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Expert Admissions hosted a webinar to discuss how high-school students can get the most out of their college visits. They answered questions about where, when, and why to visit, how to plan for the best possible visit, tours and other things to do on campus, and more. Keep reading for highlights from the conversation, and watch the webinar above.
When to Start Visiting Colleges
We generally tell people to wait until their junior year of high school, when they are closer to the college admissions process. The beginning of senior year is also a crucial time for visits, because that is when you have the best idea of what you want, what your possibilities are in terms of admission, and what might be a good fit. As a senior, you also might want to revisit certain schools to experience them more in depth — even staying overnight or over the weekend.
Deciding Where to Visit
Start by casting a wide net. If you already have a trip planned to an area where there are a couple of colleges, make plans to visit them so that you can get an initial sense of what kinds of schools and campuses you like. It’s especially useful to visit different types of schools — from big research universities to small liberal arts colleges. Once you have a sense of your preferences, you can narrow down your list of future visits.
One mistake people make is visiting only their reach schools, or only the colleges they are initially enthusiastic about. It’s great to start with a school you like and are excited about, but make sure to diversify from there. Even if you think you know what type of college you want to go to, you might gain a different perspective after visiting a different type of place.
Online resources such as Corsava and Bigfuture are a convenient, low-cost way to help you decide which schools you might want to see in person. Going on virtual visits or reading student publications and blogs can also give you an insider view of a campus ahead of time.
And, of course, ask your college counselor for advice on where to visit. They likely know you quite well and have helped a wide range of students make their college lists; they might think you’re a great fit for a school you’d never otherwise have considered.
Timing Your Visit
It’s best to visit when school is in session, because campus looks and feels very different when it isn’t. The population of students during the summer is not representative, and a quiet campus and empty buildings don’t communicate what the vibe is like during the academic year. Your high school’s spring break is often a good time for college visits, and luckily, it won’t necessarily overlap with a college’s spring break. However, many other high-school students will also be visiting during this time, so make sure you register for tours as far in advance as possible.
Consider the weather when planning your visits — both for travel reasons and so that you hopefully get to experience campus when it’s most pleasant. Check out schools in California or the South over February break, and save schools in New England for April or the fall.
All of the above being said, if you can’t visit schools during the school year, do go during the summer. It’s better to experience a college in person than not.
Why Visit?
Some schools care if you visit in person and engage with them, while others do not. For the shrinking number of schools that do measure demonstrated interest as part of their admissions process, including Tulane and Northeastern, visiting in person is important. Even if you aren’t able to take the official tour, you can still go to the admissions office or visitor center and check in, so that they will have a record that you visited campus. This blog post from Tulane is a great primer on the topic of demonstrated interest.
Whether or not a school measures demonstrated interest, there are many good reasons to visit. Fit is more important than ever in college admissions, and visiting is the best way for a student to truly get a sense of a school. Seeing and experiencing the campus firsthand — and talking to people — will help you understand what life there is like, what opportunities exist, and where you might find your place amidst all of it.
In the end, the schools you apply to will probably share a lot in common, so when you go to write your supplemental essays for a given college, it’s crucial to understand the few things that make it different. By visiting, you will gain personal experiences to look back on that will help you write in a way that’s compelling to the admissions officers.
Registering for Tours
The sooner you can register for a tour, the better. Tours fill up quickly, especially during popular times to visit, so don’t leave registration until the night or the week before; it can usually be done easily online. If you are planning very far in advance, keep in mind that campus tours are often scheduled by semester, so you may have to wait a little while for the dates you want to come online.
Once you are registered, don’t worry if your plans change and you don’t end up being able to visit. It’s always courteous to cancel so that someone else can take your place, but rest assured that admissions offices are not judging you for cancelling.
On the other hand, if you end up visiting a college too late to take the official tour, call the admissions office or visitor center and ask, “Do you take walk-ins?”. They are generally very friendly and eager to try to help you — just respect their processes and the information they give you. If there is a scheduled tour but it’s full, you can always ask whether there is a waitlist in case of no-shows.
