ShortCuts in This Guide

• Choose the Type of College Visit That Works for Your Family

  Open House

  A college open house can bring hundreds of prospective students to campus. The event may include an introduction by admissions personnel in an auditorium or lecture hall, group tours of campus, and informational sessions on college admissions requirements, financial aid, and academics. There may even be special sessions just for parents.

  Pros: You’ll get a general overview of the college or university without having a personal interview. You'll get to see the big picture. A college open house can offer a good first look at a school.
  
  Cons: Because you will be one of hundreds of visitors on campus, you won’t be able to ask questions or spend time visiting particular areas of interest. Your child may not get a true feel for the campus because there will be many more people on campus than usual.

  Group Tour

  To make the best use of staff and volunteer tour guides, many schools hold group tours. Visiting students may have private interviews with admissions counselors before or after their tour, but campus tours follow a set schedule.

  Pros: Students and parents in the group may ask questions you hadn’t thought about. You’ll benefit from the answers to their questions.
  
  Cons: Because a group tour follows a set itinerary and schedule, you won’t have time to linger in a building or campus area that interests you or your child. Individual requests can’t be addressed during this kind of tour.

  Private Tour

  While many admissions offices prefer to give group tours, you can request a private tour of campus. You, your child, and a student tour guide will explore campus together and either begin or end your visit with an admissions interview and possibly a meeting with a financial aid representative. If your child has requested it beforehand, he or she may be able to chat with a faculty member, sit in on a class, or eat lunch in the cafeteria.

  Pros: This visit is all about your child. Your child can ask the tour guide about things that are important to him or her. You can ask to see areas of the campus that might not be on a standard tour. You may have more time to see the athletic facilities or talk with a professor.
  
  Cons: Shy children may not feel comfortable being the center of attention. Nor will you and your child benefit other people’s questions and comments.

  Special Event

  Campus events for prospective students with specific interests, such as fine arts, science and math, athletics, or leadership, are similar to college open houses, but they target a particular group.  Activities can include participating in classes in the area of interest, meeting with faculty, and listening to panel presentations by students in the majors that are the focus of the event. 

  Pros: Your child will meet other prospective students with similar interests. He or she will meet faculty and students in the potential major. Your child will receive in-depth information about the school’s program. Parent activities may include information sessions on financial aid, campus life, and academic programs.
  
  Cons: You and your child may not have a chance to ask questions. Also, because the day presents a single aspect of the college experience, you may miss out on other facets of campus life.

• Choose the Type of College Visit That Works for Your Family

  Open House

  A college open house can bring hundreds of prospective students to campus. The event may include an introduction by admissions personnel in an auditorium or lecture hall, group tours of campus, and informational sessions on college admissions requirements, financial aid, and academics. There may even be special sessions just for parents.

  Pros: You’ll get a general overview of the college or university without having a personal interview. You'll get to see the big picture. A college open house can offer a good first look at a school.
  
  Cons: Because you will be one of hundreds of visitors on campus, you won’t be able to ask questions or spend time visiting particular areas of interest. Your child may not get a true feel for the campus because there will be many more people on campus than usual.

  Group Tour

  To make the best use of staff and volunteer tour guides, many schools hold group tours. Visiting students may have private interviews with admissions counselors before or after their tour, but campus tours follow a set schedule.

  Pros: Students and parents in the group may ask questions you hadn’t thought about. You’ll benefit from the answers to their questions.
  
  Cons: Because a group tour follows a set itinerary and schedule, you won’t have time to linger in a building or campus area that interests you or your child. Individual requests can’t be addressed during this kind of tour.

  Private Tour

  While many admissions offices prefer to give group tours, you can request a private tour of campus. You, your child, and a student tour guide will explore campus together and either begin or end your visit with an admissions interview and possibly a meeting with a financial aid representative. If your child has requested it beforehand, he or she may be able to chat with a faculty member, sit in on a class, or eat lunch in the cafeteria.

  Pros: This visit is all about your child. Your child can ask the tour guide about things that are important to him or her. You can ask to see areas of the campus that might not be on a standard tour. You may have more time to see the athletic facilities or talk with a professor.
  
