Maximizing College Visit Effectiveness
As I meet with high school students and their parents this summer, the subject of college visits inevitably comes up. I tell them what a close friend told me when my son was a rising sophomore: there will always be one school visit that won’t materialize because the student refuses to get out of the car!
Less than a year after hearing that, I found out what my friend meant firsthand. As we drove back home from New England, I just happened to turn off the interstate. My son thought I was making a pit stop but soon realized that Mom had something else in mind: another college visit! He looked at the town as we navigated the city, next saw the outskirts of the campus, and then absolutely refused to get out of the car. So, it was true! A year later, as we drove through bucolic Vermont and Massachusetts, we made another “drive by.” This time, he told me, the college looked like an office park! Again, he would not get out of the car.
I tell these stories to my wonderful families so that they are prepared for the unexpected during the college visit. Indeed, it is usually the case that no amount of market research can prepare a student for the vibe he or she gets when pulling up to a campus – or walking inside of it.
Here are some pointers for those who visit:
• Take notes during the information session (or appoint a designated note-taker).
• Pay close attention to tour guides and matriculated students, and ask them questions. I had one student last year who crossed a college off her list after the feedback she received from matriculated students she stopped at random.
• Take steps to avoid tension; if necessary reduce the number of family members permitted on the visit.
• If building interiors are not part of your tour, sneak into lecture halls and dorms.
• By all means, if your student is familiar with a professor or wants to sit through a class, contact the admissions office in advance of your trip.
• Try to see the campus while school is in session. (This is understandably difficult with our packed schedules and break times.)
• Check to see if on-campus interviews are available before you visit; just be sure your student is prepared and practiced for that interview.
• Jot down reactions while they are fresh in your mind. You’ll be glad you did.
A note to parents: Do not hesitate to use incentives if starting the process early. When my son was a sophomore, I would link a pleasure trip to a college visit. Wasn’t the Ben & Jerry’s factory tour a worthy prize for seeing an elite Vermont college? How about Busch Gardens as an ample reward for a trip to Charlottesville?
Remember, you will grow increasingly confident and knowledgeable with each college visit. When we became veterans of the process, my son and I actually looked forward to our trips. We found out that visits could be full of pleasant surprises (like the tour guide who explained that students could take finals in bed at midnight), bad first impressions (such as the admissions officer who forgot about his information session) or natural occurrences (like snow in late April). We learned to break away from the tour if necessary and explore on our own, sometimes stopping for a light meal or snack on campus or in the college town – yet another way to assess fit.
If possible, enjoy the college visits and the precious family time you have when away from your everyday routines. In a year or two, your student may be the one conducting the tours!
clyde donovan
12:49 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012
"A note to parents: Do not hesitate to use incentives if starting the process early. When my son was a sophomore, I would link a pleasure trip to a college visit. Wasn’t the Ben & Jerry’s factory tour a worthy prize for seeing an elite Vermont college? How about Busch Gardens as an ample reward for a trip to Charlottesville?"
Treating your child like a trained monkey is manipulative and insulting. Do this and you get a banana.
lexih
2:12 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012
The one thing I would recommend is *not* listening to your kid if they refuse to get out of the car. I pulled that trick as a rising high school senior--I visited Boston expecting to see Tufts, BC and Harvard, fell in love with Tufts right away and ended up not going on any of the other tours or applying to any of the other schools. Considering BC does give occasional merit scholarships, it was something I regretted when I got my acceptance to Tufts and a terrible financial aid package.
12345678
3:27 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012
I agree Tabor. If they need that much incentive, you're probably wasting your money.
Andie
8:13 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Don't forget to visit state schools. Let your tax dollars work for your children. The costs for a public school vs. private for our middle class family with zero financial aid is HALF. And yes, middle class folks get no financial aid!
Stepona Crack
11:23 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Agree that seeing inside buildings is important BUT "sneaking into dorms" is not acceptable and will potentially get you arrested! They are locked and secured for reason - bad bad bad advise!!
John M.
4:01 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Is this article a joke or serious? How anal are you to take a sophomore on college visits? It is clear from the article that the kid was not ready to consider the next phase of his life. Leave him alone! Fully agree with Tabor's observations.
My first child started college in 1995 and my last in 2008. I have visited at least 50 college campuses over the years. I had never been on a tour that did not include a look at some of the classrooms, labs, dorm rooms and sports facilities. My youngest started to look at colleges the summer after his junior year and he spent four perfectly happy years at Harvard.
The real point to remember is that it is your child who is going to college, not you. You had your chance.
genesko
4:18 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Well said. Busch Gardens to see a college? seriously. You have WAY too much money in your pocket and your kid has to be spoiled. I have no money for my kids college and it kills me that my kid is going to a state college and blew what she had on living on campus for two years instead of commuting like she is now and now there's no money. She works 6 days a week. I'll tell you though, there's an awful lot of very well off kids living on college campuses everywhere. I seriously wish I knew where that cash cow was so I could milk it. Montclair charges (for commuters) over $1500 per semester just for "fees." Thats why they can afford all the lovely new housing. and $10 every time you walk into the cafeteria even if you just want a coffee or to sit with your friends.... But she HAD to go to a "real" college. She is now kicking herself for not going to county college first. My youngest is looking for athletic scholarships because she knows we don't have any money and county colleges up here don't have her sport. If it weren't for that she'd be happy at County. The advice in this article are really only geared at the upper crust who can afford to go where ever they want. I'm sure mom and dad were putting away since birth (smart thing - definitely). And did you know that your kid can't get a loan on his own? you have to be 24 or older. the gov't websites actually pit parents with limited funds against their college-bound kids by telling kids it is their right to an education.
John M.
8:17 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
The county college provides a viable route to a four year college. Your daughter is showing great initiative and hopefully it will pay off. She is showing that she really wants "it". Good luck to her.
genesko
4:26 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
oh yeah and the whole sneaking thing.... you can't go anywhere without an id. Modern dorm buildings are RFID right from the outside and many are converting. They also have check-in desks. I doubt you will be invited back if you are caught "sneaking" around. This is a post-Columbine, post- Virginia Tech world now, unfortunately.
Tom
8:52 am on Wednesday, August 22, 2012
I definitely do not recommend sneaking into college dorm rooms. 1. it's inconsiderate to ask people to look at their private spaces and 2. it's just creepy. The rest I can mostly agree with but want to add importance to visiting the town surrounding the college and speaking with random students.