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Pacific Northwest Expedition (or How I Traded My Credit Card Miles for Campus Visits)

Pacific Northwest Expedition (or How I Traded My Credit Card Miles for Campus Visits)

by | Mar 13, 2024 | College Planning Blog

Here’s a condensed version of episode 21 on the Tom Talks College podcast with some slick visuals referenced on said podcast.

Itinerary

We just wrapped up another state-mandated ACT this morning, so parents of juniors in the great state of Wisconsin…be good to your kids. We’ve been working them pretty hard, and they need a little mental downtime and maybe a three-hour nap. I’m enjoying a slower day today, then I’m back at Edgewood tomorrow for two ACT classes with two great groups of students before hopping on an early flight out of Dane County Municipal Airport and arriving before noon at Seattle Tacoma International. Assuming they don’t lose my rental car agreement, I’m headed north to Bellingham to visit Western Washington University, home to two former OnCampus students and then back to enjoy all that Seattle has to offer. 

Friday = Fun day 

I’ll be on the University of Washington campus no later than 7:30 Friday morning and be there until mid-morning, when I head south to Portland. On my way I’ll make quick stops at Seattle University, the University of Puget Sound and Evergreen State College. Friday afternoon includes stops at Reed College, Lewis and Clark College and then Portland State, all in the greater Portland metro area. 

Saturday is for Beavers and Ducks. 

Surely strong coffee and doughnuts are available in Portland, and I’ll enjoy them on my way to Corvallis, where I’ll poke around Oregon State, then make the quick jaunt over to Eugene where I’ll say it like they say it, hopefully. YOU-gene. YOU-gene. Gotta practice. I dislike those acid green and yellow costumes our future Big Ten rivals wear, but I’m tempted to buy something garish and wear it home, just for shock value — and because the whole idea of any travel, collegiate or otherwise, is to do what they do, eat what they eat and talk like they talk. Otherwise, I could go to a Chili’s at West Towne Mall. No fun in that. At 4:30 this morning when Buddy the 16-year-old rat terrier texted me that he needed to be let out I did some revamping of the travel plans and decided to spend half an hour on the way back to Portland walking around Willamette University, one of the esteemed Colleges That Change Lives. Evergreen State College and Puget Sound are also on that list list, and you’ll hear me talk more about what Colleges That Change Lives means in my social media posts and next week when I compile my notes for the next podcast and blog. 

Why do I visit campuses, and why do I visit so many in such a short time? 

I willingly spend company money (a.k.a my money) to travel around the United States so that I can speak with greater authority when I’m hired by a family to build a college list for their student, and so that my conversations and advice to anyone – a test prep client, someone who comes in for a free consult and decides to go elsewhere, or even a friend – are more accurate, more informed and more helpful. My goal is to experience and know this campus as a place, in ways I can’t through just a website or a virtual tour. The one math formula I didn’t make your kids memorize is this: 

Being There = Knowing

Most of these colleges have been on my wish list for quite some time, and it’s time to fill the gap on the map.

I visit campuses because college is what I do and who I am, and I just can’t get enough of this. But I am not trying to relive my glory days. I am dedicated to the idea that college is a critical choice, and one that is not the right choice for every high school student. I’m convinced we all can do a better job of making an informed choice so that we have better experiences and get more from that experience.   

But why so many in such a short time?

Eleven campus visits in just over two days is a lot. (I did 31 in 11 days back in 2022, but who’s counting?) I’m cheap (thrifty?), and it’d be great to devote an entire day to each college, or just do two in one day – but I don’t know when I’ll get back to Seattle, so I’m going to maximize my time by doing pre- and post-trip research. I know a decent amount about all these schools, some more than others, but I don’t know what it looks like when you pause in the middle of the campus in Corvallis and look around. I don’t know (yet) where I could walk as a freshman to find a cool, alternative coffee shop or a great burrito. I have a burning desire to know those things, the way I know those things about State Street, or the many campuses where I’ve already visited. 

Filling the gap in the map

In 2020 I added a wish list to my spreadsheet of colleges that were high on my list. I’m delighted to see that I’ve made it to so many of these places, sometimes tacking on a few on my drive back from visiting our son, Joe, in Cincinnati — and that big purple swatch came during a Christmas visit to the in-laws in Tucson, which is really just five or six hours from San Diego. You see how this works.

What do you get out of this?

In addition to some Facebook Live posts and a foray or two onto Instagram, I’ll pull together some time-tested, Tom-tested tips for better campus visits from these and my almost 190 previous campus visits and share them with you next week. I’m incredibly excited to be on the road again, and in the same way I love to talk about college football and good BBQ in the South, I just really love sharing what I know about colleges with people like you who want to learn more. It’s 8:32 p.m. on Wednesday. I should probably pack a toothbrush. 

