Roadmap to College: Planning Worthwhile Campus Visits

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Construction is booming at a small private university, adding a new gym, a performing arts center, and a parking garage.

A large state university is replacing 40-year-old dorms with beautiful, new ones.

A tour guide at a large private university walks backward the whole tour to maintain eye contact with prospective students and parents.

En route to an information session, parking is so hard to find, a family misses the information session.

A tour guide at a large public university describes the historical significance of a building’s architecture.

The dorms in one medium-sized private university are small and irregularly sized.

These positive and negative observations can shape your impressions of a college during your visit. Visiting colleges is a fun and educational experience, and it is a critical component of the college admissions process. It can be a bonding experience with your family and a way to learn more about yourself and what you are looking for in a college.

If you have a long list of colleges you are considering, a college visit can help to narrow down the list. Once you set foot on campus, you’ll have a much better idea if it’s the right school for you and if you can visualize yourself on its campus for four years.

What Kind of Vibe Do You Get When You Visit?

Although there are many objective factors to consider when making an initial visit, there are intangible factors, such as the vibe you get when you walk around the campus. The adage, “you’ll know it when you see it,” really describes why guidance counselors strongly suggest that students visit before they apply to colleges. After visiting, you may decide to take a college off your list, or a college may shoot up to the top of your list.

Many students, encouraged by their families, prefer to attend a college within 250 miles of their home. Some students expand their horizons to consider schools within 500 miles from home, and then there are some brave souls who consider colleges over 500 miles from home or on the opposite coast from where they live.

If a family has the time and financial resources to do so, it is wise to visit colleges that you are seriously considering which are far away from home. If you are within 250 miles of a college that interests you, colleges expect that you will visit. Admissions officers want students to be able to state why they want to attend their university. Many college applications have short essays that ask, “What factors have influenced your decision to apply to our university?” (question from a large state university’s application) and “Describe the courses of study and the unique characteristics of the University that most interest you? Why do these interests make you a good match for our college?” (question from an Ivy League institution’s application). In order to fully answer these questions, you must write about your impressions and interactions during your visit.

When Should I Visit?

If you are starting the college process early (ninth or tenth grade), you can spread out your visits for when it is convenient for you. It is never too early to start visiting campuses, although many students visit schools in eleventh and twelfth grades.