Ivy League Road Trips for High School Grads

Whether you are a soon-to-be graduated high school senior or an incoming freshman looking for some college goal motivation, we have the perfect Ivy League road trip for you! This road trip plan allows you to see many of New England’s finest schools, that is to say some of the finest schools in the country, period. Each campus will provide your group with outstanding history, culture, and educational opportunities, not to mention that little spark it will light toward motivation to get into college!

This proposed trip will take 4-7 days, depending on your time limit. We will give you the quick 4 day road trip plan, just know that you can extend this trip however you choose and spend more time on a particular campus or town sightseeing and learning!

4-Day Plan

Day 1 - Dartmouth and Harvard

- Dartmouth - Enjoy the small college feel here in Hanover as you and your group explore the big-time university that owns the popular Orozco murals, unique quarter system, and high academic standards. There will be a 10:30 am information session followed by an hour-long campus tour. You must leave as soon as the tour is over to make it to Harvard in time for the 2 pm session.
- Harvard - It doesn’t get much bigger than this in the
  The Harvard University Stock Adobe
  
  world of Ivy League, as you explore the Super Ivy Crimson school that is known to have the largest endowment in the world, at 31.7 billion. The information session begins at 2 pm and the campus tour starts at 3 pm. Afterward, spend some time exploring the Harvard Square, Harvard Yard (third most photographed place in the U.S.), downtown historic sites, and North End shopping and eating by the famous T subway.
  - Eat at: Flat Patties in Harvard Square. This popular eatery brings delicious burgers, late-night beers, and some of the tastiest brain food on campus!

Day 2 - Brown and Yale

- Brown University - In Providence, Rhode Island, your group will wake up to a 9 am one-hour campus tour of Brown followed by a 10:15 information session. The Bears campus is considered to be a more laid back Ivy Leaguer, and even the course schedule is more lax here. This liberal arts college has no interdisciplinary requirements, ensuring students never take any class they don’t want to.
- Yale - Next stop New Haven for this amazing Bulldog-filled
  Cherry blossom at Wooster Square in New Haven istockphoto
  
  opportunity to tour the "English Ivy," a U.S. school very comparable to Oxford and Cambridge. Enjoy a 1 pm information session (again, rush over to campus after Brown to make it on time) followed by a 2:30 pm campus tour, then hit up any of the highly popular museums and parks in the area afterward. You can glimpse in the Yale U Art Gallery to see some Van Gogh, or perhaps stroll down High Street to catch a glimpse of the infamous Skull and Bones society house still in use. The library here even has a rare copy of the Gutenberg Bible!
  - Eat at: Head to NYC for the night to get a head start in the morning and eat near your hotel, or stay near Yale and grab some truly delicious pizza from Bar and see why all the students are trying the mashed potato pizza.

Day 3 - Columbia and Princeton

- Columbia University-
  Columbia University Library Shutterstock
  
  Wake up and hit the road for a 10 am information session and 11 am campus tour, each lasting about an hour. You will unfortunately not get much time here, as the Princeton tour is at 2:15, meaning you will have to leave by 12:45. This does give you a bit of time to enjoy this majorly historic Ivy League school, home of FDR, Joe Pulitzer, Warren Buffet, and so many others, not to mention the set of Spider-Man and Ghostbusters!
- Princeton University - Princeton will not fail to impress as you and your group enjoy a 2:15 tour and 3:30 information session. This prestigious establishment is fun for any history buff, Drumthwacket and the Princeton Record Exchange being options for touring as well! This is kind of the ivy-est Ivy there is!
  - Eat at: The community around Princeton is known for all their great pubs, such as The Haven, a late-night hoagie and beer paradise in the midst of New Jersey! Princeton is also well-known for its eating clubs in general, so eating on campus in the dining halls will certainly not disappoint either!

Day 4 - UPenn

University of Pennsylvania - This last day is a bit more lax, as you and your group enjoy an 11 am campus tour, lunch in the dining halls, and then a 1 pm information session. UPenn is one of our country's oldest and most widely recognized university, founded by Benjamin Franklin himself (be sure to bring a camera and snap a photo with any of his many campus statues). The "First Ivy" was founded in 1740 by a group of Quakers, while today it's boasting high curriculum expectations, school-specific sessions, and the popular Morris Arboretum.
- Eat at: Abner’s Cheesesteaks. This college-vibed eatery is serving up what Philly is known best for; amazing cheesesteaks!

More Daytrip Ideas:

Stanford University - Stanford, CA. One of the most prestigious private research universities in the world with a picky 5% acceptance rate.
Northwestern University - Evanston, IL. Popular Chicago area university with high academic standards and a passionate Wildcat football team.
Truman State University - Kirksville, MO. This "Harvard of the Midwest" liberal arts college never fails to impress in campus, class size, cost, and education!
University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, CA. This gorgeous and well-known school overlooks the San Francisco Bay and hosts beaux-arts architecture and amazing academics.
Duke University - Durham, NC. Duke University is another historic East Coast school impressing in academics and student achievement.
Cornell University - Ithaca, NY. Cornell, in with the Ivy Leaguers, a New York University is a popular research-focused campus with amazing courses and scenery.