They are relatively inexpensive to do, and can yield well. Having been involved with these in the past, they are memorable experiences.

To keep costs down, contract the bus out from your first pick-up point, not from where your college is located. This will cut the bus mileage in half.

Arrange for a few stops along the way to pick up additional students. Locations such as well-known area shopping malls (location at the mall specified, of course) work well.

Bring along snacks, beverages, and movies.

Often there will be one or two students on the bus that are natural leaders and very outgoing. Work with that in terms of handing out snacks, picking movies, etc.

And don’t forget time-zone differences when arranging pick-ups and drop-offs

With Carleton, they may very well match these trips for “under-represented groups” with equally impressive financial aid packages. Their endowment is somewhere in the neighborhood of $650 million, and their enrollment is around 2,000 students.

And enticing these students to visit Carleton with such a carrot when Ivies are likely also courting these same students without the travel perk… Why not spend some money on these trips when you have the money to spend. Visiting Carleton’s beautiful 1,000+ acre campus could definitely win these kids over: http://apps.carleton.edu/reason_package/reason_4.0/www/images/8626.jpg

Maybe St. Olaf (in the same town, and a respectable college reputation-wise) gets a boost in visitors through Carleton’s program, too

The payment for travel up front is impressive. I have seen “lesser” private colleges use a “fake money” approach, promising $500 off tuition (which would have been discounted, anyhow) for people who come to visit. At least one school in Butler’s home state does that.

At what point do these visit perks create unrealistic expectations with the students? “Sure, we’ll pick up the tab for your drive/flight/stay, and now you love us. Isn’t that state school over there soooooo crappy? Oh, by the way, here’s your $45,000 tuition bill.”

Ultimately, I think it’s great they they’re targeting students that might not be able to visit their school otherwise, I just wonder where the line is drawn between buying an applicant and trying to help them find a good fit.

I’ll mention Butler on the Zinch blog if you’ll agree to give me an interview. A free trip to Butler would be nice, though.

Oh, by the way, towards the end of your post you mistake my name for Sarah.