Five tips for your college visits

Spring and summer is a great time to visit colleges. Doing so will give you a better sense of the school, its community, size, location – even the food! But visiting colleges can be time intensive and costly. Here are five tips to make the most of your visits.

• Sit in on classes. If you have an opportunity, make sure you sit in on a class, ideally in the major or academic area that you are interested in. Watch the students: are they take notes and interested or sending text messages? What about the professor, is he or she engaging? Are the classes more lecture or discussion based? Do you envision yourself being a part of this environment?
• Don’t judge based on the tour guide. An official tour is a great way to get an introduction to the college’s campus and history. Many tours are led by current students: some are funny and witty, others, boring and disinterested. Regardless of which you get, make sure you don’t form your opinion of the school based solely on your tour guide. They are not necessarily representative of the entire student body.
• Check out an overnight program. The best way to experience a college is to actually experience it! Many colleges offer programs that allow prospective students to stay overnight on campus. Have your host introduce you to the school, ask lots of questions, go to a class and eat in the dining hall. Try to get a sense of what a “day in the life” a student is like. Is this school right for you?
• Take lots of notes. If you’re visiting many colleges – and you likely are – be sure to take plenty of notes and pictures. You might even want to put together a simple rating system – what did you think of the campus, the food, the professors, and so on? Rate each on a scale of 1-10 immediately after you visit. The more schools you visit, the harder it may become to tell one from the next.
• Make your visits official. Many schools (especially liberal arts college) take “demonstrated interest” into consideration when reviewing your application. They want to get a sense of what steps you have taken to research their college to see if it’s the right fit. The more research, the better. This is why it’s critical for you to sign into the admissions office when visiting colleges.

Keep these five tips in mind for successful college visits. Happy travels!