COLLEGE TOURS Academic Camps by Education Unlimited®

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The East Coast College Tour turned out better than I thought. The accommodations were better than I expected. I got more information and insight from the colleges than I thought I would. There were more opportunities to interact with other tour participants and to "hang out" than I thought. The tour is a great opportunity to gain very useful and realistic insight on different colleges. It somehow gives a more accurate picture than just reading things in books.

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Philip Blanco, East Coast College Tour participant

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Meeting other college-bound students and talking to them gave me ideas for community service projects and how to get into college!

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Whitney Wilson, East Coast College Tour participant

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I got a very big eye-opening look at selective colleges. I also very much liked the free time; it allowed us to experience the atmosphere in the area. The leaders were amazing, and everything took place seamlessly. [The campus tours] covered a lot of information and gave a good idea of the college. It was much more efficient than touring with family, and was very fun!

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Pavan Battar, East Coast College Tour participant

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I found my dream school on this trip and met a great group of girls from around the country that I will continue to be friends with after the tour.

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Hannah Jones, East Coast College Tour participant

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My daughter is now motivated to the best she can in her junior year so that she'll have an opportunity to go to Brown.

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Kathryn Maffei, parent of an East Coast College Tour participant

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I came here to gain a new perspective of the various east coast campuses, and I did. I learned quite a bit and was able to confidently say at the end of the tour that certain colleges were for me and others were not.

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Richa Gupta, East Coast College Tour participant

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After attending this tour I feel better prepared for the college application process. The program was very well organized and every second was utilized to its full potential.

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Dennis Zdonov, East Coast College Tour participant

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The East Coast College Tour turned out better than I thought. The accommodations were better than I expected. I got more information and insight from the colleges than I thought I would. There were more opportunities to interact with other tour participants and to "hang out" than I thought. The tour is a great opportunity to gain very useful and realistic insight on different colleges. It somehow gives a more accurate picture than just reading things in books.

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Philip B., East Coast College Tour participant

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I went on the Education Unlimited East Coast College Tour the summer between my junior and senior year of high school. This trip was definitely one of the most memorable weeks of my life! In one week, we toured about 15 colleges; it was crazy! Most of us flew together as a group, and we used a really nice tour bus to get around from city to city and tour the schools. We started in Boston and toured Harvard, BU, Boston College, Tufts, and then worked our way to New York to see NYU, Columbia, and a few more. We also toured Yale in CT, Brown in RI, as well as schools in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and D.C. Each day, we would get to pick two different schools out of four options to go see. At each school we would do the guided tour, Q&A session, and listen to faculty speak. It was very informative. We would wake up early in the morning and get the two school tours done by mid afternoon. Then, during the late afternoon and evening, we'd get to explore whichever city we were in! It was exhausting but such a fun trip. Exploring the cities was so much fun, I still vividly remember the things we did almost 4 years later now. Our chaperones, Nermin and Janet, were so great. They always made sure we were safe and had the phone numbers we needed. They also made sure we switched roommates at each hotel, so we got to know and make friends with all the kids on our trip. I always felt safe at the hotels we were at, and there was never a time when I felt hungry or uncomfortable. They were also really great at making sure that we had a lot of fun along the way.

Though the trip is definitely focused on the college tours, we managed to pack in all the best parts of each city. We did duck tours, swan boat rides, ate real Boston Cream pie, stopped by the Today show filming, shopped in times square, had NY pizza and cheesecake in New York, saw the liberty bell, Rocky Steps, and had cheesesteaks and ice cream in Philadelphia, and much more. I have so many great memories from that trip!

As far as advice for students planning to take the trip, you definitely need to do your research on each school before embarking on the trip. In each state we had 4 or 5 options of schools to go to, but you choose the 2 that you are actually interested in applying in to tour. Make sure you know exactly which schools you want to see and prepare questions for each one, you'll definitely have the chance to ask them. I hadn't done my research on some of the smaller colleges in Pennsylvania and remember that at one point I had the option between two of them and randomly chose because I didn't know much about either. Don't let that happen to you, research all the schools before the trip! I also recommend going between your junior and senior year of high school, it'll get you super excited for college apps and the atmosphere of each of the campuses will be fresh in your head. Anyone interested in applying to East Coast schools should do this tour, it is FANTASTIC!

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Hannah H. (Monrovia, CA)

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I participated in the East Coast College Tour and will always consider it to be one of the best decisions I made in the college application process. I got to spend a week with a great group of students who had similar high-ranking college aspirations as me but came from a plethora of different backgrounds, including one guy from China and another from Russia (who, like many of us, would've had difficulty seeing all these colleges simply armed with the internet and a handful of brochures). Visiting colleges with other students versus visiting colleges with your parents is SO much more effective because parents (including my own) tend to get so involved in the application process that they can take over much of the experience. As a current college tour guide, I cannot name all the times I've seen parents trying to impress the guide with intelligent questions while their kid either looks embarrassed or disinterested. This program was great because I was able to feel like a student, surrounded by other students my age, and consider the kind of student-life I wanted a year from then. That's what gets me excited talking about that summer, but in terms of practicality you really can't get any better than this either. We got to see two colleges per day and scaled the East Coast, so I got to see half the Ivy Leagues and a variety of other colleges in at least 5 different cities in just 1 week, in addition to special tours, historic locations, and really nice food. I don't know about you, but my parents don't have the time or stamina to do 10 back-to-back tours across the coast, nor do they have the connections to get me into all the places Education Unlimited did. A great program, attracting amazing students who I still keep in touch with today, and a FANTASTIC summer investment.

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Velani D. (Roanoke, TX)

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Education Unlimited's East Coast College Tour was well beyond our expectations. The staff was incredible, the organization flawless, and we are sure the memories and friendships our daughter made will be life-long! If you are considering a tour of colleges for your son or daughter, I suggest you look into Education Unlimited. I expected to be a bit worried and hear from my daughter that she was tired and frazzled (they pack in a LOT of adventure, not just college visits) but every time we checked in, she was having so much fun. She couldn't have sounded more positive and energized. On our way home after picking her up from the airport, she couldn't stop talking about the amazing staff (from the chaperones to the bus driver) and how much she is going to miss them. She also rattled off so much information about every college campus and their programs, I felt the trip more than exceeded her expectations as well. The bonus factor on this tour was that she had the chance to make friends and tour the cities where the colleges are located. I could go on, but truly, if you want a life experience and not just a college tour, look no further than Education Unlimited.

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Gianna W. (East Coast College Tour Parent)