5 Ways to Save on College Visits
Come fall, families with high schoolers will embark on pilgrimages to college campuses across the country to ask questions and decide where to apply. This is an expense that many parents don't think about, but the travel costs can add up quickly. Still, visiting top schools is a worthwhile experience because college brochures don't tell the whole story.
[See: 11 Easy Ways to Slash Travel Costs.]
Read on for advice on planning budget-friendly campus visits.
Incorporate college visits into family vacations. When Tim Beyers and his family of five vacation in Arizona this summer, they'll make a stop in Prescott, Arizona, so Beyers' 16-year-old son can visit Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Beyers says they're signed up for a campus tour and "a chance to meet with somebody to get a sense of how the school works and what a new student can expect."
However, there is one caveat with this strategy: "If families schedule [their] college visits while they're on vacation they can accomplish two things at once, but campuses can be very quiet during the summer and other vacation times," cautions Debra Felix, executive director of the Washington, District of Columbia-based Felix Educational Consulting, an admissions consulting group. Don't assume that classrooms, the library or fitness facilities will be open; contact the admissions office in advance to see if you can schedule a campus tour or check if the library or dining halls will be open if those things are important to you.
Of course, some families prefer to explore on their own rather than taking a carefully rehearsed campus tour. New Jersey dad Jack Killion says his family stopped at college campuses wherever they traveled in the U.S. or abroad beginning when his son Jonathan was age 5 or 6. "We would head to the bookstore and buy a cap or T-shirt from the college or university," Killion says. "We would talk to students and others we ran into. We looked for the gym and usually wound up shooting some hoops," he adds. Killion's son chose Georgetown University, which the family visited on a weekend trip to the District of Columbia, for other reasons. "We never made a special trip to visit any college or university," Killion says, emphasizing that they'd already seen a variety of schools during their family trips.
Tap into discounts. Felix suggests looking for travel promotions to help lower your costs getting to campus. For instance, Amtrak offers half-price companion tickets to students traveling with a parent or guardian who purchases a full-fare ticket during select dates (blackout dates may apply). Felix also recommends checking the college's admissions website for information about hotels that may offer reduced rates to visiting families or asking hotels near campuses if they offer any deals.
[See: 12 Frugal Ways to Save on Vacation.]
Consider creative accommodation options. To trim travel costs, opt to forgo a traditional hotel. One of the cheapest and best options is staying with family or friends who live in the same city or town as the school you're visiting. "By staying with people you know in the area you might learn a lot about the colleges you're visiting," Felix says. Alternatively, look into vacation rentals from companies like Airbnb, so you can take advantage of a full kitchen rather than eating every meal out.
If you're comfortable sending students to visit universities by themselves, some schools will let them stay overnight in a dorm, typically with a current student, to get a taste of life on campus. Super-competitive schools with really low admit rates don't have this option, but schools that have an admit rate of 33 percent or more do tend to offer this, according to Felix. "Some only offer [this option] for admitted students, and some will offer it for prospective students," she adds.
If you opt for a hotel, look for a property with free breakfast and other perks. Hannah Roveto, a mother of two who lives outside of Boston, says she looks for added benefits on her kids' college visits. "We look for hotels with free breakfasts, free Wi-Fi [and] parking deals if not free parking, in the area."
Bring younger siblings. If you have multiple college-bound kids, bring them all on campus visits to avoid unnecessary repeat trips later on. Even they're not interested in a particular school, they can start learning about the process and figuring out if they want a rural or urban campus, a small liberal arts school or a larger university, which can help them narrow down their search later on.
Many families visit several schools in one trip, which can save money but can also prove overwhelming. When Roveto's son wanted to visit schools along the West Coast, her younger daughter tagged along. "We definitely checked a number of boxes," Roveto says. Once you've been on a few campus tours, they can start to blend together, so the family made it into a little game to keep the everyone engaged. "If the guide walked backwards or the guide mentioned the brand new research facility, they got a check mark [like in bingo]," Roveto says. After long days of college visits, Roveto and her family would relax and debrief over dinner to prevent the college decision-making process from feeling overwhelming.
[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]
If all else fails, arrange a virtual visit. Google Hangouts, phone calls and brochures can help narrow down a student's search, but they often can't match the experience of actually visiting a campus in person. Browsing the campus bookstore or enjoying a meal in the dining hall can give you a feel for intangibles that won't show up on the admissions website. Plus, as Felix points out, some college admissions offices track which applicants visit and value demonstrated interest. "There's nothing like stepping foot on campus to actually know if it's a good fit for a student," she adds.
But if an in-person visit isn't possible for financial or logistical reasons, you can still gather intel from afar. For instance, you might be able to chat with a professor or a current student by phone. Don't just rely on contacts from the admissions office. They often train students on how to answer questions and speak about the school, so for a candid point of view, startups like CampusOwl.com will set you up 30-minute private Skype session with a current student, for a $34.99 fee.
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