Visits to schools beat pictures in brochures any day! If you have the opportunity, you should experience college life first-hand during your junior and senior years to be sure your home-away-from-home will be the right one for you. Carefully plan each visit and limit the number of visits to the schools that are most important to you.
Get a map of the campus
Plan at least a full day (and stay overnight, if possible) at each school
Visit when school is in session (if schedule allows)
Arrange an interview with an admissions officer or sign up for a group session, if available
Prepare a list of questions you might have about the school
Get a notebook to record the answers and your impressions
Spend the night in the dorms. Many campuses offer overnight stays
Take a campus tour
Read the school paper
Talk with students and faculty
Attend a class
Attend a sporting event, if possible
Check out the stuff that's important to you (e.g., dorms, libraries, student unions, athletic facilities)
Eat a meal in the Dinning Commons. Let them know you are visiting the campus. Parents and future students do this all the time
Visit the Career Center
Watch how students spend their time: studying, partying, socializing, exercising
Check out the size of the average dorm room and what furniture they provide
Look at what students have in their rooms and how it’s arranged
Explore the area(s) around campus: What’s available off campus - Restaurants, theaters, museums, public libraries, access to outdoor activities, public transportation, jobs?
Are there active fraternities and sororities on campus?
How good is the food in the dining facilities?
Can you stay in the dorm for more than freshman year?
How many students per room?
Bathroom shared by a few or many? Are they co-ed?
What intercollegiate and intramural teams are represented on campus?
What kinds of clubs and societies are represented on campus?
How well are the campus and its facilities maintained?
How safe is the campus? Are there safety programs, such as escorts and emergency phone boxes, on campus?
3 things you like about the college
3 concerns about the college
Did you meet with an advisor?
Did you attend a class? Is the average class size large, medium, small?
How was the dining -- good food, variety?
Did you like the dorms?
What was the general feel of the campus?
What are your impressions of the student body?
Can you see yourself fitting in and making friends easily?