To College Students/Graduates

[TheHmmmm]

My father and I are currently arguing over whether visiting colleges to which I plan on applying is essential or not. So I've come to hear your opinion.

Now, most of the colleges that will receive my application are around 1000-1300 miles away from my location. Roundtrip tickets for my father and me would be around $1000 (American). To further discourage me, my father would take that money out of one of my two college fund storages, which altogether hold around $15000. With tuition blowing that out of the water in one year, I'm pretty hesitant to pay for something when I don't even see a strong benefit myself.

On a personal level, I don't really give a crap about anything the tour is going to tell me. The campus appearance could look absolutely desolate for all I care; colleges are just names that go on my degree to help me get a job. The only things that capture my interest are application and financial aid. The rest I can suck up for 4-6 years.

The reason I'm hesitant to trust my father is that he is the person who never really shows discretion in covering points of preparation for anything, largely because he doesn't actually know what's important. His philosophy is to do everything recommended to him (thereby forcing me to do the same) to cover all of his paranoid bases.

All-in-all, is it crucially important I spend roughly 10% of my college fund (adding plane tickets and expected expenses) for a 1 hour an 15 minute tour? Did you find it necessary or even helpful to take a tour of your university?

[Alice?]

You said yourself that the 'campus could look absolutely desolate' and you wouldn't care, so why bother? I personally think you're crazy, though. If you're going to be spending 4-6 years of your life somewhere, you might as well like the appearance and the atmosphere. Otherwise, you'll be miserable. Go visit your top choices. It'll be worth it.

[TheHmmmm]

You said yourself that the 'campus could look absolutely desolate' and you wouldn't care, so why bother? I personally think you're crazy, though. If you're going to be spending 4-6 years of your life somewhere, you might as well like the appearance and the atmosphere. Otherwise, you'll be miserable. Go visit your top choices. It'll be worth it.

Well, like I said, college choice is based entirely on the name for me, and the correlation with strong education that name brings, I guess. To me, it's a means to an end, just like high school.

I mean, looking at my high school in a state whose educational system ranks the lowest of the 50 states (last time I checked), I realize that had this been a college, I would have a degree by now. If I can tolerate all of the crap of this garbage school, I figure I can tolerate a similar environment.

Now, looking realistically, I already know the colleges I'm looking into are beautiful, relative to the coffee stain on the map in which I live. They have excellent reputations. The only thing my father really argues strongly for is the idea that they offer great advice for financial aid, but I don't think that's the case.

But, if it's worth it, I'll probably end up going.

[Alice?]

Well if you're going to be happy with any of the campuses anyway, just look up the financial aid departments on the school websites and get in contact with people that way. Why bother travelling all over just to get financial aid information...? That's what phones and email are for. :/

[del]

The "tour" is not the reason you want to visit colleges. The point is to get a feel for the place and the surrounding town/city that you're going to have to spend 4+ years living in.

You won't be doing school stuff 100% of the time. You may be all gung ho about it now (I certainly was) and ready to kick serious academic ass, but those four years will really grind you down -- even if you love what you're studying. Especially if you love what you're studying. And If you live in an environment you don't like, it will just be a thousand times worse.

That said, most college towns are basically the same. If you don't go visit, I would at least do more research on whatever cities your colleges are in (culture, weather, size, etc.) to help inform your decision.

But no, it is not absolutely essential to visit. It doesn't hurt, though.

Also, some advice from someone who has been there: it's likely that your dad doesn't want YOU to see the campuses as much as HE wants to see them. Temper his parental anxieties and whatnot (you are going 1000+ miles away, that is). A last trip together and a chance to bond and all that jazz. If it were me, I would indulge him. :)

[Jaico]

While I do agree with Del in that a campus tour with your dad could be nice/would be good to assuage his anxiety, I also think that $1000 can go a long way. To be honest, I don't think that you'd pick up anything really worthwhile out of a quick college tour, and most colleges/college towns will have stuff that will occupy your time anyways. I just don't believe that spending $1000 (out of your college fund, no less) for a quick tour of the campus would be justified...

Of course, take all I'm saying with a grain of salt - I go to a university that's in my city, so I might have just been already familiar with the campus already :p.

[Cavallier]

I agree with Jaico in almost everything he said. I chose mine based on financial aid. The tours are meant to sell you on the university so they aren't really that great. Mostly they involve making connections with fellow students and you often don't get to know the faculty at all. However, there is much to be gleaned out of how they go about trying to sell their school. Personally I find that the college website can tell you a lot about the university. Look up reviews online also. I checked out how various professors in my department rated on online student review sites (Very handy for trying to decide which classes to take!) and spent some time perusing the various grad student and professor profiles on the university website. You will probably get more valuable information going this route and it's free!

Edit: Also, don't be too quick to make a decision about a university thinking that if it sucks you'll just suffer through. Going to university is a long arduous process and for many people one of the funnest times of their lives. It can be a turning point for many as well. In many ways you focus your life's direction through your studies at university. Toughing it out at a university you hate is a waste of money and time. If you are going 1000 miles away you are probably going out of state and going to have to pay out of state tuition. Why waste all that money on a school you hate if you could save money on an in state university? No. I advise being careful in your choice but you don't have to visit the university before hand.

[Trebuchet]

I found it critical to visit colleges, but not for the campus. When I visited my number 1 choice, I knew immediately that I wasn't going there. When I visited one of my less preferred choices, I knew immediately that I belonged there. The difference was the students.

It sounds like it isn't a good financial decision to go visit physically. Ask the colleges if they could put you in contact with alumni in your area, and talk to them. Looking back, I suspect that might have worked almost as well for me. If the alumni are too busy or uninterested to talk to a pre-frosh, what does that tell you?

[Cati]

I wouldn't make such a big deal about visiting the college if it is going to cost so much. The only reason I visited the school I attended is because it was only an hour away. Otherwise, I would have made a blind guess based on financial aid and whatever I saw on the college website. Since you don't care much for the environment of the campus, I would just skip the tour. A college is a college (if it's accredited) and the money spent on the tour can be used for books or booze. Or both.

[Alexk]

I had a similar outlook on college when I was a high school senior, but going to the school not for the tour, but the get a feel for the community and student body is important. I may have just thought my school's super-liberal small town feel that's packed full of crazy hippies was just a cool thing three years ago, but now I love it, as it's really allowed for a comfortable place for me to expand upon ideals that didn't seem so big to me back then.

[JONTON]

I think you can find out all you need to know about a college by telephone and internet. Contact people doing the course/classes you want to do. You might find them online, or you might be able to get in touch with them via the college. Do some nosing around on their websites.

[Vrecknidj]

Tour your top 3. No need for me to give reasons, others have covered it.

Dave

[Michelle]

I would definitely suggest you look at the places. Top 5 I would say.

I was in a very similar situation when I was applying for colleges, I lived in Las Vegas and I was applying for schools in California, but I didn't actually go to any of the campuses. I honestly don't think I would have chosen the school I now attend if I had been able to check out the campus when I was making my decisions. It is a lovely campus, lots of trees and old buildings, but I don't really like the student body. I have made a friend or two but after two years I still don't feel particularly attached to the school. I am constantly thinking about transferring to other schools, but right now it is nearly impossible to transfer in California because of the financial crisis. Now I am starting my junior year transferring would mean extending college an extra year.

So to answer your question, I agree with everyone else here who thinks you should go just to check out the atmosphere of the campus.