People seldom make major financial commitments to something sight unseen. How many people buy an automobile or expensive furniture without carefully comparing several possibilities? The answer is probably, hardly anyone. Yet people sometimes apply to and enroll in a college that they have never seen. Even though your teenager may apply to a college without visiting it, it is a mistake to enroll there without a firsthand look.
Some hints to consider when planning a college visit:
Begin visiting colleges during ninth grade and visit at least your child’s top two or three choices.
Arrange an appointment with the admissions officer. An interview may be advisable at this time. It will indicate to the college that your child had enough interest to take the time to schedule a formal visit. Do not, however, spend all your time at the admissions office. Make sure you get out to see the campus, dorms and recreational areas. If you would like assistance in scheduling time with an admissions office, please contact Beatriz Guzman. She will help you contact the university and set up an appointment.
Try to visit when the college is in session. There is little to be learned from an empty campus.
If you accompany your teenager, let her spend some of her time away from you with some current college students. If possible, see if she can attend a class or have a meal with students.
Students should try to arrange a visit with a teacher or at least talk to a student in an area of their academic interest.
Some colleges will arrange for your teenager to spend a night in a dorm. Ask the admissions office how to schedule an overnight visit.
New in the 2010-2011 Academic Year
Visits to Colleges in the States- We polled our senior parents asking them if it would have been helpful if we coordinated a trip to the states to visit a few colleges. The response was overwhelmingly positive! Beatriz will plan a trip to the States in October or November of this year. On this first trip, we want to give priority to our senior class and then to the junior class, if space is available. The location of the trip will be in the Massachusetts and Connecticut area.
Athletics and Sports Clinic
