College Tour

Last summer, I took my kids on a college tour.  We, or should I say I, drove from Brooklyn, New York to Atlanta, Georgia and back.  Along the way, we stopped at Georgetown University, Howard, University of Virginia, Duke, University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), Georgia Tech, Spelman, Morehouse, and Clark University.  It was hot, but we had fun driving, singing, eating, and hanging out with family and friends.

This past spring break, we went on our second college tour.  This time, we kept it local.  We visited Cornell, Syracuse, University of Binghamton, University of Albany, and UCONN.  Our trip started with a drive up to Utica.  We stayed in a hotel and made that our home base for a few days.  From there, we visited Syracuse, University of Binghamton, and Cornell.  The first in Utica, it was cold and dreary outside.  When we woke up, not only was it was still cold and dreary, but there was a layer of snow on the ground!  Mind you, it was April.  April!  Thankfully, by the time we got to Syracuse the snow had melted.  But, this was a foreshadow.  During this trip, it was either cold or rainy, a stark difference from our summer tour.  Let me tell you this, it is not fun walking around for two to three hours listening to an overly hyped young college student telling you about the history of the college, pointing out different buildings and extolling the benefits of attending that particular college.  When you’re cold and wet, at some point, you want to yell “That’s it.  I’m done!” and stomp off like a three-year-old.  All you want to do is go back to the hotel, order some food, and take a long hot shower! 
Now that I’ve taken these kids on college tours in both the summer and “spring”, I have some tips for you on how to survive these tours. 

1. Try to schedule the tour during warm months.  By warm months, I don’t mean months that should be warm because the calendar says they are.  I mean months when you KNOW that the weather is going to be hot.  If its wet or cold outside, you spend more time wondering how much longer this tour is going to last than paying attention to what your tour guide is saying.
2. Make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes.  This is not the time to wear your cute sandals, flop flops, boots, or the sneakers that match your outfit (unless they are comfortable).  You will be doing a lot of walking.  Let me say that again, you will be doing a lot of walking.  Believe me, you want your feet to be comfortable.  Trust me, your feet will thank me later.
3. Bring snacks.  Depending on how late you got up, you may not have time for breakfast.  You have to sit through the admissions presentation before the walking tour.  This presentation will last at least two hours (or, at least it feels that long).  You will get hungry.  You don’t want the person sitting next to you hear your growling stomach.
4. Pack an extra sweater.  The admissions presentation is going to be in the auditorium.  It will be cold.  I think they keep it that way on purpose.  I think they don’t want us falling asleep during the presentation.
5. Make sure you have a good imagination.  After the fifth college tour, all the presentations start sounding the same.  You don’t want to fall asleep and risk snoring.  You may wake up the parent sitting next to you, or worse, embarrass your kid.  Better to go visit the fantasy world inside your head. 
6. Pack an umbrella.  I know this seems obvious, but even though it looks like its going to be a sunny day, it can suddenly rain on you.  You don’t want to get stuck in a downpour.
7. Get ready for the Harry Potter reference.  Somehow, in some way, there will be a Harry Potter reference on either the presentation or the tour.  If you haven’t read the series, go watch the movies so you know what they are talking about.
8. Bring your pocketbook and make sure you have cash or credit.  At some point, the tour guide will conveniently point out the food court and the bookstore.  Please, feel free to visit them after the tour. 
9. Make sure you book a room at a nice hotel.  Since you are going to want to crash after the tour, you may as well do it in a nice hotel.  During the summer tour, when we weren’t staying with family, I booked hotel rooms at what I would call middle range hotels.  It served its purpose, but they weren’t anything to write home about.  However, during the winter tour, when we were in Albany, I booked a room at the Hilton.  What a difference an upgrade in hotels made.  That room was so nice, we didn’t even want to leave for the tour!  Since you are going to be spending time in the hotel, you may as well treat it like a vacation.  If it’s in your budget, splurge and be comfortable.

After the second tour, I was so done with college tours.  At this point, I don’t want to see another college until its time to drop my son off.  But, wouldn’t you know, a few weeks after we returned home, my son asked if we could visit colleges in Boston.  Can you believe it?  I guess I’ll be driving to Boston this summer.  I better look at hotel rates now.

​So, when your kids reach the age where you’ll be taking them on college tours, remember my advice.
Now you know and you can …
Consider Yourself Warned!