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College visit advice.Visiting colleges is THE best way to find out which is the correct one for you. To choose a college without visiting it first is kind of like going on a blind date except that you have to live with your blind date for the next four years! The school you choose to attend has to feel right to you. Of course, first and foremost, it has to offer the academic preparation you want and be able to prepare you to achieve your goals for the future. It also needs to fit who you are. Here's some advice on things to make sure you do on your college visit to find out if it's the one for you.
Make an appointment.You can't just show up at the admissions office and expect to be able to get a guided tour of campus. Call ahead at least a few days in advance and set up a specific time to visit. Some schools will offer you the opportunity to tour the campus with your own personal student guide. Others have specific times for small group tours. Usually, you can visit on just about any day Monday through Friday. Most institutions also offer select weekend days you can visit, too.Visit when school is in session.The only way to know what it really feels like to attend a college is to go when it's full of actual students. Summertime is not the best time to be able to get a real feel for what the campus is like. Yes, it can give you and idea of what things look like, but not what they feel like.Also, you should check ahead of time to make sure the school you are visiting is not on a break of some kind. Each one sets its own academic calendar and each one can set different weeks or long weekends for breaks that may not match up with your high school breaks. Weekends are ok. In fact, you'll get a really good idea of how many students stay on campus for the weekend if you visit on a Saturday or Sunday. Attend a class if you can.It's important that you make the time to do this. You need to get a sense of what the academic side of things feels like. The only way to do that is to sit in on a class or two. Most admissions offices can make the necessary arrangements for you to do this. It can be any kind of class but it's great if it can be a class related to a subject area that appeals to you or one that you are considering as a possible college major.Grill your tour guide!Talking to current students is the best way to get the low down on what it's really like to go there. They want you to ask them questions and you can ask them anything. Every school has its strong points and weak areas. You can be sure that everyone is going to tell you about the strong points. Ask your tour guide to tell you about things they don't like or their pet peeves to find out the weaker areas.Be sure to see an actual first-year student's room.You don't want any surprises on move-in day. Know that the best rooms on campus typically get chosen by 3rd and 4th year students first. Ask to see an actual student's room in a housing section where you actually might end up in your first year on campus.It's not automatic that you will have your own room or only one other roommate. Be sure to ask how many roommates you should expect. And, every college assigns roommates differently so ask your tour guide how that happens there. Try the food!Absolutely! Especially if you are going to live on campus! You want to know what type of food choices you are going to have available. But, even if you plan to commute from home, you will still want to know what kind of food options you have for a quick lunch in-between classes.If you are planning to visit anytime near the lunch or dinner hour, ask the admissions office if it's possible for you to eat lunch in the dining center. They may even offer to pick up the tab for you!
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