<p>i will be going on college visits on monday (to BC and Providence), and i was wondering if there were some tips to gain the full experience a college gives you. also, i will be visiting both of the colleges on the same day, and with the tours being 1 hr each, i only have about 1 hr after the tour at BC to do anything i want. you think this will be enough time?</p>
<p>An hour is not much time. Get there well before the tour if you can. Afterwards, go to the most popular place on campus to eat. Check out the eating groups and the vibe; try to talk to some current students and pick up things like the student newspaper to read later.</p>
<p>I did the college visit bit and I can say that it was almost useless. I suggest doing overnights and meeting as many students as possible in their natural surroundings. I also suggest having more intimate conversatoins with these students. It was not until I was around a campus late at night, or seeing students studying and interacting in dorms, eating, arguing and the such, that I really understood a school. Going on a tour after living with students with a few days makes you really feel the disconnect that there is between the two situations.</p>
<p>Go to a dining hall and try the food and interact with some of the students you meet there. You can usually get a good understanding of the school this way - and of the food of course!</p>
<p>thanks for the advice. i'll be leaving tomorrow morning at 2AM (!) so i'll try to do as much as possible before the tour. any more suggestions?</p>
<p>I think that it's a good idea to take pictures (even if it is just with your phone) so that they can help you remember what the campus is like and compare it to others.</p>
<p>I would agree with the above posters: although the tours are nice, they are really only showing what the school wants you to see. Instead, try wandering around campus yourself and talking to students other than the tour guides. Oftentimes they will be much more honest when it comes to what they like and don't like about the school than someone who is expected to give positive feedback as part of their job. I personally found overnights to be very useful as you are able to see what students do outside of class hours.</p>