College tours?

Especially with the uncertainty brought upon by COVID-19, it's best to start touring colleges in your junior year, if possible. As a junior myself, I have already toured at one college officially and a couple others unofficially (by this, I mean just walking around the campus to get a feel for it).

As far as questions to ask your tour guide, you can really ask anything that you feel would help you to best make a decision on where you want to go. This can include asking about dorms, how the food is, or even how a typical class is structured.

Please let me know if you have anymore questions!

I am starting my college tours this spring. Some colleges offer small 'visit' scholarships, so I make those visits official. Another thing to check is which colleges track demonstrated interest. That can give you a slight edge at admission time. Another reason I want my college tours out of the way is to make my decision by the fall of my senior year. I will be applying Early Action to all the schools that have that option. I want my Senior year to be stress-free. I want to enjoy it and have that decision made and over with. So I will be starting my tours in the spring of the junior year, see where I feel most comfortable (and best fit), compare financial packages, and go from there!

I'm looking at college tour dates right now and I personally plan to tour the colleges on my list before next school year, some this semester and the rest in the summer. I think it will be easier to go during school breaks (make sure you check if the campuses have available tour dates during your breaks), but sometimes I might have to miss a Monday or Friday to get it done. If you're like me then some(or most) of your choices are out of state, I suggest you do all the tours while you're there. For example, I'm looking at two colleges in DC, two in Tennessee, 3 in North Carolina, and 2 in South Carolina. When I go to each state I plan to do all the college tours there, so possibly do two tours in a day or maybe stay two or three days to do them. Like the other commenter, I have been on one official tour and two unofficial, so I also think you should consider a self-paced tour. Schools usually have pamphlets and maps and you can use those and go roam around the campus one Saturday or whenever you have the chance. Another option is virtual tours and from the ones I've been on, they're pretty informative, although it definitely does not provide the same feeling as walking on campus. Ask questions about the majors and programs(or the one you're interested in), sports or activities they have, events, don't be afraid to ask whatever's on your mind because you don't want to be too surprised if that's the school you choose. Good luck fellow Junior and don't forget to have fun!