Take to the Highways

Visiting Colleges                                                         

College Talk is a publication for students and parents on topics related to college selection and admission. This issue offers insights on college visits and is published by New Beginnings Career and College Guidance.

"...it’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there."          (Arlo Guthrie)

"...be a smart pilgrim ...It is important to go as a customer, not as a supplicant.. don’t buy everything the college may tell you." (Loren Pope)

Why is it important to visit colleges?

While it is essential to research colleges, and browsing through view books can be fun, only a visit can fully convey the culture of the campus. Nothing equals the experience of seeing it for yourself. Remember, this will be your home for four years and you are investing a large amount of your time and money.

When should you visit?

If you are starting early enough, it is best to divide your visits into two parts, a first and a second round. In the first round, incorporate visits to colleges with traveling trips, family excursions, open houses on campus, football games, summer programs etc. Visit all your local colleges. Informal low key visits can help you clarify what is important to you and help you build up your visiting skills. Ideally, in the second round you should visit colleges that you are considering applying to, and then you can visit again after you have gained acceptance and you are making your final decision. If it is not possible to do both, you must decide whether it would be more productive to visit before or after acceptance. What is important is to visit while the students are on campus and the college is in session.

What should you do before you visit?

The more you think and plan ahead the smoother the actual visits will be. First, you should try to get to know yourself better. If this is difficult for you, talk to your parents, counselors and friends. Then, do some basic research on the college before you visit. Decide who you will make the visit with. If you go with a parent, try to allow some time to investigate and question on your own. Remember, it is you who must want to attend the college. Call admissions to discuss when you can visit. You may want to arrange to take a tour, talk to someone in admissions, schedule an interview, see if you can stay overnight, sit in on a class. Develop a set of questions around the following aspects: academic, social, support services, living arrangements and quality of life. Talk to many people in order to get a balanced perspective. Ask students what they dislike about the college as well as what they like. Pick up a college newspaper; it is an excellent and honest synopsis of campus life.

Take the Road Scholar journal along on your college tours. Call Linda for more information, (925) 838-5448.

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