Although not necessarily the best time for a college visit, summer vacation becomes prime time for many families for the ritual known as the “college tour”. Careful advance planning can make this trip informative and maybe even fun, while giving you a closer look at life on American college campuses.
First, choose a realistic number of schools to visit, and a reasonable distance to cover. You’ll want to include additional time to allow you to alternate campus visits with time devoted to having fun or shopping or sightseeing. You’ll probably want to visit only those schools which fit your initial requirements – size or location or cost. If you can, make your group more diverse by including city and rural schools, some larger and smaller campuses. Be sure you know the academic characteristics of each college – don’t waste your time visiting schools if your profile doesn’t fit theirs. As soon as you’ve mapped out your trip, call each admissions office to inquire about campus tour and information session schedules. You may also want to ask about the possibility of an admissions interview. Inquire about hotel accommodations near campus for your family. Prospective students often can be accommodated overnight in a college dormitory. That’s an excellent way to test drive the housing program.
Review what you know about each college just before your visit. Join the organized tour at the admissions office; student tour guides are usually wonderful sources of inside information. Ask the questions that are important to you and try to get a real sense of life at that college. If the tour doesn’t include facilities that are of interest to you (such as art studios or film-editing labs) ask to meet with someone from the appropriate department. Attend the information session. Take time to wander around campus on your own. Be sure to have a meal in the student union, and while there, check out the notices posted on kiosks. Get a copy of the campus newspaper so you can learn what issues are important to the students. In short, try to picture yourself as a student at that school.
As soon as you leave each campus, jot down your impressions; note especially your likes and dislikes. After you’ve visited a number of colleges, you’ll find it increasingly hard to retain separate images of the schools – your notes (and perhaps some photos) will become important in your decision-making process. You may not have found your dream school by the end of your college tour, but you’ll know much more about yourself and the type of school you’re looking for.
