College Tours – It’s That Time of Year!

So you want to go to college, or your child wants to go to college, and you don’t know where to start.

You’re not alone.  Most people choose to visit name-brand colleges and go about this college exploration process all wrong!  This such a big topic that I’ve divided it into 2 separate blogs:

(1) How to choose your college list and

(2) How to organize your college visits (this blog!)

Once you know where you plan to apply to college, it’s time to lay out your map. Print out regional maps so you can organize your college visits.  It’s best to visit colleges while they’re in session so summers are generally the worst time to go because the college kids are back home and the college campuses are either deserted or filled with summer camps for high school students. Remember, you want to get a taste for campus life and classes.

On your map, highlight each college so you can see all of them in one place. Then go online to determine the days and times that the college offers walking tours and information sessions. Most colleges offer both morning and afternoon tours so you can possibly visit 2 colleges per day.  That’s why you want to see where the colleges are in relation to one another.  Using Google Maps, determine the distance between campuses and the driving times (consider traffic).  When you have a rough idea of when you would ideally like to see each campus, then go online or call the admissions office to set up your tours.

After all of your tours are reserved and confirmed, make your travel arrangements.  Book your flights so you have ample time to get to your tours and explore the neighborhoods.  Make hotel reservations near the campus so you don’t have to deal with traffic in the morning.  It’s best to book a different hotel near each college tour that you have scheduled for the following morning, that way, you can travel to the hotel the night before and avoid heavy commuter traffic and be in close proximity to the tour the next morning.

Use your tablet or phone to keep track of each tour.  Believe it or not, all of the campuses will blend together and you won’t remember the details for each of them.  Did UCSC have the Baskin Engineering Dept or was that UCSB? Hmm. To keep your college tours organized, start each tour by taking a photo of the college name (sign or brochure).  Then try to get photos of the same types of things on each campus: (1) classrooms; (2) dorms; (3) dining halls, (4) sports facilities; (5) libraries; and miscellaneous attractions. When you get home, create folders for each college and place the photos and other documents you receive in them. That way, when you get down to making your final decision on which colleges to apply to, you’ll have all of your photos and info in one place. 

While walking on the campus tour, try to stay up in front and walk next to the tour guide.  Yup, kinda like the teacher’s pet… Here’s why. While you’re walking from site to site – and when your guide isn’t tripping over curbs as he’s walking backwards – you can ask all kinds of questions about campus life and popular majors.  Just know that your tour guide is paid to tell, or rather sell you, on the college.  So they’ll tell you all kinds of wonderful things about the college.  By walking along side the guide, you can ask more detailed questions that he/she might not tell the whole group.  Here are a list of questions:

1. Ask about your major (reputation of the program, best professors, claim to fame)
2. How difficult is it to get classes every term?
3. What percentage of students graduate within 4 years?
4. Do students live on campus for all 4 years?  If not, when do they generally move off campus?
5. What is the Greek life like on campus? What percentage of the students are involved ?
6. Describe the meal plans.  Where is the best place to get pizza, burgers, sushi, ice cream on campus or near by?
7. Do you need a car to get around campus and in town?  If not, what’s the best way to get around?
8. Have there been any date rape or sex crimes on campus over the past 5 years? What were the outcomes?

If you don’t get the answers you’re looking for from the tour guide, ask the questions during the information sessions. These sessions are usually hosted by the actual college admissions officers so you’ll get a better idea about the application process and have the opportunity to ask questions specific to you.

While you’re on campus, eat a meal or two.  Check out the various options to get a taste for what they serve.  Some campuses have awful meals that all look and taste the same, while others have taco bars, ethnic entrees, and even steak and lobster (It’s true! Washington University in St. Louis)!

Most campus tours do not include visiting dorms so just stand outside the dorms and ask a student to show you their room.  Check out the bathrooms, showers, and other dorm rooms.  Not all college dorms are equal!  You’ll be surprised to find that some have quads where a couple dorms share a bathroom and others even have kitchens and living rooms! If you want to prepare some of your favorite family meals, then compare various living options at each campus.

And don’t forget the whole reason you’re going to college – to learn!  Oh yeah, the classes. Try to visit campuses on school days so you can actually sit in on classes. Pick the intro class for your possible major and sit in on one of them.  By comparing apples to apples, you’ll get a better sense for how classes are taught.  For instance, classes at one school might have 16 students taught by professors while another might have a class of 400 taught be TAs (teaching assistants). These are important details that could have a very big impact on the quality of your education!

Sit in the back of the class so you get a feel for how engaged the students are and the caliber of the students in your major.  In other words, if they’re falling asleep or texting throughout the entire lecture, that says a lot about the class, professor, and college. While you’re in the class, take notes that you will place in that college folder that I mentioned at the start of this blog.  Do this right away because you’ll definitely get the colleges mixed up!

If you’re planning on using financial aid, stop by the financial aid office to learn about scholarships and other options you have to finance your education.  Meeting with your financial aid officers before you choose your college is a good first step in setting up a positive relationship with them. If there is any wiggle room in your Student Aid Report, this would be a good time to see what the college might do for you.

So start planning your college visits as early as your spring break during your junior and senior years.  Check with colleges to see when they’re in session and organize your trips accordingly. Walk around the campuses by yourself and talk to the students – that’s the best way to really get a good feel for each campus.

You’ll know when you’ve found the perfect college for you – that’s why it’s important to take these college tours!