Be Brave, Be Polite, Be Nosy – How to Visit a College

Now that you have a rough list of colleges that might interest you, it’s time to plan a college tour or two. 

First, group schools together.  List schools according to these categories:

• rural (country – not near a city or even much of a town)
• suburban (near a college town or within an hour of a city)
• urban (right in the middle of a city with or without a campus)
• small (under 5,000 undergraduates)
• medium (5,000 – 10,000 undergraduates)
• large (over 10,000 undergraduates)
• far north (of where ever you live, more than 5 hours by car)
• north (of where ever you live, 2 – 5 hours away by car)
• close (within an hour or two of where ever you live)
• south (of where ever you live, 2 – 5 hours away by car)
• far south (of where ever you live, more than 5 hours away by car)
• you’re going to start collecting frequent flier miles

The purpose of grouping schools  is to make sure you visit one from each category if you can.  If you find out you hate urban schools, you can cross the rest of the urban schools off your list.  If you love the energy of a really big school, you can eliminate the small schools from your list.  Like most high school kids, you might think you like one kind of school or another, but many kids completely change their mind once they visit a few.

Find out where the schools are.  Visit the colleges’ websites and use mapquest.com to start planning your visit geographically.  Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York are huge states — Philadelphia is closer to New Jersey than it is to Pittsburgh.

Find out when the tours are.  Some schools have tours and information sessions.  Others have one but not the other.  I like the tours. 

Once you decide which schools you can see in a day (ideally, you should see two schools a day, but you might be able to squeeze in a third if you have to), go on those schools’ websites under “prospective students” to find out when the tours are.  Some schools only have tours on weekends.  Some schools only have tours during the week.  Reserve a spot if the school recommends or requires it.

It’s much harder to get the feel of a school without a tour.  Sure, they’re led by a perky student who is just in love with the place, but you’ll learn a lot by what she says and what she doesn’t say and by how she answers the questions of the other prospective students on the tour.

Here’s where the “be polite” advice comes in:  Do stop in to visit the admissions office.  If you can prearrange an interview, do so.  Dress neatly.  You don’t have to look like you’re applying for a job in corporate headquarters, but don’t wear anything ripped, dirty, or provocative.

Here’s where the “be brave” advice comes in:  Go to your admissions meeting ALONE.  Mom and Dad shouldn’t come with you into your interview.  Ever.  If you’re nervous, practice what you might say with a friend or your parents or with me, but go in alone.  Have a few questions ready, something you can’t find out on their website. 

Here are a few questions that might be worth asking someone in admissions if you can’t think of any on your own:

• how many kids  graduate each year with the major I’m interested in?
• do you house freshmen together?
• do most of your graduates go on to graduate school or do they get a job right after college?
• tell me about campus security.
• is any of your campus wi-fi?
• what percentage of kids belong to fraternities/sororities?

Practice answering questions, too.  Here are some questions they will likely ask:

• why do you want to go to this school? (One good answer is, “My guidance counselor feels it would be a great fit for me.” Another might be, “My cousin just loves it here,” or “I met your rep at a college fair and it sounds just perfect.”  Gush a little.)
• how did you hear of us? (Answer:  You have a great reputation for (whatever your major is or whatever they’re known for).)
• tell me about yourself  (Answer:  I think I’m a really good student with lots of interests.)
• what do you hope to get out of college (Answer:  I’m looking to grow academically and socially)
• what did you think of the tour? (Answer:  it was great!  No other answer will do.)

Here’s where the “be nosy” advice comes in:  Spend some time in the student union or in the cafeteria.  Eavesdrop on what kids are saying to each other.  Go up to a random kid and ask questions.  Tell him you are considering this school and ask if you can talk to him for a minute.  Ask nosy questions, questions you wouldn’t ask someone in admissions:

• would you tell your best friend to go here?
• what’s the best thing about this school?
• what’s the worst thing about this school?
• is it hard to get into the classes you want to take?
• are the professors approachable and helpful?
• is there anything to do here on weekends?
• is the food tolerable?
• is there anything to do off campus?
• do kids go to the teams’ games?
• would you pick this school again if you had to reapply?

If you really can’t bring yourself to ask questions like this, have your parents do it.  They won’t mind – I promise.  As a matter of fact, send them off to the cafeteria while you’re at admissions and let them find a few random kids to quiz.

You will forget which school said which things,  and which school had which features.  You will.  Take cell phone photos and/or write on college brochures to remind yourself of any impressions.  Write yourself notes, like “This was the school with the smelly dorms,” or “This was the school with the amazing view.”  Don’t wait until you get home.  Write up a review for yourself of each school when you get back into the car if you can.

Thank you notes are very optional.  If you had an admissions visit and you remember the name of the person you spoke to, a quick email is a nice touch, but nothing more formal is required.

Remember that colleges begin exam week the first week in May  and often don’t offer tours then, so go and visit now!

Wendy Segal

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