Typically, 2nd semester sophomore year and all of junior year are the best times to do those college visits. It’s so important to get on a campus to get a “feel” and see what the school has to offer. That “feel” is just a gut-feeling, which usually tells a student that they would feel comfortable, or they would not feel comfortable, on that campus. Sometimes it can be an overwhelming feeling; sometimes it might be just a slight feeling. I would never recommend a student choose a college without an in-person visit. But the last year has changed many aspects of our lives, including many aspects of college planning, and sometimes students have had to do a Plan B or even a Plan C for visiting and choosing a college.
If you can find some time to squeeze in some college visits this summer, do it. Ask for a campus tour and see the dorms. You might be able to sit in on a summer class, if there are in-person classes going on and protocol will allow it. Hopefully, you could still meet with a professor in a program of interest and/or a coach or activity sponsor, if there is some extra-curricular activity in which you would like to participate. You definitely can see the campus and get a “feel,” which again, is important, and I’d assume you could find out much information from the admissions office and someone in financial aid. So, contact the campuses in which you have an interest and make an appointment for a visit. Be sure to check out the town as well, as that can make a difference in your decision.
As you visit campuses over the summer, you can keep track of those that still interest you, and you can take the ones that didn’t seem to fit you off of your list. Then, hopefully, in the fall you will be able to make some 2nd visits to the ones in which you are truly interested. You can apply for admission and do your financial aid application (FAFSA) in the fall – including any or all of these schools. You aren’t committing to them by applying and having your FAFSA sent to them. Then, as the year goes on, hopefully it will be more and more clear where your new “home away from home” will be!
(Side note: I was a high school counselor when my three sons were visiting colleges, and we did make some summer visits (gasp!) because, frankly, the school year was so very, very busy that we couldn’t squeeze them all in. You know what? We learned a LOT from those summer visits, and it was definitely enough to give my sons an idea of whether they thought it was a possible fit or not, which then either led to another visit during the school year or taking the school off their list. I guess what I’m trying to tell you is that summer visits can be helpful, even if school-year, school-in-session visits are the most ideal!)
Mary Joan - East Central Iowa ICAN Advisor
