Time to Sign Up for College Visits

Summer is here! Time for relaxing, jobs, camps, vacations and.....college visits! Summer is a perfect time to visit colleges. Both the summer between 10th and 11th grade and the summer between 11th and 12th grade are great times to go. You might visit different colleges each summer or you might go back to schools you want to see again.  

Make a mini vacation out of visiting a few colleges that are close to one another. Or do a college visit in a city that you are going to for vacation. The campus tours are free but the travel costs money. So if you are already traveling somewhere then add in a college visit!

Sign up now!

The most important thing is to plan ahead and sign up for the tours now. They will fill up! And once a tour is full it's full. Be sure to sign up for the tours and information sessions using the student's name and information. Most schools keep tabs on who visits and you share that on your application.

Types of Tours:

- Campus Tour

- Housing/Residence Hall Tour

- College Department Tour

Check out the college website and see what types of tours they offer. Sometimes the Campus Tour includes a tour of the residence halls but other times they are separate tours. In addition, some colleges offer tours or information sessions with academic departments, such as School of Engineering or Science or Music and Arts. Be sure to sign up for these sessions as well if you know your major area of interest because you will meet people from that department and get information specific to that area.

Junior Visit Days or All Day Experiences!

Some colleges offer a specific day for just Juniors to visit. These days are usually half or full days and include the information session and campus tour but focus on questions that juniors would have as they will be applying in August. Some colleges host all day campus experiences. These are worth checking out because they offer more than just the info session and campus tour. If you don't see anything like these listed on the visitor site, then call and ask if they do something like that during the school year. They are worth it!

Interested in a specific major?

Then contact that department and ask if you can schedule a meeting with someone to talk about classes and admissions into that college.  Also ask if you can get a tour of labs or special classrooms for that department. If you do get an appointment with anyone, make sure you write an email thanking them for their time after you get back.  Later that person may be a great contact for questions during application time.

Interested in a specific organization or group?

Again find a person in charge of that group and ask if they would be willing to meet with you while you are on campus. It is nice to see the people and space for a group you might be interested in joining.

What else should you see while you are there?

- Check out the bookstore!  

- Eat at the dining hall!  

- Attend an event!

- Drive around campus and off campus to explore the area!

These are all ways you can see what it is like to be a student living there.

Take pictures and ask questions!

You will be surprised how you might forget in a couple of months which college had the cool student lounge area or the all night dining hall or the creative science lab. So take photos to see what the campus looks like from your perspective. The campus tours are usually led by current students and they love to share their own experiences on applying and living there. This is your chance to ask questions and get the answers from a student perspective.

College Visit/Tour Checklist

After you leave each campus, be sure to fill out a worksheet documenting any pros and cons and wishes. Try to capture your thoughts and impressions while they are still fresh. Could you see yourself there?  Is it on your apply list? Why? Why not? Items to include: size, location, housing, coursework, academic opportunities, clubs, organizations, and sports.

College visits can be exciting and stressful.  But if you have planned ahead and are ready with your tour times and your questions, you will get the most out of your time on campus.

Check out the section on College Visits on the College Access Guide website.

https://www.collegeaccessguide.com/college-visits

Putting you in control of your college access journey!