snotty, but they really can’t compare). As for why…maybe they wanted bragging rights if I got in? shrugs My parents are crazy! 
Well you can either stay in New Jersey or wherever you live (I’m guessing NJ because I’m from there and I can gather PA is ~2 hours but apologies in advance if I’m wrong) or you can go OOS and deal with their choppers hovering over your dorm room.
I live in MD, but good guess, haha! And either way, my parents are going to stalk me while I’m in college. I’ve accepted that. 
Nevertheless, I wish you the best of luck! Parents only really act like that because they care/love you and want the best for you. UMD isn’t bad but I understand what you mean. It’s different when you live in the state.
Maybe they are still in shock and need a couple of days for the reality that you are going to college to sink in. Try planning your itinerary and showing it to them. Promise that you will be reachable by phone throughout your trip. If either visit includes a dorm stay with a host, that might make them feel better.
Ask your parents to talk to a family friend who has a kid (preferably the same gender as you) at a distant college. I don’t think you saying “everything will be ok” will carry much weight, but applying a little peer pressure in this case might work.
However, keep in mind that your parents might be feeling financial pressure they aren’t willing to share with you (or even willing to admit to themselves). That could also be a reason they are making you navigate this maze of conflicting requirements.
Are there accepted student Facebook pages for these colleges? You might try reaching out to them. Otherwise, could you ask a guidance counselor to intercede (either with your parents or with your classmates and their families)?
Ever since each of my kids turned FIFTEEN, we let them fly 20+ hours flying time internationally, completely on their own to their boarding schools, involving a change of plane in a 3rd country. As long as they had an ATM card & a powered up cellphone, I knew they’d be fine.
Just the fact that colleges give thousands of students across America plane tickets for this purpose demonstrates how conventional this activity is. Fer crissakes, it’s just a direct domestic flight. Ask your parents if they are they going to be like this for all 4 years.
@siliconvalleymom I’ve tried that, but they still think that something catastrophic will happen between the time that I step off the plane and when I arrive on campus. I will be staying in a dorm with a student host (who will meet me at the gates as soon as I arrive), but they still feel really uncomfortable about the whole thing for some reason.
@GMTplus7 Wow, you really believe in independence! One of my flights is 45 min, and the other is 1.5 hours, so they’re not even that long. I just found people on the admitted students page to meet up with at the airport once I get there, but they want someone to FLY there with me, so that’s the issue now. Ugh.