College Visits Anyone?
- Rating:
0 after 1 vote
Any other moms out there doing college visits? Mine is leaving the nest soon and the college visits are driving me crazay
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Anita Kulik on -
Wow, now I feel better. Not to say that misery loves company but that is what I have been going through. She is driving me nuts. I think the only reason she is so keen on OU is she has a "boyfriend" there. If only I could get it through her head that she is only 18 and will probably change her mind countless times over the next year. But anyone here with a teenager understands! I sometimes think it would just be better to go to a local community college for the first year until they really know what they want and then shell out the bucks when they are more certain!
Cindi ~ Moomettesgram said:Not anymore ~ been there, done that.
DD 25, we traveled all over New England as she was being recruited for Lacrosse. I had to do 2-hr feedings, just like the old days. Trip to upstate NY (from CT) for one college, and when we got to the campus ~ she wouldn't even get out of the car. grrrr Ended up going to school & graduating right here in CT.
One college in Maryland the tuition was like $5,000 ~ but that was for the horse (really, they had an equestrian program). DH & I said, we have enough for the horse to go, but not you) (LOL, we really don't have a horse)
DD21 also toured all over New England. Couldn't wait to get out of CT. 1st semester Christmas break, packed it all in from the college she started out at in NH and came back to CT and is now on her 4th (and last) college. She's a Senior. 3.5 years of dorm life, and decided she likes her own room at our house. Of course, her BF is now going to school here (he transferred back here too from RI ) so, there ya go!
All in all, I would say they each applied to at least 5-7 schools.
Every day's an adventure. :)
-
Permalink Reply by Jen Dwyer on -
It might drive you crazy but it will save you time and anxiety in the long run. I had no desire to go check out colleges before I decided on one. I'm sorry I didn't! I ended up staying home for one semester and going to a local private school that I commuted to...big mistake. It is hard to make friends when you commute rather than living in a dorm at the college. I visited a friend at SUNY Albany that Oct., realized what I was missing by staying home and commuting and started there the very next semester. Best decision I ever made. Good luck, hopefully your kid will find one that he/she likes really quick..for your benefit!
-
Permalink Reply by Meg Huber on -
I have a junior in HS and she is my oldest. I am not ready for any of this college stuff! How do I at least pretend to be ready so not to freak her out? How do you know what colleges to visit? When do you start to visit them? HELP!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Anita Kulik on
-
The best time to visit is over the summer or in the fall of their senior year. They need their SAT and ACT scores so they know where they stand first. That helps make the decision as to what their options are. The counselsors at her high school also provided a list of 3 sections of colleges - High Reach Schools, Moderate Reach and Realistic based on your child's GPA and SAT scores. That helped a lot plus they seem to gravitate towards the schools where most of their classmates are going - usually about a dozen or so. It all works out. The junior year was her hardest as it is the year the colleges pay most attention to.
Meg Huber said:I have a junior in HS and she is my oldest. I am not ready for any of this college stuff! How do I at least pretend to be ready so not to freak her out? How do you know what colleges to visit? When do you start to visit them? HELP!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Anita Kulik on
-
Well said! Thanks for the encouragement.
Anita Kulik said:Wow, now I feel better. Not to say that misery loves company but that is what I have been going through. She is driving me nuts. I think the only reason she is so keen on OU is she has a "boyfriend" there. If only I could get it through her head that she is only 18 and will probably change her mind countless times over the next year. But anyone here with a teenager understands! I sometimes think it would just be better to go to a local community college for the first year until they really know what they want and then shell out the bucks when they are more certain!
Cindi ~ Moomettesgram said:Not anymore ~ been there, done that.
DD 25, we traveled all over New England as she was being recruited for Lacrosse. I had to do 2-hr feedings, just like the old days. Trip to upstate NY (from CT) for one college, and when we got to the campus ~ she wouldn't even get out of the car. grrrr Ended up going to school & graduating right here in CT.
One college in Maryland the tuition was like $5,000 ~ but that was for the horse (really, they had an equestrian program). DH & I said, we have enough for the horse to go, but not you) (LOL, we really don't have a horse)
DD21 also toured all over New England. Couldn't wait to get out of CT. 1st semester Christmas break, packed it all in from the college she started out at in NH and came back to CT and is now on her 4th (and last) college. She's a Senior. 3.5 years of dorm life, and decided she likes her own room at our house. Of course, her BF is now going to school here (he transferred back here too from RI ) so, there ya go!
All in all, I would say they each applied to at least 5-7 schools.
Every day's an adventure. :)
-
Permalink Reply by Jen Dwyer on
-
The upstate one didn't happen to be SUNY Albany did it? That's where I went...if she didn't get out of the car because the school is ugly, no one can blame her because it is! haha. We call it "the concrete jungle"
Cindi ~ Moomettesgram said:Not anymore ~ been there, done that.
