<p>I think that you should visit your realistic match schools. Personally, college visits made a HUGE difference for me. I visited two schools in the northeast (family vacation so wasn’t a lot of extra travel costs) last summer that I was very excited about. I had researched both of them extensively and thought both could be a decent match. Then I visited and the first one looked like a high school while the second was the school of my dreams. I didn’t even bother applying to the first school and saved some money. On the other hand, I visited schools closer to me that I was not really that interested in. After visiting UNC Chapel Hill, my opinion was changed for the better, and that’s where I will be in the fall (partly money, partly weather, but I also fell in love with it over my other dream school).</p>
<p>I think it’s really important to see the atmosphere at a college during the school year. For me, the atmosphere at UNC is one of the best things. It fits me very well, while other schools (like Duke…) seemed more competitive and a little snobby to me. And that was before I actually liked UNC, so it’s not just that rivalry. Those are just my personal opinions, and I hope your college visits are fruitful.</p>