As the school year draws to a close, high school students across the country are kicking off their college search processes by planning summer campus visits.
Is it wise to spend time touring institutions that you haven’t even applied to yet? In a word, yes. The array of options available to college-bound students can be dizzying, and the time to decide whether you’d be better off at a small school or a large one, an urban campus or a rural one, is before you spend time and money on application packages—or years attending a college that’s a bad fit for you!
Even if you think your preferences are firmly established, there’s no substitute for walking the grounds of a college, circulating among the people and reflecting on whether you can see yourself spending four critical years of your life there.
Depending on your approach, campus visits can be thoroughly enjoyable or unbearably stressful. Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of them and still have fun:
- Start early. Are college applications still a year or two away? Perfect. The best time to explore a campus with an open mind is when you’re not under pressure to make hasty decisions. Plus, starting early gives you the luxury of time to set goals and to develop yourself into the type of student most likely to be admitted to the places you like best.
- Start local. Whether or not you’re open to attending a college near your home, you should explore the campuses nearby. This will give you a low-cost opportunity to set baseline expectations and take stock of what matters most to you. Are you looking for amazing labs? Fantastic athletic facilities? Wide open spaces? Access to a big city? Once you’ve made these decisions, you’ll be in a better position to focus on schools that fit your needs.
- Keep the details straight. For logistical reasons, many students visit numerous campuses over a short period of time. To prevent vital impressions from blurring together, take notes, take pictures and try to articulate the specific details that prompted your gut reaction to each place.
- Keep your impressions in context. Although many colleges have summer classes and special programs that take place during the summer months, remember that campuses will be relatively empty and quiet compared to the normal school year. If you’re afraid the place looks dead, ask a student tour guide what it’s like on weekends, game days or in different weather.
- Keep the stakes low. Instead of approaching a campus tour as an opportunity to fall desperately in love with one particular school, take it as an opportunity to identify what features work well for you and what you would change.
- Split up. Many college admissions offices provide separate tours and informational sessions for parents and students. Take advantage of this offer whenever you can. Prospective students need space to process what they’re seeing and to imagine what it would be like to attend a given college.
- Ask questions. College campus visits are a great opportunity for parents to embarrass their children by asking the world’s most stupid questions. This is an important part of the process, so embrace it. Just don’t waste the opportunity by asking for basic statistics that are available in any guidebook or brochure. As part of its online college ranking publication, U.S. News and World Report suggests a list of good questions to ask on a college visit.
- Hang out. Colleges put a lot of effort into presenting the best possible face to prospective students. Take a peek behind the curtain by hanging out in the student union, on the quad or in a dining hall. Pick up a campus newspaper to see what issues are important to the students. Spend time people watching or sampling the food selections.
- Let go. The college search process can be emotionally fraught for both students and their parents. Parents need to remember that it’s the student, and not the parents, who will have to live, work, and succeed in the school they end up attending. And students need to remember that their parents have a stake in their success. This is a good time to be patient with each other.
Many of Envision’s high school programs combine rich campus experiences – including programs that allow you to stay in college dorms – with activities to explore specific areas of expertise such as medicine, law, engineering and technology, digital media, business and much more. Such programs also provide more in-depth insight on preparing for college, getting into college and making school choices that are right for you.
Good luck on your college search this summer!
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