There is no better way of finding out whether a college is a good choice for you than to visit the campus, itself. College visits are a critical part of coming up with a good college list and in making a wise, final college choice. The more colleges you see, the easier it will be for you to know what you like (and don’t like) about different kinds of colleges. Don’t forget to make your college visit a pleasant, fun experience, rather than harried, over programmed, stressful ordeal.

1. Try to visit a college campus when school is in session rather than during any of their vacation or exam periods. However, visiting a college any time is better than not visiting it at all.
2. Pay attention to your initial, gut reaction to a college during the first few minutes of being on campus. This positive or negative reaction usually end-ups being right-on.
3. College visits can include any number of things, including a campus tour, a dorm visit, a soft drink at the student center and a stop by the admissions office.
   • Don’t forget to sign-in at the admissions office and try to meet the college admissions officer assigned to your high school
   • When you go away to school, you are also moving to a community. What is it like? How does it feel to you?
   • A good way of getting a clear picture of professor-student relationships is to sit in on a class or two.
4. To get a real feel for a campus, talk with current students and ask them what they think of their school.
5. College admissions offices want to accept students who are truly interested in their schools. There is no better way of demonstrating this interest than by personally visiting a school.
   • If you are a student with limited financial resources, contact admissions offices to see about financial assistance for travel to their school. A number of colleges offer this service.
6. A good rule of thumb is not to attend a college that you haven’t seen first hand.

	Freshman and Sophomore Years Freshman and sophomore years are a good time to begin stopping by college campuses as you take family vacations and visit different cities in your home state (and even in the rest of the U.S.) If nothing else, take a “windshield tour” of a school (i.e., drive around a campus in your car); that alone will tell you a lot. Get exposed to a variety of college types in different geographic locations, with large and small student populations, including public and private colleges, famous colleges and little known colleges, schools in cities, small towns and rural areas. See how you feel while you are in the different environments and note when you feel really good about a campus or really turned-off.
	Junior Year Junior year is when to get serious about college visits. If possible, take trips for the sole purpose of visiting colleges during vacation periods and on weekends. Take a look at colleges in your own hometown or in nearby towns and cities.
	Senior Year Fall semester is when you visit colleges to have personal interviews with the different admissions offices. See Guide 14: Admissions Interviews: Knowing Exactly What To Say And Do. The early weeks of April, spring semester is when colleges offer Admit Weekends to students who have been accepted to their schools. This is a very good thing to do, especially if you are uncertain about your final college choice.
	Parents College visits is an arena of college admissions in which parents can and should play a big role. You’ve got the car, the checkbook and the best interests of your child at heart. So whenever you can, throughout your child’s high school years take windshield tours of colleges as you visit different locations in your city, state and the country. As of your child’s junior year, take trips for the sole purpose of visiting colleges. Nothing can better help your child decide that a college is a good place than seeing a campus first hand. And if it’s within your wherewithal, encourage and help your senior go on interview trips to colleges. As one parent said, “I’ve learned that no matter how strongly I think or feel about a school, the most effective approach is to be low key in what I say and do (and sometimes say nothing at all). After all, this is my daughter’s life, not mine. The real question is how to help her choose a school where she will thrive.”

If you want more information about any of the above, or

• What, how, when and why to see and do things while on a campus
  • The Admissions Office (what to say)
  • Meet a professor in you field of interest (questions to ask)
  • Talk with current students (questions to ask them)
  • Look into activities, sports or services
  • Check out housing arrangements
  • Walk or drive through the adjacent community or town (questions to ask yourself)
• What to do if your parents can’t take you on college trips
• The pros and cons of visiting colleges with your parents, with friends or on your own
• Sample email to send a college rep before you go on a college visit
• Sample email to send a college rep after you have met him/her
• Checklist of what to bring on a campus visit
• Questions to ask re academics, finances, safety, housing, student life
• College Visit sheet to write down your impressions
• Recommended websites and books

If you want to gain access to Guide 6, Visiting Colleges, click here for an online, bare bones version.

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