Five tips for college visits

College visits can be very helpful in informing which colleges or universities are the right fit. Visits allow an opportunity to see the facilities, sit in on a class, interact with current students, eat in the dining room and gauge whether you can envision yourself as a student on campus.

But how do you get the most of your college visits and figure out which schools are the best fit? Here are 5 simple tips for your college visits.

Take it all in, and take notes
Make sure you keep your eyes and ears open and jot down any particularly interesting or negative elements. These notes will pay dividends when deliberating schools, as well as when putting together applications for those schools you are interested in pursuing.

Ask a lot of questions
Make good use of your tour guide and/or current student participating in the information session. Ask about housing options, meal plans, campus security or picking a major. The more questions you ask, the more information you will receive.

Explore the surrounding area
Take the time on a visit to check out the city or town the school is located in. How are the restaurants? What about shopping? Is there public transportation? Is a car necessary? This will help you get a better feel for what life would be like as a student.

Do not overemphasize the tour
The tour can provide a good baseline of knowledge about the school you are visiting. But do not judge a school based on whether you like your tour guide. This student is not representative of all students. Make sure you seek out other students to talk to.

Sit in on a class
Do you like small discussion classes or large lecture classes? Try to sit in a class or two when visiting the college. Introduce yourself, take notes, observe what the classroom environment is like and be sure to thank the professor afterward.

Follow these five tips and you should be well on your way to making the most of your campus visits.