Campus Visits

Visiting a college campus is a great way to access information as well as to get a feel for the overall atmosphere of a particular school. Schools may feel very different than what is conveyed through their literature and on their website. Therefore, it is very beneficial for prospective students to make a campus visit.

Before you contact the school you plan to visit, check out their web page and see if there are certain areas of campus that you are especially interested in seeing, for example: the work-out facility, library, etc. It can be very beneficial to visit a college or university when school is in session. You want to get the feeling of what the campus is like with students there.

Tips For Setting Up A Campus Visit

It is important to set up your visit at least two weeks in advance. Surprise visits are usually not productive visits for you or the college.
You may schedule a campus visit online through the college website or by calling the admission office.
Make sure you attend the campus information session and do the campus tour; two important components of any college visit.
Ask if you may have lunch on campus so you can look at their dinning facilities. (Some colleges will give you a voucher to eat lunch on campus for free.)
Ask if you are able to meet with a faculty member in the area that interests you or sit in on a class.
Find out if it is possible to stay over night in one of the residence halls.
Allow time to check out the favorite hangouts on campus.

Advice for Parents on College Visits

On the National Association for College Admission Counseling Listserve, the following list was circulated with advice for parents regarding the campus visit. Suggestions were collected from college admission personnel across the country and condensed into the following list.

Don't use the royal "we." Don't say, "We want to attend your university next year," or other similar comments. The "we" pronoun is a pretty clear indicator that the student isn't really the one running the search!
Don't take a phone call during an information session and/or campus tour and don't sit in an information session and do business on your device.
Don't speak for your student; ownership of the process should belong to the student.
Don't monopolize the conversation/tour/discussion session.
Parents should be cautious about what they say about a college visit. If a parent speaks negatively about a school, a student might dig their heels in and say they are interested in the college, even if they initially were not interested or the opposite may occur.
Do remind your child about appropriate behavior and dress when on campus. Remember that the tour and discussion session are important pieces of the process and ones where behaviors can distinguish one, positively and negatively.
Do remind your child to turn their cell phone off!
Do feel free to ask questions of a student on campus that is not a campus tour guide. Stop a student walking to class and ask them a question or two so as not to always get "canned" responses to your questions.
Do consider visiting a school more than once if your student really likes it. Your opinion of a school may change as you go through the process.

Final Thoughts to Consider

It is hard not to, but try not to let the weather (especially bad weather) impact your impressions of the school.
Ask questions of several different students. You'll probably get several different answers, but each one will give you a clearer picture of campus life.
Pick up a campus calendar or newspaper to see what events and hot topics are taking place on campus.
Ask yourself: "Can I see myself here?"
Consider visiting a school more than once if you really like it. Your opinion of a school may change as you go through the process.
Journal during the college search process, you will be taking in a lot of information in a short amount of time. Therefore, it is important to document your thoughts about a school immediately after you visit. What did you like about the school? What didn't you like? Try and pinpoint the things that provoked a positive, or negative reaction. You can take pictures or make lists of the positives and negatives of the school. Do whatever necessary to be able to accurately remember the important things about the schools and how you felt about them - just don't become too involved in documenting your visit that you don't really experience the college!

Virtual Tours

If you are unable to visit one of the colleges you are considering, see if they have a virtual tour on their website or through one of the websites below.

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