My parents were always encouraging me to do an overnight stay at the colleges I was interested in. However, not many people at that time were taking part in overnight visits, and I didn’t feel comfortable spending the night with a total stranger! Little did I know, colleges actually pick certain student ambassadors to house students for an overnight visit. Their job is to make students feel welcome by introducing them to that specific college. This may entail eating dinner in the café, grabbing a coffee at the local coffee shop on campus, visiting the college bookstore or going to a play/event/sporting event on campus and meeting other current college students. This is not only a great way to make new friends, this is a great way to get acquainted with the college campus, activities, events and other things associated with the school you are looking at.
I highly encourage students that come in my office to make not only a campus visit during the day, but to plan an overnight stay. This helps students see if they could see themselves on this college campus. I also encourage students to explore the new city that they will be living in. College is a big adjustment, and you are going to have to live in the city where your college is located. These are things I did not think of when I was preparing for college. Looking back, I wished that I would have. This would have saved me from transferring schools partway through my college career.
I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try an overnight stay at a college you are interested in! You won’t regret it.
Meghan - ICAN Hiawatha Center
