How to Make the Most of Your College Visits
Once you’ve begun finalizing your college list, you may want to visit some of the campuses you’re considering. An in-person campus visit is one of the best ways to do school research! (Think about it: you can chat with actual current students, faculty members, and staff from all across the school, while also getting to see the facilities and walk the paths that you might someday walk as a college student.)
While an in-person visit is not the ONLY way to gather information about a school (many schools offer virtual options for tours, information sessions, and chats with current students or faculty), it does tend to be the most effective way. For the schools that are at the very top of your list, it’s definitely worth trying to make it to campus.
The Planning
A great college visit begins before you set foot on campus, with a solid plan. First, make a list of the things you absolutely have to see while you’re there – these often include basic resources like dorms, dining halls, libraries, and lab buildings. This could also be something hyper-specific; e.g. if you’re a technical theater student and having access to lighting design on a real stage is a deal breaker for you, you’ll want to make sure to tour the theater department.
Then make a list of information you still need to gather – things you can’t get from the website or social media. (Do you need to know about study abroad options? Academic support systems? Counseling/health services? Laundry/dining/dorm life?) These will be the questions you ask when you meet with an admissions rep, whether that’s a current student taking you on a campus tour or an admissions officer providing an info session. Plan to bring a notebook with you, both to refer to your questions and to take notes during the visit day.
Don’t limit yourself to the tour and info sessions—schedule a time to meet with the department chair in your area of interest, Some schools will allow you to sit in on a class (just make sure to reach out ahead of time). Not sure? Email your admissions rep and ask!
Then, work with your family to choose a day and schedule the official visit on the college’s website. Most schools offer an official info session and campus tour as part of their visit, and some offer additional resources like the ability to sit in on a class, meet with a faculty member, or chat with a current student. If you’re unsure what’s available, just ask! Never be afraid to shoot a quick email to the college’s admissions office with questions.
*Important note: when you’re signing up for the visit online, some colleges will offer in-person admissions interviews as optional parts of the visit. For the most part, schools are only interested in doing these interviews in the summer between your junior and senior years, since the interview is typically part of the application itself (in other words, you’ll only need to interview if you’ve already decided to apply to that school and begun filling out our application). If you do fall into that range and you’re interested in interviewing, check out this helpful guide to making it a great one.
The Visit Itself
On the day of your visit, try to arrive a bit earlier than your set visit time – a good rule of thumb is to aim for 10-15 minutes early, just in case you get lost finding the admissions office. If you do get lost, call the admissions office to let them know that you’re running late (and, they can usually give you directions to make things easier).
When you arrive, introduce yourself to the admissions staff you meet, and (this may sound obvious) be respectful and polite the entire time you’re on campus. Even if you’re exclusively chatting with current students, they do sometimes take notes on the behavior of visitors, especially if those visitors are causing a ruckus – and that could negatively impact your admissions decision later if you’re not careful.
During the info session, it’s best practice to remain quiet and just write your questions down for later, to let the admissions rep get through the presentation smoothly. Once it’s over, they’ll typically open up the floor. Don’t worry about asking tons of questions – this is your time to get to know the school, so take advantage of that! If you end up asking questions that the presenter doesn’t know the answer to, they’ll typically get your contact information so they can find out and get back to you later.
The campus tour is almost always led by current students or recent alumni of the school, giving you a chance to ask slightly different questions. If you want to know what students really feel about life at this school, this is your opportunity to find out! (Tip: parents, try to let your student take the lead with this conversation. Tour guides sometimes feel intimidated by parents asking high-intensity questions; if you want to know about the party scene at a given school, the tour guide is more likely to be honest with a fellow student than with a parent!)
Speaking of questions: we’ve put together this master list of questions that you may want to ask, whether on the tour or during the info session. If you’re feeling stuck or just want to make sure you’re not missing anything, feel free to use this as a resource.
Many times, the tour will end back at the admissions office, giving you one final chance to ask follow-up questions and get any additional information you may need before you leave campus. Use this opportunity to get the contact info for your assigned admissions officer, in case you need any support with the application process later.
The Aftermath
After the visit, send a follow-up email to the specific admissions rep you spoke with, thanking them for their time and asking any additional questions you may have thought of after leaving campus. TONS of students visit campuses without ever thinking to thank the admissions staff – it shows initiative and compassion to send this email, and it’s also just a nice thing to do. :)
Now that you’ve met someone from the admissions office at this school, keep them in mind as you work through the application. If new questions pop up, shoot them an email! (Try not to worry about being a “squeaky wheel” – the more you’re in contact with the admissions officer who reads your application, the more memorable you will be in the review process.)
And that’s it – just rinse and repeat!
