By Patrick Zylka
Managing Director, College Solutions

It seems simple enough: If you are interested in a particular college, go visit. Take a walk around campus, get a sense of the vibe, and then head back home. Well, things are not as simple as they appear!

The team of counselors at College Solutions has visited more than 800 colleges, to say nothing of the visit programs we have coordinated while working at colleges. Trust me when I say that we know a thing or two! This two-part article will walk you through the important steps to take before, during, and after a visit to a college.

First, I’ll provide a moment of full disclosure: It is February and I live in Chicago. It is windy and it is cold! So, what better way is there to get a little bit of a break from winter than to travel to Southern California and visit 11 colleges in just 4 days? To say that I was strategic in planning this trip to a warmer and sunnier destination would be an understatement.

This leads to a very important and often overlooked factor in planning college visits: the weather, or perhaps more accurately, miscellaneous factors! Your list may be diverse with colleges all over the country. If you have colleges on your list that are in the Midwest or in New England and you are not from one of these regions, plan a visit in the winter. Likewise, if you have colleges on your list that are in the South and you are not from this region, plan a visit in the summer. Don’t get me wrong: Your academic and social experiences are really important, but should you commit to an institution, you are committing to at least four years of your life. That’s a long time! Make sure you can handle the elements, the location, and the big, small, or non-existent) city or town nearby.

Weather aside, here are some crucial pointers to consider as you go about visiting colleges:

Official Visits

Maybe you have friends or relatives who attend a particular college and have offered to show you around. That’s great! Take advantage of this connection. They will likely be able to show you that new campus building that isn’t quite open yet or that special coffee shop where the students study. Additionally, you must participate in an official visit by registering on the office of admission’s webpage. When you arrive on campus, make sure to check in as well. Many colleges track demonstrated interest: the amount of engagement a prospective student shows in the institution. This can be taken into account when your application is being read and an admission decision is being made.

Plan Ahead

Colleges make tours available as often as possible, but they fill up. Institutions might also be closed on major holidays when high school students have school breaks. Whenever possible, don’t wait until the last minute to book an official visit on the college’s admissions page.

Allow Time

I’m a professional, so I can visit 11 colleges in 4 days. You should spend at least a half day on campus if not a full day. Do not overschedule as you want to spend enough time on a campus to really get a good feel for it.

Schedule Activities

A campus tour and information session with the office of admission will probably take 2-3 hours, but if you are planning to stay half a day or a full day, what else can you do to occupy that time? Try to sit in on a class in the department you’re interested in. Have a meeting with an admissions representative and/or faculty member to have your specific questions answered. If you are interested in playing a sport in college, and if you are allowed to contact a coach prior to your visit, do so. Take some time to sit in a student union, cafeteria, or popular student hangout to see what students are talking about. There are lots of ways to get to know if a college is a good fit for you.

Read

Read all emails you receive from a college once you plan your visit. As a result of the pandemic, some colleges require you to provide proof of vaccination prior to or during a visit and/or wear a mask when indoors. Others provide very specific parking instructions while on campus. Keep track of this important information, especially while visiting many different colleges.

Be Flexible

Things happen! There are flight delays. Maybe your tour registration didn’t go through. It could be pouring rain the day you get to campus. Don’t let these other factors determine your final opinion of a campus. Keep an open mind while forming opinions and making this big decision!

Make Requests Known

Colleges want to provide an excellent visit experience. Most are willing to accommodate reasonable requests if you make them in advance. If you or someone you are visiting with has mobility challenges, call the admissions office. The staff may be able to arrange for a wheelchair or a tour that uses accessible entries. If you have dietary restrictions and food is being provided, call the admissions office in advance. It may be able to provide a meal that works for you.

Selecting the right college is a big decision. Planning out your visits before applying and making this decision will ensure a much better experience for you and your family once the time comes to do so.

I put my suggestions to good use as I visited 11 college campuses in Southern California in 4 days. To be fair, of the 11, 5 of these campuses are a consortium, each occupying a smaller amount of space on what could be considered a much larger college campus.