  Cons: Shy children may not feel comfortable being the center of attention. Nor will you and your child benefit other people’s questions and comments.

  Special Event

  Campus events for prospective students with specific interests, such as fine arts, science and math, athletics, or leadership, are similar to college open houses, but they target a particular group.  Activities can include participating in classes in the area of interest, meeting with faculty, and listening to panel presentations by students in the majors that are the focus of the event. 

  Pros: Your child will meet other prospective students with similar interests. He or she will meet faculty and students in the potential major. Your child will receive in-depth information about the school’s program. Parent activities may include information sessions on financial aid, campus life, and academic programs.
  
  Cons: You and your child may not have a chance to ask questions. Also, because the day presents a single aspect of the college experience, you may miss out on other facets of campus life.

• Twenty Questions Your Child Should Ask during a College Visit (Plus Nine Questions You Should Ask)

  The object of the game Twenty Questions is to get enough information to be able to correctly identify an object. These twenty questions can help your child figure out whether a school is the perfect college for him or her. Have your child ask the questions during the college tour or during an admissions interview. Note: let your child take the lead in asking questions. After all, he or she the one for whom the answers are most important. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask your own questions later.

  Five Questions to Ask the Admissions Counselor

  1. What services are available to help students make a successful transition to college life?
  2. Are most freshman classes taught by professors or by graduate students? How many students are likely to be in my first-year and introductory classes?
  3. What kind of financial aid do most students receive? What scholarship, work-study, and grant programs am I eligible for?
  4. What makes this college different from [a similar or competing college]?
  5. Do most of the college’s students get good jobs after graduation? Do many apply to graduate school? Do they have a high acceptance rate?

  Five Questions to Ask Your Tour Guide or Other Students

  1. What do students do on the weekends? Do most students go home, or are there lots of activities to participate in?
  2. Do you feel that your professors really care about you and other students? Can you get help when you need it?
  3. Where else did you look when you were applying to colleges; what made you choose this one?
  4. Is there anything you don’t like about this school? What do you like best?
  5. What are the top three issues that concern students here?

  Five Questions to Ask a Professor

  1. What is a typical workload of homework, papers, and tests in your classes?
  2. How accessible are you to students? Are you only available during office hours, or do you interact with students outside of class?
  3. What are the main differences I can expect between a high school and a college class?
  4. Do students have the opportunity to assist with faculty research?  Are students encouraged to pursue their own research?
  5. What do you like most about teaching here? What attracted you to this college as a professor?

  Five Questions Your Child Should Ask Him- or Herself

  1. Will I fit in with the students I’ve seen and met during my visit?
  2. Will the academic programs challenge me and prepare me for a career?
  3. Are there clubs, activities, and organizations here that interest me?
  4. Did I feel welcomed by the staff and students?
  5. Can I picture myself living here for four years?

  Nine Questions You Should Ask

  1. What is college campus safety like? Can students request escorts to their dorms late at night? Are there emergency call boxes throughout campus? What kind of training do campus security personnel receive?
  2. What security measures are in place in the dormitories? How is access to the dorms controlled?
  3. Can students have overnight guests? Are there rules about visitation by members of the opposite sex? Are there any single-sex dorms? How about substance-free dorms?
  4. What academic and emotional support systems are available to students? Do you have a counseling center? Is there tutoring help available?
  5. What medical services are available on campus? Where is the nearest hospital? How are students billed for medical services? Is student health insurance available?
  6. Is there much partying on campus? Are there certain activities that are grounds for expulsion? Will I be informed if my child does something illegal?
  7. How are roommates chosen? What is the process for handling conflicts or incompatibility between roommates ?
  8. What is the return rate for second year students? What are some of the reasons students leave or transfer?
  9. What is a typical financial aid package like? Do most students receive financial aid? Can you help us with the financial paperwork? Under what conditions might my child lose financial aid?

