Roadtrip!

In “Junior Year Redux,” I forgot to mention one of the most important things: college visits! This has to be one of the most fun parts of the whole process, and one of the most motivating, as well. I don’t care if your kids don’t think they want to leave home, or if they’re set on a particular school. Visit as many campuses as you can! It changes the mindset, and seems to make it more real.

During spring break of Emily’s junior year, I took both girls on a trip to tour various campuses, especially the frontrunners. Going in, Emily thought she wanted to go to UC Irvine because of its dance program and proximity to home. By the end of the trip, Irvine was off the table (too focused on science with only a nod to the arts); UC Santa Cruz and UC Santa Barbara (even though we didn’t even go to UCSB) were at the top of the list, and she had identified a major for the first time (art history). Not only, that, but it hooked Hannah as well.

To schedule a tour, go to each school’s admissions site. Shoot for a time when school is in session. If there’s a particular program or aspect of the school you’d like to see, find out how to get a special tour of that. In a couple cases, we had friends/family members provide the tours. That was great! We felt like we were getting the inside scoop on college life.

Remember, though, you don’t have to see everything before senior year, unless your child is dismissing something out of hand that you think he or she needs to see. We still have several visits we want to do this year.

If nothing else, it’s a great excuse for a roadtrip!