Preparing for your college visits

Visiting colleges is one of the most important activities as you begin the admissions process. Which colleges should you visit? And when? How do you plan your visit, and what should you do when you get there?

In developing an initial list of colleges to visit, look at safety, match, and reach schools. By definition, safety schools are those where you will likely get admitted based on your academic profile; reach schools are those where your profile is below that of the average student; and match schools fall somewhere in between.

Your college list should also take into account:

• Location. Do you want to be in a city, suburb or rural location? Do you want to be in a warm or cold climate, or a college that experiences all four seasons? How far from home do you want to be?
• Cost. Consider colleges that offer strong financial aid packages, and consider public versus private colleges. Also keep in mind that some colleges offer merit-based scholarships, as well as opportunities for students in the arts and in varsity sports.
• Size. Do you feel more comfortable in a small setting, or would you rather be at a large research university? Or something in between? Visiting colleges will help you figure this out.

Begin to visit colleges this summer if you will be a senior in the fall. (For sophomores, it’s a great idea to visit colleges in the fall and spring semesters of your junior year.) While it’s not ideal to visit campuses in the summer when there are few students around, it’s an appropriate time since you know your grades and test scores, and applications are due in just a few months.

To plan your visits, consider geography – try to visit your colleges in groups so that you’re not tracing and re-tracing your steps. If you’re going to Pennsylvania to visit a college, make sure you visit others in that region, or along the way, that are on your list. And, it’s best to plan your visits in advance; not only will you need to find hotels and plan a travel route, you’ll also want to contact admissions offices via phone or email to let them know you’re coming. You should try and give two or three weeks’ notice prior to a visit, if possible. Sometimes you can just walk in for a tour or info session, but keep in mind that is not always the case.

Once you’re on campus, there is a lot to do. Make sure you check in with the admissions office so that your visit is recorded, and be sure to take the tour. Don’t just listen to the admissions officer or tour guide; become an active participant by asking questions and taking notes. You should also take pictures of campus to remind yourself of each college – you’ll be visiting many and they will start to blend together. When you’re on campus, consider some unconventional means of finding out more about the college: sit in on a class if they are still in session; randomly stop by professors’ offices or labs to ask questions (they are usually very welcoming of prospective students); eat in a dining hall to sample the food; and talk to some current students to ask about their experience at the college.

Visiting colleges will help you pare down your college list and also write more effective application essays. And, you can pick up some cool college sweatshirts along the way.