General vs. Specialized Tours
Some schools offer specialized tours for particular programs they’re known for, such as film or engineering. If you are interested in one of those specialized programs and can take both the general tour and specialized tour, that is ideal. You’ll get different perspectives through each, chat with different students, and see different parts of campus. If you can’t take both tours, go with the general campus tour, which will give you the broadest view of the college and the different types of students who attend. Unless the school admits by major or program…
If you already have a general sense of the school, the specialized tour might make sense to prioritize if you can only attend one. Especially if the school admits by program — and you’re applying directly to a specialized program — do the specialized tour. You will get to ask questions about the curriculum, talk to the students, and ultimately be much better equipped to provide specifics and context for your supplemental essays.
Other Things to Do on Campus
After you’ve gone on your third college tour, they can all start to sound the same — with generic offerings repeating from school to school. While the official tour is important for getting certain information and access, there are complementary ways of experiencing a campus that can truly help you understand it and figure out what you like (or don’t) about it.
If you have the opportunity to take an informal “tour” with a family member or friend, it can be a great complement to the official tour (though it shouldn’t replace it). Arguably, you’ll get the most authentic experience walking around with a current student and doing what they’re doing. Even if your contact isn’t interested in the same things as you, they might know someone who is and be able to introduce you.
Compared to high-school students, college students spend relatively little time in the classroom, so experiencing life outside the classroom is a big part of understanding the vibe of a college. Have lunch in the student center, dining hall, or student union, or pop by a coffee shop and get a sense of the atmosphere and conversations being had. Take a walk near the dorms and meander into open academic buildings to help you get a sense of campus life. Explore in different directions off campus — on foot or by car, depending on the environment — to get a sense of what’s happening in the area.
People sometimes ask us whether they should try to meet with an admissions officer or professor while they are visiting campus. In most cases, the answer is no; you probably don’t need to, and it won’t make much of a difference to your application. An ideal time to speak with an admissions officer is during their visit to your school or a college fair. However, if a school strongly cares about demonstrated interest, it might be a good idea to chat with an admissions officer after an on-campus info session. Just keep it quick: introduce yourself, compliment the presentation, and ask a specific follow-up question — one that can’t easily be answered on the college’s website.
When it comes to professors, reach out to ask for a meeting only if you are extremely engaged in a subject at a high level and want to talk with that particular person about it. Make sure that you are able to hold a real, substantive conversation about their work and your own related interests. Professors are very busy, so if they agree to meet with you, it’s crucial to make that time both worth their while and yours.
Tips for the Best Visit Possible
Like most things in life, college visits go the best when you feel good. So, put yourself in a position where you get a fair chance at a positive, truly informative experience. Pace yourself and don’t plan too many tours for one day. If you cram the day full, you might be too tired, hungry, or checked out by the last visit to get a clear-eyed view. On a similar note, always budget more time than you think you need to get to the tour location. Your goal should be to arrive with a relaxed, open vibe; you don’t want to be sprinting there at the last minute, feeling stressed or arguing.
Once your visit is underway, document it. Bring a journal and take notes on your observations and feelings. Take photos whenever you’re allowed to help you remember your experience. Pay particular attention to the parts of campus you think you’d be likely to spend a lot of time in — like a theater, a science complex, the gym, or somewhere else. All of this will help you when you get to supplemental-essay-writing time and need to answer a specific question or remember exactly what you liked about a school.
Our absolute best advice to you on how to get a good sense of a college is to talk to current students. Politely stop a student on campus, explain that you’re visiting, and ask if they’d be willing to chat with you for a few minutes. You can ask them where they’re from, why they chose to attend, what they like about the college, and if there’s something about the college that they’d change if they could. Ask the questions that you care about, and let them tell you their honest answers. Most of the time, people are happy to chat about themselves and their school unless they’re running to get somewhere.
If you don’t get to speak directly with students, then student newspapers and blogs are great resources. They talk about everything: the good and bad, pros and cons. Read them — even those from the school you think is perfect for you — to get unfiltered and varied perspectives.
For all the details on these topics and more, watch the webinar above.
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