If you can, start with the "Gas Tank Tour."  Sample 4-5 colleges within driving distance – public and private, large and small – to get a frame of reference for evaluating colleges if you take a more ambitious tour outside the region. It's ideal to do this while school is in session.

Try to limit yourself to two visits per day. It's better to investigate a few schools very well than try for too many and get burned out. Traveling with a friend who is also doing college planning will make it more fun! 

Make Arrangements In Advance

Call or e-mail the admissions office to schedule any of the following that seem appropriate:

• a campus tour
• a host for an overnight stay
• classes you can attend
• cafeteria passes
• appointments with faculty in subjects that interest you
• an interview
• an appointment with an athletic coach

Learn as Much as You Can Before You Go

Before you visit a college, read about it in your college guidebook, peruse materials received in the mail, and visit the website.  When you do this, fill out a Research Data Sheet, taking notes and writing down questions as you go.  You don't want to visit a college only to find out later about places or people you should have checked out while you were there!

Attend a Group Information Session

Staff will present information and answer questions about the college and its admission procedures. Pick up additional informational materials while you are there, including:

• Viewbook
• Course catalog
• School newspaper
• Departmental flyers
• Application materials
• Names of undergraduates or faculty in your area of interest who would be willing to answer questions

Take a Tour

Usually scheduled to precede or follow an information session, a tour allows you to see a variety of campus facilities, including places like dorm rooms that you might not get access to on your own. Show your familiarity with the college, ask to see particular facilities that interest you, and find out why your tour guide chose this school.

Ask Lots of Questions

Take advantage of any and all opportunities to quiz students, faculty, and staff of colleges. Don't pester them with questions you could answer easily on your own by looking at a college guide (e.g., how many students go here?). Try to think of questions you REALLY want to know the answers to. Tour guides and admissions officers get tired of lecturing, and LOVE to get questions from their listeners!

Click for a set of useful questions.

Attend a Class

This is an excellent way to gauge the intellectual rigor of the college and to see how you fit in academically. Are students interested and involved? Are professors interesting and engaging?

Schedule an Interview

The admissions office can usually arrange an interview around the time of your tour (take the tour first, if you can). These are generally not evaluative or overly intense, but rather an opportunity for you to ask questions and to demonstrate your knowledge about the college and what it has to offer. Rest assured that the interviewer wants to sell YOU on the school, too!

If you decide you want to interview, be sure to prepare in advance. Click for more guidance on the college interview.

Explore the Campus on Your Own

Poke around bulletin boards, eat a meal in the dining hall, and read the campus newspaper. Interview students you meet – how do they feel about the school? Be a snoop.  Are people talking to each other?   Are different ethnic groups mixing? Ask about study habits, campus safety, dining options, academic pressure, course availability, computer resources, dorm life. Talk to several students so that an extreme opinion won’t have undue influence.

Spend the Night (usually for seniors)

This is a great way to get a behind-the-scenes look at campus life. Give the college the "Ten Thirty Test"—are you comfortable with what’s going on at 10:30 at night?

Take Notes While You Are There

Take your completed Research Data Sheet with you, and add observations while you are there. It's amazing how quickly the details fade unless you record them!  Such details come in handy when you are interviewing or trying to write a convincing essay or cover letter about why you want to attend the college.

One of my students came up with this Campus Visit Checklist -- you might find it useful!

Talk to College Faculty and Staff

Research departments or extra-curricular areas that interest you. Talk to the admissions office about arranging visits with relevant personnel; they might make the arrangements for you, or give you contact information.

Watch Out For ~

• The Sunshine Factor -- Try not to be unduly influenced by good OR bad weather
• The Flaky Tour Guide Factor -- Don't let a less-than-stellar tour derail your interest in a college

Check Your Gut!

Notice the details, but make an overall assessment of the college based on your instincts.

• Do I feel comfortable around the students? Would I fit in?
• Do I like the look and feel of the campus?
• Can I see myself on this campus for 4 years?
• Would I be able to handle the workload?
• Am I comfortable with the distance?

Say "Thank You...."

...to all college personnel and students who help you. Write a thank-you note to particularly helpful people, or an admissions officer who interviews you.

 

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These College Myths!

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A Case for the
Liberal Arts College

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How is College Different
from High School?

National Survey of Student Engagement