Tips for a Successful Campus Visit

There is no substitute for seeing a college campus first-hand. Viewbooks and web sites can give you a lot of information and glossy photos, but meeting professors, and seeing classrooms and residence halls, and eating the food—that’s what gives you a true feeling of a college. A campus visit is informative any time, but it’s best to see the school while it’s in session and students are in classes. If you can only visit during the summer, on a weekend, or when the school is on a break, that’s okay—just be prepared to visualize what the school looks like with students and professors in the classrooms and residence halls. Read on for our Tips for a Successful Campus Visit!

Make it official.

• • Register online to organize your visit and tour through the admission office.

  • Try to visit during an active college school day. However, if classes are not in session, you can still get a "feel" for a campus.

  • Try a special campus visit day. Though it's not as personal a visit, you get a lot of information about a college in a short amount of time.

  • TIP: Spring Break tours fill up quickly so plan ahead. If you wait until the last minute, you may not get a spot! But even if you don't make it on the official tour, get a campus map from the admission office and walk around. Talk to students you meet about their experience.

Take the lead!

• • DRIVE THE BUS, juniors! (metaphorically speaking) Be in charge. Set up your own campus visit, and show your parents you are ready for college. Ask your own questions.

  • Parents, stand in the back of the tour group. Let your student ask the questions. Take a seat in the back of the bus. (Again, metaphorically speaking.)

Get organized and prepare

• • Think about what you want out of this visit. What do you want to see? Who do you want to speak with?

  • Take photos with your phone or SnapChat. It will help you remember your visit.

  • Use our Campus Visit Notes to detox your visit. If you are visiting many colleges in one trip, this worksheet will help you remember what you liked (or didn't) about each campus. Trust me, after the 3rd one, they start to blur together.

Divide and conquer.

• • While you are visiting with current students or an admission officer, your parents should talk with the financial aid office.

Eat in the dining hall.

• • View the students in their “natural habitat.” The dining hall is where they really relax and hang out.

  • Check out the food options, especially if you have any special dietary needs.

Read the bulletin boards.

• • What activities are happening on or near campus? Does the college bring interesting bands, speakers, movies, activities to campus?

Look lost!

• • Are students or staff helpful? Do people stop to help you find your way, or brush past? This can be useful in determining a campus's "friendly" atmosphere.

Attend a class in your major, or a general education class.

• • Get a sense of class size.

  • Try to sit in on a class you would take as a senior. How do students interact with the professor? Is the professor interested in what students have to say?

  • Are classes interactive? Passive? How many students are actively taking notes?

Pick up a campus newspaper.

• • What are the big issues on campus?

  • What are students talking about?​​​​ The newspaper is a great resource to find out what students care about.

Talk with a professor, college staff, or coach if you are interested in a certain academic, athletic, or extracurricular area.

• • Professors like to talk with incoming students about what they do, research opportunities they offer, and where students are headed after graduation. They want to meet you.​​

  • Coaches want to talk with you about their program, the facilities, and opportunities for recruitment or walk-ons.

  • If appropriate, you may want to talk with offices that provide specific resources, like the Office of Student Support.

Look beyond the campus.

• • Check out the neighborhood. Does the surrounding area feel safe and accessible?

  • Ask current students how and where they spend their time off campus.

  • What is the favorite restaurant(s) or shopping areas that students frequent?

Stay overnight.

• • College life happens during the evening hours as well as during classtime hours. What is happening on campus at 10:00 pm?​​​​​​​

Meet with your admission counselor.

• • This is the person who will read your application, so if possible, meet them!​​​

Say Thank You!

• • Write a nice thank you note to your admission counselor, either on paper or via email.