Why should you visit colleges before your senior year, you might ask? Well, fall of your senior year you will be busy applying to colleges, doing your Financial Aid Application (FAFSA), and starting to apply for scholarships, so it is best to have the bulk of your college visits done before that time.
To make a college visit you just contact the college’s admissions office and set up an appointment. You can usually set up a visit online through the college website, but you can definitely set a visit up with a phone call. You can choose to do an individual visit or you can look for dates when the college has a group visit day. Either one can be helpful and beneficial. When making a college visit, you will be given a tour of campus, but you can also ask to speak to someone from a program (or from programs) for which you have an interest. You can ask to sit in on a class, speak with a coach or activity sponsor, eat in the school food service, meet with financial aid, and/or attend a sporting event or other activity while you are on campus. Make sure a parent goes on the visit and take a list of questions with you, so that you remember the different things you want to ask. Make sure you find out about college scholarships available to you – automatic ones and others for which you may be able to apply. Tailor the visit as you want and be sure to try to go at a time when school is in session, as you will get a much better feel for the campus when things are going in full swing!
Remember that besides the college wanting to make a good impression on you, YOU should want to make a good impression on the admission staff and other campus people you meet. This is not a time to wear your scuzziest clothes – present yourself well and put your “best foot forward!”
If you decide you didn’t have a good feel for the school, that’s ok! Then you can take that college off of your list of possibilities. If you did like the school, make notes about things you want to remember and consider making a 2nd visit some other time, if possible.
My sons used to say “all college visits were the same,” and they would begin to balk after we visited just a couple of colleges, but I think it’s best to visit as many as you can, if you have an interest in them. Each school has a different “feel,” and you can’t know how it feels to you unless you are on campus. You will do some of the same things on each visit, but it’s good to have the chance to compare. Just be sure to spend your time exploring schools that have the programs/majors you want!
In the end, you can apply to several colleges, but in that application group, it is always good to have at least one college that has what you need and that you can afford no matter what. Don’t be afraid to visit a variety of schools – schools that vary in the selections process, size, price – just always keep in mind how far away you are willing to go, how you feel when you are on the campus, and, again, make sure they have the program/major (or at least career pathway) you want.
College visits can be a lot of fun and very interesting, especially when you start early enough that you are not pressed for time and stressed out trying to get your visits done. Find out what your high school’s policy on college visits is, if you don’t know, and also remember you can visit on days your high school is closed for spring break or teacher professional development or other scheduled days off. Then you don’t have to worry about making up homework or being excused for the visits.
Get busy this semester and Happy College Visiting!
Mary Joan - NW Iowa ICAN Student Success Advisor
