The best way to get to know a college is by visiting. Pictures and statistics that colleges post on their website can only go so far when trying to understand a school and its culture. As you begin or continue your college search this summer, here are some tips that can help you on your next college visit.
Before you even arrive on campus, planning is key. Do your research about the program you’re interested in and when that specific school within the university has events. For instance, if the engineering department only offers tours of its facilities on Wednesdays, plan to go on a Wednesday.
Once you make it to campus, know where you’re going. Most schools will send you a confirmation email with details about where to go. Tours generally start in the visitors center, where they often have informational brochures, pictures of campus life and possibly a welcome video. Pay close attention to what they promote in their materials. This can give you insight into what the school values.
Sometimes you’ll have a choice of what tour guide you’d like to lead your tour. They’ll often introduce themselves and give some information about who they are, where they’re from and what they’re majoring in. If your intended major is what one of the tour guides is studying, go with them. They can give you more information about that specific program than the others who know more about their own major.
Not all schools let you pick and you might be randomly assigned. Regardless, the way you approach the tour should be the same. Try to be as close as possible to the front of the group so you can hear what the guide has to say and ask your own questions. These can include more case-specific questions about you or conversational questions like “What’s your favorite part about going to school here?” Staying close to the front allows you to learn the information from the tour and have your additional questions answered as well.
Some key points to pay attention to on the tour are the dorms, food and people. These aspects will help you address the question: “Could I see myself here?” Seeing the dorm rooms and buildings gives you a sense of what living on campus would actually be like. This can be a make or break for students because if the program is great but the dorms are old and depressing, then that might not be the right place for you. If your tour guide doesn’t tell you, ask about the housing situation. Some colleges have rules about how many years you have to live on campus and what dorm buildings or types of dorm rooms are available for what ages.
College food is often looked down upon but some places have great options. The dining halls generally offer typical campus food with the occasional new menu item. If you just can’t eat at the dining hall for another meal, most campuses have chain restaurants on or near campus for a quick bite. There are also local restaurants in the area for more varied options. Some of these places might cater mainly to students, so if you have time before or after your tour, go check one of them out. This way, you can see for yourself what students do when they’re not in class.
Observing the people is also very important when touring. What are they doing? Where do they hang out? Are there a bunch of fraternity brothers playing football on a lawn or are most people studying in the library? Chances are there will be both no matter where you go. Not all people at a school are the same and that’s what makes college fun. You’ll find “your people” wherever you go. That said, some schools are going to have a larger sports culture or more Greek life than others. People-watching can help you figure out if that campus culture is what you’re looking for.
In addition to paying attention to what they do show on the tour or stress in the information session, think about what you don’t see. For instance, some top-ranked schools don’t feel the need to show their dorms on tours. If colleges feel like their programs and prestige speak for themselves, they don’t need to convince people to come there. One of the best ways to hear about what’s actually going on on campus — beyond just the tour — is to pick up a copy of the student newspaper. This gives you the opinions and perspective of the students who actually go there.
If you aren’t able to do a major-specific tour or information session and you don’t see those facilities on your tour, make time at the end of your visit to check them out. Walk through the buildings where they have classes for your intended major and see what they look like. It can also be helpful to talk to a current student and ask what they like or don’t like. One of the most gratifying pieces of information a student gave me on a tour was, “This is the right place for what I want to do.”
Hopefully this article will help you on your next tour. If you just finished sophomore year, now is one of the best times to look at colleges before the stress of junior year ramps up. If you enjoy your tour over the summer enough, think about scheduling another one during the year to experience it with students on campus. Otherwise, it might just be a place with pretty buildings. Keep in mind as well that the weather can have a huge impact on your perception of the school. Try to see past the raindrops or rays of sunshine and concentrate on the college itself. Finally, remember that there’s no “right” choice. You’ll never know what it’s like at the place you didn’t go. Instead, focus on making a good choice for where you’re going to spend the next four years of your life.