Add College Campus Visits to Your Spring Break Bucket List

Add College Campus Visits to Your Spring Break Bucket List

by | Feb 28, 2019 | College Planning Blog

Adding a campus visit to your spring break travel plans can be fun and productive, even if you have never visited a college and college application time is a long way off. For those resisting already, let me address your objections, one by one:

  • There aren’t any colleges we’re interested in where we’re going (Even better! No pressure to make any big decisions then.)
  • My child is only in 7th (8th, 9th, 10th grade) (Perfect! It’s never too early to start exposing your child to the college environment to get their wheels turning and get them excited about their future.)
  • I’ll bet there aren’t any colleges where we’re going (“False.” Dwight Schrute)
  • We won’t have a car (Uber. Ever heard of it?)
  • My child won’t want to. (Yeah, I didn’t want to go to balmy rural Nebraska for spring break either. But no one asked me. They just said, “Get in the car, or I’ll really give you something to cry about.” Or something like that.)
  • We’re staying home (Great! Then you can check out colleges near your home. Perfect day trip.)
  • I don’t know what we’re doing for spring break yet (A college you’ve always been curious about could help you nail down a destination.)

College Campus Visits Oncampus College Planning 5Look, I can’t make you go on a campus visit. But I can tell you you’ll be glad if you do. It doesn’t have to take up your entire vacation. No matter where you’re going, you can add a campus visit that lasts a day, a morning or an hour.

Why You Should Start College Campus Visits Way Before Junior Year

As a college planner, I’m a huge advocate for visiting college campuses early and often, beginning in middle school and certainly well before junior year. Things are less overwhelming, more familiar and more comfortable the more you do them.

Wouldn’t you rather get your first college campus visits under your belt before you’re in the throes of college planning?

My sons have been taking campus visits since they were in elementary school. (Granted, I’m in the biz, and I’ve visited more than 130 campuses around the country.) Once Jack and Joe were juniors in high school and we were in the thick of college planning, the brilliance of early campus visits came to life for me. During campus visits for schools they were seriously considering, they already had a general understanding of what “College” was. They’d been on big campuses and small campuses. They’d seen private colleges and public colleges. They’d seen colleges in cities and colleges in small towns. The job of evaluating a particular school was much easier because they had something to compare it to.

Options for College Campus Visits That Fit Every Age and Interest Level

Schedule an official Campus Visit Tour.

Go to any college website, and you’ll find “Admissions”. There you’ll find info about visiting the campus. Colleges WANT you to visit, because they WANT to attract prospective students. They don’t care if you’re not applying soon. They love the exposure. Therefore, they make campus visit information easy to find. You can call or email the college to find out when they do tours, and then register for one that works for you. Campus tours typically take 2-3 hours and will give you a good idea of the highlights about that particular campus. Note: To get the most out of your visit, make sure they don’t have spring break at that time. The college website or admissions personnel can provide this information.

Take a Self-Guided Campus Visit.

While not as thorough as a guided tour, you can guide your own campus visit with a map of the campus that you grab from the visitor’s center or admissions office. College campuses are wide open, welcoming places, and you can walk freely all over campus on your own self-guided tour. You’ll get a good idea of what the campus feels like, what type of people are strolling around, what the facilities and amenities look like and more. A self-guided campus visit is a solid option for younger students who can’t be cajoled into an official tour. It also lets you control how long you spend visiting, so you can get back to other spring break activities on your own schedule.

Opt for a drive-by campus visit.

This is exactly what it sounds like. While you’re out and about exploring your spring break destination, drive through the college campus nearby. It’s obviously less thorough than a walking tour, but it accomplishes the goal of getting a feel for the campus. It doesn’t take long, and any campus visit is better than no campus visit.

Piggy-back a college campus visit on other site-seeing.

Just as State Street in Madison is right next to the University of Wisconsin, the best parts of many cities are right near college campuses. College campuses typically have fantastic art museums, wonderful theater productions, great athletic events, beautiful gardens and grounds and fun, quirky bookstores and coffee shops. Check them out!

For more on how to make the most of campus visits including what to ask, where to go, what NOT to do and who to talk to, download our free campus visit guide. It makes for great reading on the drive. We also have a Campus Visit Bullet Journal you can download. This handy one-pager is a helpful note-taking tool while you’re on a campus visit.

For help with which colleges to visit and how to know which colleges are right for you, check out our College Search services. You can sign up for a FREE consult in person or by phone anytime. Let’s talk College!