Or go back and write down the all reasons each of the 14 was chosen and visit the top contender or two. It might become apparent which to visit.
Mea culpa, I posted without realizing my son applied in the dark ages; no smart phones, no Uber.
If I could remove my post, I would. Still, I was happy to go along as this was the final choice.
very helpful tips, will pass along to my daughter…thank you so much
Thank you, we are not really in that position, I am retired and we will just drain the modest 401K and hope their is enough left for her two younger sisters. State flagship has offered to pay all tuition, but they are not the best choice for a future journalist, so I am trying to support her interest in the top journalism schools.
appreciate all the tips, thank you, one starts college next sept, two more (twins) in two years
You didn’t ask this…but I will offer this free advice. You are already retired…and you are thinking about draining your assets to send kids to college? Did I read that correctly?
Free advice…don’t do that. If you have to do that to send your kids to college, the colleges, in my opinion, Re not affordable for your family. No one…and I mean no one…shpild drain their retirement accounts to pay for college…and certainly not someone who is already retired who doesn’t have years to replenish those accounts.
But back to the visiting question…if you can’t afford these colleges…you certinly can’t afford to travel the whole country to visit a bunch of them. Have your kid pick the top three…and visit those only. And in my opinion…costs need to factor into your choices.
There are top journalism programs at public colleges. Right now the U of Missouri is giving big scholarships to attract students and it is one of the top programs in the country.
DS did admitted student days at 7. Amazingly, several were back to back so travel was manageable. 2 sent him plane tickets so it was just an airport dropoff/pickup for us.
It was busy but not as crazy as you would think. In his case, it really helped with the decision making process. But all had strong departments for his interests so he was more assessing fit, vibe, etc.
As above- DO NOT use ANY of your retirement funds to pay for college! Loans can be paid off but you can never replace those retirement funds with equivalent dollars. You need to seriously rethink your kids’ college plans based on real life affordability. There is nothing sacred about a US education, especially for students from another culture. It seems as though you have chosen to raise your kids outside the US and there is no good reason to try to have them spend four years in the US when it is not financially feasible.
You need to figure out where your children intend to spend their lives. Ask them. Be sure it is not parental wishes that are the drive behind a US college choice. Europe has many schools that are as good/better than many US schools you have heard of. If they are cheaper- go for one of them. Plus, they will be so much closer to home than across an ocean.
OP- I agree with the others. Do NOT drain your modest 401K. Yes, some schools have better reps than others, but send your child to a school you/they can afford. They will thank you for this! Perhaps you can go back to work instead of raiding your 401K. Best of luck to you.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
OK. Point made. Now let’s move on. If the OP wants to pursue this tangent, s/he can start a new discussion. Perhaps just focus on how to whittle down the college visits.
My daughters’ home state is Wisconsin. My younger daughter visited at least 8 schools during March and April of her senior year. She visited 2 schools during her already planned visit to her sister, who attended college in southern California. She visited 4 schools in the northeast, on 2 or 3 separate trips (I can’t remember). She was not accompanied by a parent on any of these trips. She visited 1 or 2 schools in the midwest; her dad drove her to these. She visited 1 school in the northwest. Her dad went along, to drive her from an airport to the school; she could have flown from that major airport to a regional airport but doing so would have added at least 1 and possibly 2 days to what was already a 3-day trip. Most of these trips were paid for by the schools, because of our low income, my daughter’s high achievement, or both. I don’t think the school in the northwest paid for her dad’s plane ticket or the car rental.
My older daughter visited 3 or 4 schools during March and April of her senior year. Her dad accompanied her to the school(s) in southern California. She took a train to the school in the northeast and flew back, and she flew to and from the school in Indiana; both these trips were unaccompanied. I think she received some travel reimbursement from 1 or 2 of the schools but I’m not sure.
My oldest narrowed her schools down to four. Two were located in the same town and the third a distance away. We did a weekend trip to the distant one. She loved it, I nixed it. I nixed it for several reasons. 1. safety. The paved path between classrooms and cafeteria and the dorms was down in a small river valley. Well light and with blue lights but still deep enough that you couldn’t be seen if someone grabbed you. 2. all food was ala carte. Prices were posted and each item was then deducted from your food account like in high school. 3. Steep walkways that would be difficult to traverse during the winter even with cleaning. The fourth school we visited during the summer and I had all my kids on the tour. The two in the same town, I also brought my other kids with me. By the time my youngest was ready to start the college hunt, she could eliminate some college visits because she had already done them a few years before.
Good idea!
To everyone who posted some tips, thank you all so much, I am a new user and this has been so helpful. Hearing advice from ‘insiders’ who have already been down this road is truly a blessing. I am fortunate to have a mature, outgoing and independent-minded daughter and I am confident wherever she decides to attend she will be just fine. Thanks again everyone.