My daughter, a junior in high school, my husband and I spent most of her spring vacation visiting colleges. We got to a mere 10; we know a family that visited 13 schools, and I’m sure there are others that would scoff at our puny efforts. Not that we’re finished looking. Not by a long shot. It’s kind of fun. Really. But a little scary: it’s one thing to be told geting into college is more competitive than ever, it’s another to arrive at a campus and find the info session you signed up for is so over-subscribed it’s being moved from the admissions office to the theater, and then to not be able to hear the student leading the tour because of the mass of people separating you from him or her as you schlep from the gym to the science labs to the cafeteria to the dorm to the student center to the library to the other cafeteria. One doesn’t feel, well, exactly collegial toward the other kids competing with your kid for the same slot. Still, we are hopeful. There are a lot of good schools out there, and we know one or more of them will want our fabulous girl. So, despite the crowds, I recommend you slip into your comfy shoes and, if you can, go. Visiting the college is a way to SHOW THEM YOU ARE INTERESTED. It’s important. And you’ll see some beautiful places, get a real feel for the schools, give your kids a better idea of what they really want in a college. Not to mention the important information you’ll gather. Like which schools own a stuffed polar bear. And the exact number of a cappella groups they have.
