CHICAGO — Never mind four years of tuition — the college selection process alone has gotten so expensive that parents need a budget just to deal with campus visits and other costs.
“Taking tests, buying books — any preparation you’re doing can make the process expensive. But especially the college visits,” said Katherine Cohen, a college admissions counselor and founder of ApplyWise, an online college admissions counseling site.
That doesn’t mean writing off the visitation process this fall. After all, there’s nothing like setting foot on a campus for a prospective student to get a sense of a school. But you’ll need to be smart about controlling the costs.
Mike and Susan Ford know about the hefty price tag of college visits. The Fords, of Chickasha, Okla., just began the process with 17-year-old son William and are finding it much costlier than five years ago when they visited campuses with their daughter Caroline — particularly when it comes to filling up their SUV to hit the road.
“If you’re doing something and you can find a way to combine it with a trip, that helps,” said Mike, who owns a mortgage company. The Fords managed to slash expenses by stopping off at Birmingham Southern College this month on the way to their annual family beach vacation in Florida.
It’s not unusual for someone to spend $3,000 on travel, food and lodging costs from such visits before selecting a school to attend — or much more in some cases, says Cliff Kramon, an independent college adviser.
Save a Buck / College tours
If you’re thinking about visiting colleges anytime soon, here are 10 ways to save money:
1. Take virtual tours. Many college Web sites provide virtual tours of campus and residence halls or more.
2. Attend online fairs. Lists of upcoming college fairs can be found at CollegeWeekLive.com and VirtualCollegeFairs.com, among other sites.
3. Cluster visits geographically. Organize trips so you visit two or more schools in the same area.
4. Combine visits with vacations.
5. Schedule two visits in one day. Three visits in a day is too much to absorb, Cohen said.
6. Buddy up. Take a campus tour with a friend interested in the same college or find another student at the local high school who also is considering it.
7. Connect with students long-distance. Seek out e-mail or other contact with college students, through the school’s admissions office or elsewhere.
8. Find an alum. Have your child contact a recent graduate from the same high school who is attending a particular college. Even a quick phone conversation can give an idea what the school is like.
9. Eat at the dining hall. Eating at a student dining hall provides a glimpse of what meals would be like while also saving money.
10. Consider third-party tours. Companies such as College Visits, Collegiate Explorations and Education Unlimited offer an extensive array of college tours.
Online help with college tours
ApplyWise: www.applywise.com
Collegiate Choice: www.collegiatechoice.com
Collegiate Explorations: www.cetours.com
College Visits: www.college-visits.com
Education Unlimited: www.educationunlimited.com
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