When you were looking for colleges did you actually go and visit the campuses?
Just asking because I’m working with some high school students.
Two. But I wasn’t looking very hard 30 years ago.
My oldest in the last year? A few around the country. But I could see others or having the resources to travel that far.
In the late 1980s I applied to three, but visited only one. It seemed decent, so I ended up attending there.
I visited at least six, narrowed it down to two then visited each of the finalists a second time. My dad accompanied me on every single visit, and it’s incredibly helpful to have a parent or someone who has an idea what to look for and what to ask the tour guides.
I visited 5, I think. It was helpful in deciding between schools that seemed similar on paper. I was turned off by the “vibe” of one school and did not bother applying after the visit.
I think about six or so.
I don’t think my answer is useful because it was over 40 years ago but I visited four.
My daughter, who just graduated from college, visited five (maybe six). My son is a sophomore in college and he was along for those visits although was mostly clueless at that point; we visited maybe four a couple of years later specifically for him.
I applied to five schools and only visited a couple of them. Some I only visited after being accepted, to discuss the financial aid packages to see if they could be improved. This was thirty-something years ago, though. I visited some others more recently with my nephew, who graduated high school in 2012. (It was fun, by the way, to make these visits. Colleges are a lot fancier now than when I attended, with really nice dormitories and all sorts of technology.)
Only one. Geaux Tigers!
None. I was living in Europe, applying to colleges in the US. My funds (or rather, my parents’ funds) did not run to campus visits. Everything worked out fine and I loved the college I attended.
Not saying this was the best approach, just relating my experience.
None. I got brochures for 3 colleges in the state. My mom was like “You aren’t going to want to live too far from home” and I said “You’re right” and went to the closest one. It was a fine choice.
None. I based my choice solely on how much money they would give me. I ended up going to a state school that after scholarships and grants paid me about a thousand a semester to attend (after room and board and books.) I have no regrets. I ended up sticking around after graduation, met my wife and have some amazing kids. Life could be worse.
Over a dozen, but a lot of those were just because they happened to be in the same cities as other schools I was interested in, so we might as well stop by while we were there. We made trips to DC, Philadelphia, and Boston, and between those three, you can get a heck of a lot of schools. The one I ended up choosing was already on my short list (about four schools, IIRC) before I started visiting.
One undergrad, one postgrad.
70s and around me we didn’t seem to do actual visits; probably should have. I picked one and was down for orientation when I decided it was NOT for me and I got a couple friends to spring me the third day (actually part of a motorcycle gang sprang me – I mean I wanted OUT). At that point Pitt was the only place I could get into within the next 3 weeks that would also accept the scholarship money I had on the table. Thus began my slow descent into despair.
I visited one - the one I ended up attending for a year - tho I applied to 5. Three were safety schools and one was a pipe dream, since I couldn’t afford to go to school out of commuting distance from home. It was a lot cheaper to apply in 1972…
As for where I finally graduated - never visited. I chose it based on reputation.
I’m curious. What did they point out to you?
My oldest daughter starts college in 2 weeks. We visited 10 campuses total.
Three. The Kent State campus was in walking distance of my parents’ house, so I was already familiar with it. I also looked at a couple of other colleges in Ohio – I don’t remember which ones offhand now, more than 30 years later.
I went to Kent State for a couple of semesters, until my father got a job in Colorado and I lost residency and would have had to pay a higher tuition fee to go live in a dorm on campus. I went with my family to Colorado instead, went to UCD for a couple more semesters, and from there got the opportunity to go study in the UK at the U of Lancaster without even seeing either before I started there.
None. I only applied to one because my father really hoped one of his kids would go there (Notre Dame). I knew I’d get in and I didn’t care where I went.
(In retrospect, terrible decision. The school and I didn’t click, and I needed a break. I ended up taking a year off then going back to finish.)