For the 2 schools at the top of my list (Wheelock College and Emerson College) I attended an admissions tour while I was applying, and then I attended the "Accepted Students" day after. The Accepted Students day was a LOT more relaxed and "fun" than the admissions tour for both schools.
Both of the schools had the traditional informative meeting complete with brochure and pamphlet hand-outs, followed by tours of the campus and residence halls, and then little question and answer periods in the foyer of the student union.
At Wheelock, the Accepted Students day had a brief reception, in-depth tours of the campus and residence halls, sample "classes," and a lunch w/ some of the professors. Parents and potential students stayed together. The tour guide was AWESOME and we actually exchanged email adresses because she knew I was torn between schools and wanted to know where I ended up.
At Emerson, the Accepted Students day split the parents and students up for separate events. The students went to sample "classes" by intended major, and then went to a departmentalized student panel for a question and answer period in one of the theaters. The student panel was cool because there were NO faculty or staff in the room so everyone could be really candid. The parents had seminars to go to like "Financial Aid," or "Parent Perspectives." Then they had department overviews which talked about their child's major, etc.
The student tour guides were AMAZING. Emerson students are known for being a little strange...my group guide named us the lost boys (we were all girls, HE was a boy) and named himself Wendy. We were all theater people so we sang "we have a mother, at last we have a mother!" as we walked through Boston Common. It was fun.
After all that, the parents and potential students met back up for a lunch in the Park Plaza Hotel. Current students and Alumni circulated and talked with everyone. I had so much fun, and ended up going to Emerson!
