[christiangirl]

My sister and I visited a school on just a regular day. No big open house and for one school, we didn't even have a tour guide, we just walked around. It was helpful to see what things looked like without being scrubbed and scoured because guests were coming. Also, when you eat in the cafeteria, don't be shy about approaching a table of students and asking them how they like it. Most of them will give you a REAL review of the school and what the atmosphere is like. A tour will tell you the technicalities, but if you want to know what it's really like being a student, then get out and talk to people. Ask them about the weather, the teachers, the neighborhood and the city. A lot of students will not mind answering these questions and one or two might even be willing to keep in contact with you in case you come up with some more questions later.