There is a beautiful and highly selective school in New England that accepts only 17 % of its applicants. It is considered to have some of the best facilities and professors in the country and is known for offering students a wonderful education, along with an unusually active, stimulating and rewarding campus life.

And yet, my daughter invariably refers to this college as “the gray school” because on the day we visited the weather was rainy, overcast and cold. And despite the fact that I begged her not to let the weather influence her, the comments she makes about this particular school will generally include the words “depressing, dismal, and dark.”

I don’t care how smart your kid is, he or she will probably prefer a school seen on a bright and sunny day to the schools they see in rain or snow. On a recent tour of colleges we saw the gray school first; right after that the weather cleared up and every college we saw after that seemed infinitely more desirable. There were wall-to-wall kids playing Frisbee and laying on blankets spread out in the quad. People were in groups, walking and laughing and eating outside. The dorm rooms we saw were light-filled and pleasant. Everything looked prettier, and everyone seemed happier.

This is why many families never visit schools during the winter, when dirty snow, frigid tours and barren trees give prospective students a less-than-welcoming sense of the place. But even spring visits can be unpredictable. One family I know had a school visit planned during the recent spring break, but when the weather was bad they blew it off and went to the movies. At the time I thought that was an extreme reaction, but if I had done the same, my daughter might not shudder now at the mention of a certain New England school. We are planning another visit to this particular college and before that trip I plan to check my tires, my car’s navigation system…and the weather report.