How do parents fit in college visits and summer vacation? Why not combine the two? There are many states that have a ton of colleges and universities, as well as interesting activities to entertain the family. On the Today Show this morning, Katherine Cohen of Ivy Wise mentioned just a few cities to check out: Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles.
Visiting colleges is one of the most important steps in the college identification process. In the college information session, your child will hear what you have been telling them all along – colleges look for high achievers, goal-setters, and hard-workers. Your child will also be able to observe other students on-campus, sit in on a class, visit academic buildings and dormitories, meet with professors. read the college newspaper, and eat the food on-campus. Besides helping your child identify possible colleges and universities for their college list, a campus visit will show the school that your child is definitely interested in attending. This is called “demonstrated interest” – a factor that many colleges/universities track and use in their admissions decisions. Plan a college tour this summer. I guarantee that you will not only be happy that you visited, but you will also find your child more excited about getting the applications done.