Go beyond the campus tour and get a taste of university life
Campus visits are tremendously helpful in making that all-important decision: which college to attend? Showing up for a tour can also signal your interest to schools. But before hitting the road, it’s well worth the effort to make sure that each campus visit rates an A+.
You’ve read all the brochures. You’ve explored the websites. You’ve talked to friends. But how will you ever decide? Many high school counselors recommend college campus visits. College admissions officers echo that advice. There’s really nothing like seeing and experiencing firsthand what a college has to offer. If you’re going to invest your time and money in a college visit, how can you make the most of it?
Do Your Homework First
A productive college visit begins before you leave home. The school’s website provides important information about signing up for official campus tours and other options for applicants. Some schools will let you sit in on classes, spend the night in a dorm, or visit with a professor. If you don’t see these options listed, contact the school as they can often be arranged. Ideally, you’ll be able to visit the school while it’s in session so there will be lots of activity on campus. Once you have a date scheduled, check the school’s social media to see what will be going on while you’re there. Perhaps you can attend a play, sporting event, or lecture.
One more piece of homework: develop a list of questions. Be prepared to talk to other students, admissions and financial aid staff, and professors. Even if you don’t have scheduled appointments, opportunities may present themselves. Show them you’re ready!
Take the Official Tour
If you’ve done your homework, you registered in advance for your tour. This is important, and not only from a planning perspective. Increasingly, colleges are keeping track of applicants who visit their schools. Your visit is considered a demonstration of your interest, and that sometimes is a factor in the admissions process.
Once you’ve arrived on campus, show up for your tour (early, of course!) and introduce yourself. Your tour guide is a great resource and welcomes questions about campus life. It’s also enlightening to talk to other prospective students on tour. What interests them about this school? What do they want to study? Why here?
Explore on Your Own
After the official tour, it’s time for one of your own creation. Have a map and a list of all the sites you want to make sure you see. Stop by the student center and read the flyers on the bulletin boards. See what meetings or events would appeal to you. Pick up student newspapers and every publication you can get your hands on; these will provide insights into campus activities and attitudes. Go to the library and imagine yourself studying there. Check out the gym and browse the bookstore.
After all this walking, you’ll probably be hungry. And that’s great, because you don’t want to leave campus without checking out the food. Most campuses have a variety of dining options, and hopefully some will accommodate your tastes and dietary requirements. While you’re enjoying lunch or a latte, strike up a conversation with students at the table next to you. They can share priceless insights about the school.
Keep It Organized
Campus visits are exciting — and can be overwhelming. A lot of information comes at you quickly, and after you visit several campuses it can all start to blur. To keep things straight, take notes and lots of pictures. When appropriate, consider recording information sessions.
As soon as possible, write down your impressions of the school. What did you like most? What surprised you? What disappointed you? Create pro-con lists. Your reflections are going to be incredibly valuable when those acceptance letters start arriving in your inbox.
Joshua Parker, Native Hawaiian, is a junior at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, where he is on the Principal’s List and participates in varsity basketball and track and field (ranking no. 3 in Hawaii in the pole vault). He is also the winner of the 2019 AISES Energy Challenge. Here Parker shares what he’s learned so far from his visits to several college campuses.
What is your experience with visiting college campuses?
As of June 2019, I’ve visited the University of Southern California and Stanford, Columbia, Princeton, and Duke Universities.
How will these visits influence your decision on where to spend your college years?
Each experience was unique and will play an important role in my decision on which colleges I want to apply to and which I ultimately attend. Prior to the visits, I had thought of going only to either USC or Stanford because of their proximity to my home (Hawaii) and my familiarity with those areas and schools. However, my interest in going to a school on the East Coast grew tremendously as a result of actually experiencing the different campuses and lifestyles that various colleges there have to offer. Without visiting beforehand, I don’t think that I would have been comfortable applying to colleges so far away from home.
What time of year did you visit?
I visited during the spring, summer, and fall. Because most students were on break during summer, I was unable to experience the daily life of colleges I visited at that time.
Is there anything you wish you’d known earlier or had done differently?
I should have spent more time exploring the campuses and surrounding areas to get a better feel for their unique characteristics. I wish I had visited my preferred colleges while they were in session so that I could get a better sense of student life. I also wish I’d done more specific research on each college prior to my visits so that I could have asked more questions that were important to me.
What advice would you give to students who are just getting started on the college search process?
Don’t allow online articles or rumors to dissuade you from visiting certain colleges. On paper, some college campuses may seem better or worse than they actually are. Judging a college based on your personal experiences is better than basing it off other people’s opinions. Only you can choose what’s best for you. Secondly, using family and/or school trips as an opportunity to visit colleges is a great way to maximize your exposure to colleges. Visiting as many colleges as possible gives you a better sense of various geographies, sizes of the schools, and an overall greater sense of what different colleges have to offer.
Do you have any additional pointers?
Selecting colleges to apply to is very stressful. Typically, many high school students ignore their thoughts about colleges until right before they need to apply. Being able to tour colleges at a young age has allowed me to worry less about what colleges I would want to go to and focus my attention on what I need to accomplish in order to get into my desired colleges.
