After my first meeting with new clients, I always ask “do you have any additional questions for me?” which is almost always answered with “should we start visiting colleges?” The answer is a renowing YES! In fact, in my opinion you can’t start taking your kids to college campuses early enough- my kids had their first visit at 6 months old, but I’ve always been a bit of an overachiever. All kidding aside, studies conducted by the National Association for College Admission Counseling actually show that students who go on college visits prior to applying are 40 percent more likely to obtain admission than students who don’t. Plus, the earlier parents can get their children excited about college in their own right, the stronger their determination will become to go. I found it's an easier admission process when the student is invested in attending college because they want to go, and not because they need or feel like they should go. So take your kids to as many college campuses as you can, and as often as you can. These don’t need to be specialized planned scouting trips (a post on those to follow), you could simply include these visits in your already planned travel. Going grandma’s in Phoenix, grab some ice cream and walk Arizona State’s campus; taking the kids on that epic Disney World trip, maybe kill some time before your flight at the University of Florida. It might not be the first thing your kids want to do, but your efforts will pay off in the end. Remember these first trips are not scouting trips, they are just getting your child excited and acquainted with what colleges are, in reality, rather than an abstract concept spoken by parents and teachers. Plus, the student stores can always use your business for a good t-shirt or hat. Now, I understand not every family has the budget or means to get to a college campus. But one of the benefits of being locked up in our homes during the pandemic, is colleges have vastly rehauled their virtual tours- making it possible for you to visit from the comfort of your own living room (PJs are totally acceptable for these tours!) Before the pandemic, you can find thousands of pictures and few youtube videos, but now, you can schedule Zoom tours, click through interactive maps, and some even offer full virtual reality walks on campus. Companies, such as YouVisit, believe that “distance should not limit your college options” and allows you to not only virtual walk through campuses all over the country but you can also use their filters to identify schools based on region, student population, geography of campus location, and finally by tuition. Making it not only a great research tool for seniors but also a creative alternative to visiting campuses. I promise to have a post in the near future on scouting trips- what they are, how you should prepare, when you should take them- but for now, let's keep this blog post short and sweet; and please visit a college campus today, no matter how old you are! Comments are closed.
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