Visit Colleges Before or After Acceptance?

MidwestDad3
Wed, 25 Feb 2015 18:43:58 +0000

“So I have little pity for the kids who seem deaf dumb and blind before heading off to college. If you can download music from the Grammy’s, you have enough technical skills to do basic college research.”

Yes, but basic online research is a far cry from being on campus with students and faculty, however briefly. The most insightful moments for us tended to occur in the college cafeterias, in line at the coffee shop, and in the case of one LAC–watching some students tear down the set of a play that had just been performed.

At the very beginning I asked D to visit each school that she intended to apply to, before applying. It took 18 months. We saw 20 (and she ended up applying to 8, plus our state U flagship). We visited in clusters, also saw close-by relatives, and mixed in some vacation. It wasn’t cheap. But it was a great experience for all of us. It gave D time to process, and to compare.

Since acceptances started coming in beginning in November, D has been more relaxed than I might have expected. She’ll do 2 or 3 accepted student visits next month, but her mind is pretty much made up already.