Berry College in Georgia, USA.
Unfortunately, too often, high school students visit colleges “cold,” meaning they do little or no research about the college before they set foot on the campus and rarely prepare for their time on a college campus. This attitude inhibits high school students from acquiring valuable information they need to make an informed college choice and prevents students from learning all they need to know about everything from available college majors or academic programs to first-year student dorms and overall campus life. Don’t visit colleges this spring without first taking the steps necessary to make the most of your visits. Below are six important college visit tips to keep in mind as you prepare to visit college campuses over the coming months.
1. Before you go – Plan Ahead
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2. Once You’re There – Engage
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3. Don’t Rush to Leave – Stick Around to Learn More
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4. Academics First – Get an Up-Close Seat
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5. What’s it like at Night? – See for Yourself
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6. Digest – Reflect
Once you do head home, or even before you arrive back home, you should digest everything you learned and reflect on what it all means to you. Ask yourself, “What did I think?” What were your impressions of students? Friendly? Appearance? Diversity? Intellectual? Down to earth? Were the students people you’d feel comfortable being around? Did people speak to you? Admissions staff pleasant and helpful? What were your impressions of campus? Attractiveness? Overall facilities? Social atmosphere? Programs available? Athletic facilities? Food? Classrooms? Dorms? Academic environment? School environment? Proximity to large city or rural? Social environment? Discuss your thoughts with your parent(s) and friends but don’t allow their views to color your views too much. At the end of the day, this is a place where you will be living for the next four years; you want to be sure that you make the right choice, and the only way to do so is by making the most of each and every college visit. Good luck.
