Prep Talk

Tips for Visiting Colleges

Posted June 27th, 2016

You and your child have been preparing for the last several years for the next big step, choosing the right college. You’ve probably been speaking to your guidance counselor about choices, and many students start visiting schools the summer of their Junior year (or earlier) to get a feel for the favorites on their list.

Is there a way to know if a particular college is right for your child? Well, it’s an exploratory process. You may have put together a formal list of schools your child is interested in attending, and working with your guidance counselor can be a great way to narrow your search. Location, tuition costs and curriculum, as well as size and makeup of the student body may be broad indicators to help you develop your list of possibilities. However, nothing beats actually having the student visit a variety of schools to see which one would be the best fit for him or her.

Arrange Visits with Admission Offices

Arranging a college visit can be done by contacting the admissions office and making a reservation. There may be organized tours of campuses listed on the school website as well. There is usually an information session and perhaps an interview with an admission representative first, followed by a campus tour usually led by current students. However, don’t depend on the organized tour to give you everything your child needs to make a decision. Schedule time to walk around and explore public areas on your own. Encourage your child to ask questions of other students on campus. Depending on the time you have, you may also want to arrange a meeting with a professor and/or a financial aid officer when you visit.

Do Some Research Online Before You Go

Some colleges have virtual tours on their websites that can help you get a feel for the campus and student life. Take advantage of any information on the college’s website and review any materials that were sent to you prior to making a visit. Use that information to prepare a list of questions to ask staff and students when you visit that college.

Another way to research prospective schools is to visit their social media sites and any campus blogs. Many have a Facebook page and Twitter accounts, as well as Instagram. Review the content they share as well as comments made by students and others.

Narrow Your Search by Arranging an Overnight

While you’re visiting a school there are many things you can do to gather information, such as picking up financial aid forms, checking out the dining hall, bookstore and other campus facilities. You can even listen to the college radio station, pick up the student newspaper and other publications and scan bulletin boards to get a glimpse of student life. Be sure to also visit the career center and learn what services it offers.

Getting a feel for the student body will also help. Here are a few questions that might be handy for your child to ask tour guides or students they meet while on campus:

• What are the best reasons to go to this college?
• What’s it like to live here?
• What do you do in your free time and on weekends?
• What do you love about this school?
• What was it like to transition from your high school to college?
• What do you wish you could change about the school?
• Why did you choose this college?

Other questions to ask while you have access to faculty, students, financial aid and admissions officers can include:

• What’s the average class size and student/faculty ratio?
• How many students are commuters versus campus residents?
• What is the campus meal plan like? What are the options?
• Is there plenty of dorm space?
• What kinds of activities are available?

Asking the right questions will help you and your child decide wither or not the school is a good fit. However, nothing beats some hands-on learning. If your child can arrange to stay in a dorm overnight with a student there and/or sit in on a class or two, he or she will get an even better view of what it will be like to be a student in that environment. Sometimes, the overnight visit is the defining element in making a final choice.

Don’t Try to Squeeze in Too Much

Visiting colleges takes planning and organization, so don’t try to cram too many visits in one trip. It’s better to schedule one or two visits in a trip at the most, and make sure your student takes notes on what they find at each school and documents visits with photos and/or video to help associate those details with visual memory. If you’re comparing a fair number of schools, this will come in very handy when weighing the pros and cons of each.

Rather than wait until decision time is upon you, start planning to visit schools early. Visiting a college can be a fun detour on a family outing or you can plan dedicated trips during breaks in the school year.  It may not be possible to visit every school on your list, but that’s OK. Doing your research ahead of time will help you narrow your scope to top choices. In the end, however, the most important thing to consider when visiting colleges is allowing the student to get a feel for the location, environment and atmosphere—things that cannot be discerned without being there. Ultimately, it’s their decision, but visiting college campuses can help make that decision more comfortable for everyone concerned.