Here’s what colleges don’t tell you up front: Campus tours are designed to make you want to come to their school. You’ll see the highlights; the lovely architecture and the newest facilities, but you may be whisked along too quickly to get a true feel for student life.

To get a genuine sense of how well a campus fits your needs, follow these suggestions:

  • Take in the scenery. Do you feel comfortable here? Could you see yourself among the people? Can you handle four years of these walls?
  • Sit in on a lecture. See how the students interact with each other and with the professor. Could you learn in this environment?
  • Visit a dorm room. Most schools have multiple dorm facilities, so be sure to visit them all. Again, do you feel comfortable here?
  • How’s the food? Visit the cafeteria or the food court, look at what they have to offer, even sit down for a meal. Odds are most of your meals are going to come from here, make sure it’s to your liking.
  • Read the paper. A school newspaper will give you a good idea of what goes on in and around campus when the school isn’t doing the new recruit dance. See what it’s really like.
  • Where’s the gym? You will inevitably feel that your health has been on a steady decline since you left home and began your pizza and spaghetti diet. Are the gym facilities up to par?
  • Ask questions! If you meet your potential program coordinator, ask every question you have. If you meet somebody else, ask all the questions you have. Everybody involved with the tour is there to help you with your decision, so don’t be shy.
  • Find the library. Would a tree cry if it saw the library, or is it a corner room full of R.L. Stine? Real books are still better and more credible than the Internet. 
  • Look at a washroom. Seriously, do it. Unsanitary washrooms can be a sign of other deficiencies. A comfortable washroom is essential when in an environment that can occasionally be stressful.
  • Take notes. Relying on just your memory is a bad idea, as you will tend to focus on any disappointments you may have come across. Write down everything and review it after the tour.
  • Bask. After the tour ends, relax and bask in your newfound knowledge. Do you feel good about the tour or frustrated? Did you learn what you wanted to learn, and see what you wanted to see? Don’t leave the parking lot with uncertainty.

 

Jason Hagerman is a recent journalism graduate. He attended three different colleges and has toured many others.