As we head into spring, this is a crucial time to schedule college visits with your student.
Spring break and the spring months are an ideal time for any high school student to visit colleges in person or virtually, no matter where you are in the college process. Visits can help your student narrow down their list of potential colleges or finalize their decision on where to attend.
If you have a high school senior, you could be doing accepted senior visits or doing your last bit of data gathering and confirmation before you make your final pick.
If you have a junior, hopefully you’ve already made some visits, and now you can advance further. You could take advantage of spring break or a four-day weekend to make a longer road trip and visit colleges that are farther away from home or out-of-state.
If you have a sophomore or freshman, I always recommend that parents make some visits with their student as a no-pressure opportunity to see what’s out there. You might visit a local college that interests you, or you could just attend a career day or other campus event to see what visiting colleges is like.
Scheduling Around Spring Break
If you already have plans for spring break, you need to find alternative dates for college visits elsewhere in the spring. You can potentially use teacher conference days or random days off from school to make a visit. Or you can make the ultimate sacrifice of skipping school and skipping work to get something done.
Keep in mind that Good Friday is a very popular college event day. A lot of students have that day off, and it’s not a federal holiday, so many colleges schedule special events for prospective students on that day.
Resources to Help You Plan
To learn more about campus and virtual visits and how to make the most of them, check out my helpful resources on planning your college visits.
The 5 Types of College Visits
Learn about the five types of college visits, what they mean for you, and how they can help you find the right school, explore careers, avoid costly mistakes, and learn more about great opportunities for your student.
College Visit Questionnaire and Checklist
Download my college visit checklist and questionnaire with hundreds of questions you can ask, arranged by category. Use this list to help you figure out the questions that are relevant to you and which ones you’d like to ask.
Making College Visits Virtually During COVID-19
Read my article with great tips on how to visit colleges virtually and still do your research during campus lockdowns or when you just want to play it safe.
How an Unexpected Visit Changed My Choice of School
Our resident mom blogger, Katie Bingham-Smith, shares her story of how an unexpected campus visit changed her mind about which college she decided to attend.
Need Help with College Planning?
Hi, I’m Brad Baldridge, a college funding specialist and the owner of Taming the High Cost of
College.
If you’d like to get great tips and advice on how to save more money for college, reduce your costs, and put your student on the road to a bright future, subscribe to my free e-newsletter.
You can also check out some of my useful college planning articles and resources below.
Helpful Articles and Resources
10 Things to Consider Before Choosing a College
Learn the key factors to keep in mind when you're evaluating colleges for your student.
How an Unexpected College Visit Changed My Choice of School
Learn why college costs aren't what you think, and discover what your family will really pay.
College Financial Planners: What They Do and Why Families Hire Them
Find out why it pays to work with a college financial planner and how they can save you thousands.
6 Ways to Pay for College
Learn the 6 ways to pay for college and make your child's college dreams come true.