DD 25, we traveled all over New England as she was being recruited for Lacrosse. I had to do 2-hr feedings, just like the old days. Trip to upstate NY (from CT) for one college, and when we got to the campus ~ she wouldn't even get out of the car. grrrr Ended up going to school & graduating right here in CT.
One college in Maryland the tuition was like $5,000 ~ but that was for the horse (really, they had an equestrian program). DH & I said, we have enough for the horse to go, but not you) (LOL, we really don't have a horse)
DD21 also toured all over New England. Couldn't wait to get out of CT. 1st semester Christmas break, packed it all in from the college she started out at in NH and came back to CT and is now on her 4th (and last) college. She's a Senior. 3.5 years of dorm life, and decided she likes her own room at our house. Of course, her BF is now going to school here (he transferred back here too from RI ) so, there ya go!
All in all, I would say they each applied to at least 5-7 schools.
Every day's an adventure. :)
-
Permalink Reply by Cindi ~ Moomettesgram on -
Regarding when's the best time to visit ~ 2 schools of thought ~
We've done all seasons, as we started visiting in both our daughters' Junior year of high school and continued into senior year.
IMHO (and my kids') it's best to visit while school is in session to get a feel for the campus, culture of the students (as in corporate culture), whether or not it's a suit-case school (kids go home on weekends) etc etc.
Also, oftentimes if kids are on the fence about one or two particular reach, or near reach schools, it's best to apply; see if they get accepted; and then if they're still interested ~ visit the campus after the acceptance letter comes in and before the May xx deadline for when they have to give a yes or no answer as to whether they're going to accept (and before you have to pay a housing fee).
Another piece of advice ~ we paid housing deposit fees on several colleges that they got accepted at, because 1st come-first-serve on dorm choices. You can always get your deposit back before the deadline should they decide not to attend.
-
Permalink Reply by Barbara on -
Junior in high school. Start thinking about it now. Pick like 10-16 schools and spend time researching them online (location, weather, cost, majors, etc) whatever is important to you. Then narrow it down to a reasonable number for you.
If your kid is a student-athlete, you should be starting this as a freshman/sophomore. (Depending on the sport)
Meg Huber said:I have a junior in HS and she is my oldest. I am not ready for any of this college stuff! How do I at least pretend to be ready so not to freak her out? How do you know what colleges to visit? When do you start to visit them? HELP!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Anita Kulik on
-
Excellent advice Cindi. I never knew about the early dorm fees so that is a great piece of information. I know OU is her choice but we have to wait and see whether she is accepted. She has applied to 3 other schools for now but we haven't visited yet.
Cindi ~ Moomettesgram said:Regarding when's the best time to visit ~ 2 schools of thought ~
We've done all seasons, as we started visiting in both our daughters' Junior year of high school and continued into senior year.
IMHO (and my kids') it's best to visit while school is in session to get a feel for the campus, culture of the students (as in corporate culture), whether or not it's a suit-case school (kids go home on weekends) etc etc.
Also, oftentimes if kids are on the fence about one or two particular reach, or near reach schools, it's best to apply; see if they get accepted; and then if they're still interested ~ visit the campus after the acceptance letter comes in and before the May xx deadline for when they have to give a yes or no answer as to whether they're going to accept (and before you have to pay a housing fee).
Another piece of advice ~ we paid housing deposit fees on several colleges that they got accepted at, because 1st come-first-serve on dorm choices. You can always get your deposit back before the deadline should they decide not to attend.
-
Permalink Reply by Anita Kulik on
-
Barbara, this is also great advice. I love this site. Networking with moms is really a fantastic idea. Everyone here has given me such good advice. I don't think I would have gotten half as much information through her school or anyone else around here.
Barbara said:Junior in high school. Start thinking about it now. Pick like 10-16 schools and spend time researching them online (location, weather, cost, majors, etc) whatever is important to you. Then narrow it down to a reasonable number for you.
If your kid is a student-athlete, you should be starting this as a freshman/sophomore. (Depending on the sport)
Meg Huber said:I have a junior in HS and she is my oldest. I am not ready for any of this college stuff! How do I at least pretend to be ready so not to freak her out? How do you know what colleges to visit? When do you start to visit them? HELP!!!
-
Permalink Reply by College Advice on -
I just visited University of Wyoming today. I visit colleges all the time...but then, I'm a college counselor.
-
Permalink Reply by College Advice on
-
Remember that visiting also has an admissions side to it: colleges prefer to accept kids who have visited. So if a kid has a first choice college--or a couple of top picks--it helps if the student has visited. This is especially true for selective colleges.
Anita Kulik said:Erin,
Thanks for the feedback. I don't thin k I'll make all 5. I think 2 or 3 more will be my limit. She'll have to choose or she's on her own. :) Mom is getting too old for this.
Announce yourself!
Badge
© 2009 Created by Megan Calhoun
