College Tour Road Trips
Personally, I think everyone should start visiting colleges before their child’s junior year. Most families get into a scrambling mode and it may turn out your child loves a college that they now don’t have the grades to get accepted. If they visit it early on in their high school career, it may help them focus on getting better grades.
If you plan ahead, mapping out a schedule for campus visits should be relatively easy. By visiting different colleges, your child will be able to see what he likes and doesn’t like and may be able to rule out some colleges that are farther away. When you have a tentative itinerary, you and your child can begin calling colleges to schedule the visits. Plan your visits with places to stay and eat in mind. Keep in mind that many colleges don’t give tours on weekends. You need to book a tour well ahead of time for the schools you have serious interest in. Here are some guides to follow.
U.S. News and World Report features road trip guides by state. They also narrow down regions by focus of study, like science at schools where cutting-edge research can lead to big next steps. They also list 36 Questions to Ask on a College Visit.
If you are going to make this your vacation, check out Travel and Leisure articles: “America’s Top College Hotels”, “America’s Most Beautiful College Campuses”, “America’s Coolest College Towns”, “America’s Best College Football Stadiums”, and “America’s Most Beautiful College Libraries”.
Better Homes and Garden also has an article on “How to Plan a College Tour on a Budget”. If you know Erin Pruitt or Amy Nidds they can tell you how to plan your college tours.
