Child Tour College Campuses where to you

So, that time has finally come. Your child--once your precious little one--is now at a point where they are signing up to take the ACT and/or the SAT. They are working extra hard and brownnosing to all their teachers in hopes of receiving great letters of recommendation.

That is all not to mention that they are begging you to take them to tour potential college campuses, both local and far-flung. While this process may be a nerve-wracking one for you, you can take a few measures to make the campus tours a little smoother and more enjoyable for the whole family.

First of all, both you and your child need to get organized. If this is the first of your children to take these steps, you might feel at a loss, so start with the basics. Begin by finding out which universities your son or daughter is most interested in. This should be done around the beginning of his/her junior year in high school--or perhaps even earlier.

Then, spend some time collaborating with any other major decision-makers in the family to decide how far you can reasonably travel, how you can budget for any trips you need to take, how much time you can take off work, etc. If you and/or your spouse have a demanding work schedule, you might switch off with each other so neither of you misses too much work.

If possible, try to plan far in advance. Weekends and holidays are always busy travel times and can result in more expensive flights and accommodations, but making reservations several months in advance can save you from these inflated fares.

Try to take advantage of your child's (or children's) breaks from school. This will create a great opportunity to enjoy a family vacation. Talk to a travel agent or look through guidebooks to find the best activities for everyone.

For example, while your child investigates the University of Arizona, you might want to set aside some time for the family to go on a Tucson hot air balloon ride.

If you can, visit an area that allows easy access to several schools at once. I couldn't even count the number of universities in San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles counties in southern California. And don't forget to call the universities in advance to schedule a tour.

Finally, pay close attention to the traveling itself. What exactly did it take to arrive on campus? While I was in high school, I wanted to attend a small private university in Illinois, but then I found out that I had to fly into Chicago, take a train, and then a series of busses before I could get there. For me, that was too complicated and definitely too expensive!