With a group of 50 other college counselors, I visited:

University of California, Irvine
Chapman University
Whittier College
Loyola Marymount University
University of Southern California
Occidental College
Claremont McKenna College
Harvey Mudd College
Pomona College
Pitzer College
Scripps College

The list of colleges above is quite diverse and brings up another tip not mentioned in my first visit post, especially for those of you who may be just starting to visit colleges. The above list has public and private colleges, small and large colleges, universities and liberal arts colleges, as well as selective and less selective colleges. All of them are worth visiting! It is easy to get caught up in college rankings or what you’ve heard from friends and relatives is a good college. Visiting a range of colleges can be very eye-opening as this trip was for me!

Before you visit a college and while you are visiting, jot down questions that you have. College admissions officers and tour guides will provide you with great information, but they need to stick to a script so that they provide the information that most everyone is interested in. Coming prepared with questions about the things that matter to you and asking these questions will make the visit much more informative.

On a related note, take notes and pictures. I promise that after visiting a few colleges, it is easy to create a fictitious campus in your head, comprising the very best attributes of all the actual campuses you saw. I believe firmly that there is a perfect college for every student, but that there is no such thing as a perfect college. Take lots of notes about all the great things you see and hear, but also keep track of the things that aren’t so great or you wish would be different.

One of the most important reasons to see a campus in person is that what you assume won’t necessarily be correct. For example, my first stop was at UC Irvine. Since this is a campus with nearly 30,000 undergraduate students, I assumed this was going to be a massive and crowded campus.

Here I am, though, in the middle of the day and in the middle of campus without a building or person to be seen! It is possible to find quiet spots on large campuses. The UC Irvine campus has a ring-like path going around the entire campus. It is just one mile long, and the running joke is that it is impossible to get lost because if you don’t know where you are, just keep walking around the circle and you’ll find where you need to be. Don’t assume every large university is densely packed and a maze!

Campus tours are well-scripted. Tour guides will show you specific buildings, but not all of them will be of equal importance to you. Many colleges offer school-specific tours where you can see just the engineering department or just the music department, for example. If these specific tours are not available, carve some time out to see the facilities that you are going to be spending a significant amount of time in.

For example, the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University is one of the top-ranked film programs in the nation. Among its facilities is a 500-seat theater with film and digital projection as well as Dolby Digital surround sound. The space is used for screenings of movies by well-established professionals, but also by current students. Knowing the resources you will or will not have as part of your education is important.

Academic facilities are important, but what other opportunities will be available for you on campus? As you’re walking around campus, look for postings about professional opportunities and student organizations.

While walking around Occidental College, I saw a notice about a career fair. Some questions to ask yourself are:

Can you find the career resource center?
Do students you talk to know where it is?
Do students you talk to feel there are opportunities to meet with potential employers?
What assistance does an institution provide in finding internships?

While walking around Loyola Marymount’s campus, I saw signs on almost every door for student groups, social events, tutoring resources, and much more. While on a campus tour, or while walking around a campus on your own before or after a formal tour, watch for posters and ask yourself if these are the types of opportunities you’d be looking for as a college student.

One of the easiest ways to get a good sense of the vibe on campus is to grab the student newspaper and read what the students are talking about. While at Claremont McKenna, I picked up the most recent issue of The Student Life. As you’re reading through a student newspaper, keep in mind that this is just a snapshot in time.

As you’re walking around campus, also look for other amenities. The University of Southern California has a cupcake ATM where instead of withdrawing cash, you can withdraw cupcakes! Jokes aside, four years is a long time to spend in one place. If exercise and staying active are important to you, what gyms, recreation facilities, or outdoor spaces are available for students? If you’re a foodie, what restaurants are available on and near campus? As you’re exploring campus, think of all the things you like to do outside the classroom and determine if you can still do those things while on the particular campus you’re visiting.

My visit to Southern California was packed with college visits and very informative. Each of the 11 campuses had a unique vibe and a diverse set of opportunities to offer students. So, what are you waiting for? Start scheduling those campus visits and go check out some colleges!

What to Do Before, After, and During Your College Visit