• Twenty Questions Your Child Should Ask during a College Visit (Plus Nine Questions You Should Ask)

  The object of the game Twenty Questions is to get enough information to be able to correctly identify an object. These twenty questions can help your child figure out whether a school is the perfect college for him or her. Have your child ask the questions during the college tour or during an admissions interview. Note: let your child take the lead in asking questions. After all, he or she the one for whom the answers are most important. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask your own questions later.

  Five Questions to Ask the Admissions Counselor

  1. What services are available to help students make a successful transition to college life?
  2. Are most freshman classes taught by professors or by graduate students? How many students are likely to be in my first-year and introductory classes?
  3. What kind of financial aid do most students receive? What scholarship, work-study, and grant programs am I eligible for?
  4. What makes this college different from [a similar or competing college]?
  5. Do most of the college’s students get good jobs after graduation? Do many apply to graduate school? Do they have a high acceptance rate?

  Five Questions to Ask Your Tour Guide or Other Students

  1. What do students do on the weekends? Do most students go home, or are there lots of activities to participate in?
  2. Do you feel that your professors really care about you and other students? Can you get help when you need it?
  3. Where else did you look when you were applying to colleges; what made you choose this one?
  4. Is there anything you don’t like about this school? What do you like best?
  5. What are the top three issues that concern students here?

  Five Questions to Ask a Professor

  1. What is a typical workload of homework, papers, and tests in your classes?
  2. How accessible are you to students? Are you only available during office hours, or do you interact with students outside of class?
  3. What are the main differences I can expect between a high school and a college class?
  4. Do students have the opportunity to assist with faculty research?  Are students encouraged to pursue their own research?
  5. What do you like most about teaching here? What attracted you to this college as a professor?

  Five Questions Your Child Should Ask Him- or Herself

  1. Will I fit in with the students I’ve seen and met during my visit?
  2. Will the academic programs challenge me and prepare me for a career?
  3. Are there clubs, activities, and organizations here that interest me?
  4. Did I feel welcomed by the staff and students?
  5. Can I picture myself living here for four years?

  Nine Questions You Should Ask

  1. What is college campus safety like? Can students request escorts to their dorms late at night? Are there emergency call boxes throughout campus? What kind of training do campus security personnel receive?
  2. What security measures are in place in the dormitories? How is access to the dorms controlled?
  3. Can students have overnight guests? Are there rules about visitation by members of the opposite sex? Are there any single-sex dorms? How about substance-free dorms?
  4. What academic and emotional support systems are available to students? Do you have a counseling center? Is there tutoring help available?
  5. What medical services are available on campus? Where is the nearest hospital? How are students billed for medical services? Is student health insurance available?
  6. Is there much partying on campus? Are there certain activities that are grounds for expulsion? Will I be informed if my child does something illegal?
  7. How are roommates chosen? What is the process for handling conflicts or incompatibility between roommates ?
  8. What is the return rate for second year students? What are some of the reasons students leave or transfer?
  9. What is a typical financial aid package like? Do most students receive financial aid? Can you help us with the financial paperwork? Under what conditions might my child lose financial aid?
• Help Your Child Get More from a College Tour

  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

• Help Your Child Get More from a College Tour

  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

• Go Online for a Virtual College Tour

  When your child’s dream college is across the country, it may not be possible to sit in on a class, eat in the cafeteria, and hang out in a dorm room. But your teen can still get a good idea of what the campus is like by taking a virtual college tour.
  Thanks to the Internet, it has never been easier to check out prospective colleges online. And prospective students will find more than an online version of the college brochure. Tell your teen to look for the following on the Web sites of the colleges under consideration:

  • Slide shows
  • Video tours
  • Interviews with students and faculty
  • Webcams
  • Audio clips

  Want more? Your teen can search for college information, videos, and student and alumni groups on the following:

  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • MySpace

  There are also Web sites designed to provide future students with a virtual glimpse of hundreds of colleges and universities. Your child can check out tour videos, maps, photos, interviews, and more on these sites:

  • www.CampusTours.com
  • www.eCampusTours.com
  • www.collegeclicktv.com
  • http://youniversity.tv

  Finally, if you have questions, you or your child can e-mail someone at the college. On most college Web sites, you can find e-mail addresses for admissions counselors, financial aid representatives, professors, and occasionally students and alumni. Most will be happy to answer  questions from you or your teen. Some college Web sites have live chat features where prospective students can converse with a college staff member through instant messaging.
  You can also suggest that your child visit the Web site for the community in which a college is located. Convention and visitors’ bureaus and city Web sites describe the restaurants, entertainment, and future employers that are close to campus.

