What to look for when visiting a college campus?Answered
My family has been saving up a bit and we're finally going on a road trip to tour some schools. I'm kinda nervous I won't know everything to look for when I visit. I've been reading some articles which have helped a little but I'm still anxious.
What do you guys look for when you visit a campus? Are there specific places I definitely should check out when I visit a school? I want to be able to make the most of my visits so any help would be appreciated!
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I'm not sure if I can provide any more info besides what you can find in articles. I'd imagine a lot of what you're reading is probably great advice. Maybe one thing you could do at each place you visit is ask some of the students if there are any places that you should/need to visit while you're there? They might have some inside scoops or advice that you can't find in articles. Also pay attention to the culture of the school and how you think you might fit in. Do people go to sporting events? Is the weather what you want? Is there greek life?
Besides that I think one of the biggest things you'll need to do is figure out how you're going to track your thoughts and feelings for each campus you visit. Take lots of pictures so you can remember what each place looks like and I would also bring a notebook so you can write down any thoughts, even if they seem small.
I know you said you've been reading lots of articles but here are some more you might find helpful.
- https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-make-the-most-of-a-campus-visit/
- https://blog.collegevine.com/dont-visit-any-colleges-without-reading-this-first/
- https://blog.collegevine.com/what-to-do-after-you-visit-a-college/
This last one is more directed to parents: https://blog.collegevine.com/10-tips-for-your-childs-college-visit/
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One thing I strongly recommend is to look at student attitudes as well. For example, when I visited CalTech last summer, I found a really elitist type vibe (different people feel different things by the way so don't take my word for granted), while when I visited Berkeley I found a hyper energentic, activist student body.