WHAT WORKED

     We found that our most productive initial college visits were to small, private four-year colleges.  Their architecture was always gorgeous, their grounds were always well-kept, and we could tour their whole campuses on your own in an hour or so.  The college's admission offices were easy to find - usually with free parking spaces right there, and they always had maps for self-guided tours.

     We don’t recommend taking a formal campus tour on your first visits to colleges.  It worked better for us to let the whole college concept sink in first.  Initially, your kids will be amazed that students actually study and live right there.  So, we recommend saving a formal tour for a later visit, and that tour doesn’t have to be a tour of the first campus you visited.

     For formal tours, it's best to call ahead to the admission office.  Whether you're in a group or individual tour, these tours are always free, and they're usually guided by students who are giving tours as a work-study job.  Your guides want the work, so don't think you're imposing on them.

     And don't concern yourselves with what the schools might cost at this point.  The generosity of the financial aid programs at American colleges varies from school to school, and it can be truly amazing.  Like all parents of college applicants, some day you will become your family's financial aid experts.  At that point, http://www.americancollegegenerosity.com/ is a good resource.  But what matters during your first college visits is to build college motivation in your kids by letting them visualize themselves within the college scene.

     Note:  Later on, when your kids are actually applying to colleges, you will find that colleges compete for motivated students with both their programs and their money, and that building motivated students is the most effective college savings program your family can have.     

     And, if the whole process is working right, your children will either ask to have their pictures taken in a certain spot on the campus, or your son or daughter will ask the “magic” question, “Can I really go to college?”

     We answered the magic question like this: “We’ll do everything we can to make it happen, but we won’t be applying to college, you will.  So, if you really want to go to college, take good classes, get good grades, and be an active student in your school.  Work hard, and we’ll work hard to help you reach your goal.”

     Another hint: when you get home, go to your local community college, get library cards from that college for everyone in your family, and make that college a family resource.