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College Visiting Season Has Begun: Grill Some Student Tour Guides Today!Aug 15 '03 (Updated Oct 13 '04) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line It's good to visit colleges, so please do and adhere to the following tips :) It's college visiting season - wooooohaaaa, time to roast some student tour guides! When I applied to college, I didn't visit many colleges. I really should have. On one visit, they sold it so well, I was in love with the place for the whole 5-hour ride home. After the car ride, I finally got out of my collegiate stupor and got down to business about applying. Now, I'm visiting colleges with my brother... he's all grown up now! *tear* Visiting colleges can be an all-family experience. (HINT: If you take all the kids to visit, you probably won't have to visit again for the youngins!) Here are tips and things to expect if you're planning to visit college campuses. Before the Tour 1. Summer before senior year of high school is an ideal time to visit colleges. Visiting in the fall and spring are also very likely options. You can devote a whole week to visiting! Note: You might get the urge to hurt your family during those days, so be patient. 2. Most colleges ask you to schedule a tour in advance. There are also open houses for specific departments such as Business, Science, and Arts. These open houses usually hold information sessions about the school within the college and tour the major buildings. 3. Make sure you arrive at the college ahead of the tour time so you can find the building where the tour starts, usually the Visitor Center, Admissions office, or another specified location. 4. Bring water. You and company will have to walk around campus for an hour to an hour and a half, stopping intermittently to talk about academics, dorms, and campus life. Sometimes campuses are big, sometimes they're small, but be prepared! They may give you a water bottle for inclement weather conditions, like the mini heatwave we were in. If any family member has physical limitations to climb flights of stairs or walk too much, make arrangements and let the tour guide know. They can take the elevator or wait behind until the tour finishes. During the Tour 6. Nowadays, the tour guides are mostly students in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year at the university. These students are probably the most school-spirited and actively involved. However, they only reflect a percentage of students. If you want to do further research, ask other students as well through email or while you're walking around campus. Don't be shy! It's good to get a wide range of opinions about student life and the "bang for your buck" factor. 7. You will usually receive an information packet boasting the college's achievements and prestige. Applications are usually included in these brochures, which is a great way to score applications before the fall. 8. Take notes about what the tour guides tell you. It may be important information to help you in your decision. Take into account the campus. Are there trees? Do you like trees? How are the conditions of the buildings? Where's the quad? 9. ASK QUESTIONS!!!!! People in the tour let the tour guide blab on and on what they memorized about the school, but you should always ask questions. Here are some questions to ask about if your tour guide does not touch on them: Security: What kind of security measures are taken at the school? Are there emergency phone things? Do local and university police survey the area? Is there a shuttle service that runs late into the night? Academics: What is the teacher to student ratio? What kind of classes are there? Are there many study abroad options? Ask a specific question about a popular or well-known program, such as a co-op program. A co-op program is usually a five year program in which a student goes to school for 6 months and work for the other 6 months. I gave the tour guide a hard time about the program because what if not everyone got an internship or job? Do they just bum around? Schools don't guarantee jobs, it's up to the brains of the students of course. I'm just lookin out for my bro ;P Student life: Is there greek life (if you go for that sort of thing)? Intramural sports? Are there many clubs? What is the diversity on campus? How do meal points work? Dorming: How many roommates? Can you cook in the dorms? Off campus options? Laundry facilities? After the Tour 10. You should walk around campus and do your own observations. Do the students look like they're studious and having fun at the same time? There may be counselors on hand in the admissions office or visitor's center to answer other questions. 11. Look over all the materials and your notes. Ask your family's impressions. Ruminate for awhile, and add it to the pile of apps vying for your attention. 12. If you can drop off an application at the admissions office, they usually waive the application fee. Ask ahead of time! Have fun visiting! Make those student guides earn their $money! TEEHEE ;) Good luck with applications!  |
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