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Visiting, Asking Questions and Talking To Students Is A MustJun 02 '00 Write an essay on this topic.I think that the college visit can be one of the single most important things that you can do in preparing to apply to college. I don't think anyone would buy a car or a house or make any other major purchase without looking them over first. The same applies to colleges. This is the place that you are going to spend several years of your life. This is the place where you and your family are going to spend thousands of dollars and it's the place where you are going to prepare for you future career. All those things are pretty important so make a responsible decision. Make sure you get a walking tour of the campus. Afterwards walk around the campus some on your own and get a feel of the place. Talk to some of the students along the way and get their impressions. You have to remember that whoever gave you the tour will probably be biased toward the college. This may be their honest opinion but it might also be a loyalty to the college only because the college is paying them to give these tours. Talk to some students that you don't know and get their opinion of the college. Also if you know someone personally that has attended the school speak with them. Ask the students if the teachers make themselves available to students for any special help they may need after class hours, how big are most of the classes, are the students considered as individuals or are they just a nimber. You are a lot more likely to get an unbiased opinion from a student than a faculty or staff member. Remember the school wants you as a student, they want your money so naturally they are going to do everything that they can to make you want to come to their school. Remember to include a visit to the specific department that you are interested in and talk to some of the students there also. Talk to an instructor in the department if you possibly can. Visit the financial aid office and get an overlook as to how much it will cost to attend the school. Get an itemized amount for tuition and fees by the hour, estimate of the costs of your books, find out about dorm fees and exactly what all that fee covers. Find out about all the hidden costs that they sometimes neglect to tell you about such as parking fees, lab fees or special fees for some specific classes that you will plan to attend. Ask about what scholarships are available to help you finance your education at the school. Find out about general scholarships and department specific scholarships. Visit the dorms and talk to some of the dorm dwellers about the good and the bad about living in the dorms. Find out what you can and can't bring with you. Will they let you bring your own computer, a TV, a microwave, hot plate, water bed, a favorite chair or a refrigerator? Do they have an internet connection available at the dorm? Is there cable TV available? Talk to an admissions counselor. Find out the deadline to apply to the college, what the application fee is, can you apply over the Internet We found it really helpful when my son visited colleges to write out a list of questions before the visit. Check off questions as they answer them. If at the end of the visit you have any questions unanswered find someone to answer them for you. If you do this beforehand you will have more time to think about what all you want to know. It is easy to get caught up in the visit and forget what you wanted to ask. Never just assume anything, ASK! Making a visit is not a guarantee that you will be making the right college choice but it certainly gives you a better chance of doing so.  |
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