A college tour is designed to make your teen want to attend that school. But both your child and you need to look past the lovely architecture and the tour guide’s upbeat script to get a true feel for the campus.

College Visit Essentials

Suggest these ideas if your child doesn't think of them:

  • Sit in on a lecture. Notice how the students interact with each other and with the professor. Could your child learn in this environment? What is his or her impression of student-teacher relationships?
  • Visit a dorm room. Most schools have several living facilities, so try to visit them all. Does your teen feel comfortable in the dorms? Check the bulletin boards to get a feel for student life. Are there notices about social events, community service opportunities, people needing rides home, ads for tutoring services? These notices tell a lot about the things that are important to students.
  • Sample the food. Visit the dining hall or the food court. Look at what it has to offer and sit down for a meal. Your child will eat here, so make sure the food appeals. Sure the unlimited ice cream looks enticing, but are there also a variety of healthy foods to eat?
  • Read the paper. A school newspaper will give your teen a good idea of what goes on in and around campus when the school isn’t doing the new recruit dance. Look at the articles, the letters to the editor, and the ads to catch an accurate glimpse of campus life.
  • Look at a restroom. Seriously, do it. Unsanitary restrooms may be a sign of other deficiencies. If the campus areas used by the public aren’t up to par, what about the areas that visitors don’t usually see? Peeling paint in dorms or sagging lounge furniture also tell a story you may not want to hear.

Checklist of Information from a College Visit

After several college visits, your head may be spinning. Was college A or B the one with the terrific computer labs? The dorms at college C were old, but the library was state of the art. If you and your child have taken detailed notes during each college tour, you’ll be able to recall your impressions once you’re home and have more time to think about your visits.

Use this checklist to make sure you have all the information you need:

  • Academic programs: majors, class size, study abroad, research opportunities
  • Housing: dormitories, off-campus student housing
  • Campus student life: clubs and organizations, politics, social activism, entertainment
  • Athletics: organized sports teams, intramural sports
  • Student support: tutoring, counseling center, career center, computer labs, college campus safety
  • Campus facilities: library, gym, dining hall, student union, commuter lounge, performing arts center
  • Campus atmosphere: casual, formal, high pressure, laid back


 

To make it easier to keep track of the colleges you visit, you can download a college visit summary sheet from Making It Into a Top College  by Howard and Mathew Greene (HarperCollins 2009)
http://www.pbs.org/tenstepstocollege/visit.pdf