• Go Online for a Virtual College Tour

  When your child’s dream college is across the country, it may not be possible to sit in on a class, eat in the cafeteria, and hang out in a dorm room. But your teen can still get a good idea of what the campus is like by taking a virtual college tour.
  Thanks to the Internet, it has never been easier to check out prospective colleges online. And prospective students will find more than an online version of the college brochure. Tell your teen to look for the following on the Web sites of the colleges under consideration:

  • Slide shows
  • Video tours
  • Interviews with students and faculty
  • Webcams
  • Audio clips

  Want more? Your teen can search for college information, videos, and student and alumni groups on the following:

  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • MySpace

  There are also Web sites designed to provide future students with a virtual glimpse of hundreds of colleges and universities. Your child can check out tour videos, maps, photos, interviews, and more on these sites:

  • www.CampusTours.com
  • www.eCampusTours.com
  • www.collegeclicktv.com
  • http://youniversity.tv

  Finally, if you have questions, you or your child can e-mail someone at the college. On most college Web sites, you can find e-mail addresses for admissions counselors, financial aid representatives, professors, and occasionally students and alumni. Most will be happy to answer  questions from you or your teen. Some college Web sites have live chat features where prospective students can converse with a college staff member through instant messaging.
  You can also suggest that your child visit the Web site for the community in which a college is located. Convention and visitors’ bureaus and city Web sites describe the restaurants, entertainment, and future employers that are close to campus.

• Ten Questions for Your Commuting Student to Ask on a College Visit

  Even if your child is planning to live at home and commute to a local college, he or she should still plan a college visit. You may feel that your child knows the school because your family lives nearby, but the student perspective of campus is completely different from that of a community resident. Remember that if your child goes away to school and lives in off-campus student housing, he or she is considered a commuter student.

  Here are Ten Questions Commuter Students Should Ask on a College Visit.

  1. Is there an office of commuter services and/or a commuter student adviser? What services do they provide?
  2. Are there lounges for commuters? Where do commuter students study and hang out between classes?
  3. How do commuters get involved in campus student life? Are there programs and events specifically for commuter students?
  4. In emergencies, can commuters spend the night in the dorms?
  5. Is there a meal plan available for commuter students? How much does it cost, and how does it work?
  6. What is parking like on campus? What are the fees?
  7. How do I find out about public transportation? Are there any public transportation discounts for commuters?
  8. What percentage of the student body commutes? Do most commuters live at home or in off-campus housing?
  9. How do I find out about class cancellations due to bad weather?
  10. How well do commuter and resident students get along with each other?

• Ten Questions for Your Commuting Student to Ask on a College Visit

  Even if your child is planning to live at home and commute to a local college, he or she should still plan a college visit. You may feel that your child knows the school because your family lives nearby, but the student perspective of campus is completely different from that of a community resident. Remember that if your child goes away to school and lives in off-campus student housing, he or she is considered a commuter student.

  Here are Ten Questions Commuter Students Should Ask on a College Visit.

  1. Is there an office of commuter services and/or a commuter student adviser? What services do they provide?
  2. Are there lounges for commuters? Where do commuter students study and hang out between classes?
  3. How do commuters get involved in campus student life? Are there programs and events specifically for commuter students?
  4. In emergencies, can commuters spend the night in the dorms?
  5. Is there a meal plan available for commuter students? How much does it cost, and how does it work?
  6. What is parking like on campus? What are the fees?
  7. How do I find out about public transportation? Are there any public transportation discounts for commuters?
  8. What percentage of the student body commutes? Do most commuters live at home or in off-campus housing?
  9. How do I find out about class cancellations due to bad weather?
  10. How well do commuter and resident students get along with each other?