What did you ask at the college information session and/or tour and what do you wish you would have asked that helped you/your son (or daughter) later on? Any watch outs?
We're going to our first next weekend as part of an UV and want to be sure we're prepared so we're not kicking ourselves that we didn't think of that when we had the opportunity. I'm thinking beyond campus size, location, majors, cost. Appreciate any insights from those of you who've gone through it.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Advice that was givin to me that's worked pretty well. Make a list of all the questions you would want to know the answeres to. Then go to the schools web site and research them. Most questions can be answered this way. Then make a list of the questions you couldn't find answers to and ask those. For example do they super score the ACT or do they prefer the ACT or SAT. I can never seem to find those on the web site so those have to be asked.
I wouldn't worry about it too much.
Between our 2 kids we visited quite a few colleges and I can only recall one question ever at an info session that elicited information that wasn't readily available online or given at the session. (It was a question about the numerical odds of CA kids getting into UVA.)
To me the student tour guides were more important information sources than the admissions officers. Did they seem to genuinely like their school? Why did they choose to go there? Did they seem sincere when they said the dining hall food was really good?
BTW when we went to visit colleges for baseball the coaches didn't want us to do tours or info sessions.
For a student-athlete, I would recommend finding out about academic support resources/tutors, etc., especially for when they are on the road. This information may come more from the coaching staff than admissions.
JCG posted: ...BTW when we went to visit colleges for baseball the coaches didn't want us to do tours or info sessions.
What reasons did the coaches give for not wanting you to take tours or attend info sessions?
RocketCityPadre posted:JCG posted: ...BTW when we went to visit colleges for baseball the coaches didn't want us to do tours or info sessions.
What reasons did the coaches give for not wanting you to take tours or attend info sessions?
I second that. What was their rationale? And how can a student find out everything they need to know from coaches? Although I assume they talk to players too?
Realize what the general tours are: led by vivacious students who are tasked with selling the school. Just like any salesperson. I have been on tours where a "typical" dorm room was the on the tour; at S's school, if a "typical" dorm room had been shown, most would have gone to another school. So, the question is how to extract decent unbiased unvarnished info.
If, for example, your tour guide is an athlete, snuggle up to the front and just make "friends" asking about his/her typical day, prof availability (specifically for athletes who may not be able to make office hours), what are the majors on his/her team, what are the job prospects for athletes, etc.
For the most part, the tours allow you to get a feel for the expanse of the campus, basic requirements for admission, and other raw type stats. As others have noted, most of the info is freely available on the web.
For a few schools - for unhooked applicants - "demonstrated interest" is an admission element; a tour demonstrates interest for those students.
To me, the most important part of these tours (we did dozens over time) was getting the kids to figure out the differences in schools.
I assume you will be meeting someone from the baseball staff (the UV part of your post). Ask that person your pointed academic questions - especially the majors of the juniors and seniors (don't let them snow you with freshman and sophomore majors), the schedules, study requirements (e.g., mandatory study tables), faculty liaisons, and the current jobs of the last two classes to graduate. (Every good coach will know what his recent graduates are doing.)
I feel this is the part of the interaction with the coaches where the parents are the drivers of the bus; these are all non-baseball issues which most kids aren't interested/prepared to ask and understand the responses.
Midwest Mom posted:RocketCityPadre posted:JCG posted: ...BTW when we went to visit colleges for baseball the coaches didn't want us to do tours or info sessions.
What reasons did the coaches give for not wanting you to take tours or attend info sessions?
I second that. What was their rationale? And how can a student find out everything they need to know from coaches? Although I assume they talk to players too?
They did the tours themselves, or had their players do them.
We always got there the day before a visit, enabling my sons to view the campus from a purely student perspective. Act like baseball is not part of the equation.
