Visit Colleges Before or After Acceptance?

blossom
Wed, 25 Feb 2015 19:16:11 +0000

Basic research- is a school isolated or in a bustling metropolis. Basic research- is the music conservatory (where as a non-conservatory student you hope to take classes) next to the main campus, or a 30 minute shuttle ride away, so that a 45 minute music class becomes a 2 1/2 hour time sink? Basic research- are Honors students in the regular Freshman dorms or on their own floor in another building? Basic research- of the three faculty in the department you want to major in, how many of them are emeritus (and answer- if it’s more than zero, this is likely not enough classes and professors to craft a major). Basic research- if you have to apply to the major you want after Freshman year and a 3.6 GPA is required to get in, how many kids DON’T get in and end up leaving the college?

I think visiting is extremely valuable. But not every kid can visit every college, and I think it’s smart to conserve your financial resources for a finalist college. But showing up somewhere in August in the age of Google maps and every other online tools to discover that the college is not near public transportation, or the nearest supermarket is a five mile walk… seems a little crazy to me.