Next week I have plans to visit 5 colleges in New York and Pennsylvania. I have already scheduled tours at all except Lehigh which we are just driving through casually on the way home. The trip will span 3 days and we will be touring Colgate, Syracuse, Geneseo, Bucknell and Lehigh. This is my first time so any advice is greatly appreciated. For example: where to meet, what to wear, what to ask about, how many people will be in our tour, should I bring a notebook, what to look for… Etc
Where to meet: Meet at the spot listed online for campus tours. The school will probably email you special instructions regarding the tour.
What to wear: Something comfortable, yet presentable and polished. You want something you can easily walk in, and also something that gives off a good first impression. Good walking shoes are a must.
What to ask: Ask any specific questions about the school that you have. Ask about financial aid, dorms, on campus dining, student resources, student life, etc.
Overall, try to picture yourself at the school you are touring. Think about all aspects of student life including academics, housing, eating, transportation, and entertainment. I would bring a small notebook to jot down notes about the campus or important things the tour guide says. The number of people in your group will vary from school to school. Also, keep and organize any brochures/pamphlets from each tour so that you can easily look back at each school when deciding where to attend.
This is very good advice indeed from Brewmaster10!
I would like to add a recommendation: stay close to the tour guides so that you can hear and see whatever it is that they are emphasizing during your tour of an hour or so. And start out the tour with a question or two - open ended questions are always the best! - in order to get the ball rolling. When I see these tours on campus I get concerned that only the closest and most attentive get the full benefit and also that parents can end up doing much or more of the talking - even though they won’t be attending and those who will be attending have the biggest stake in establishing their fit there.
Best of luck with your college tours!
Tour’s are nothing special. If your in front or back they will stop and wait for everyone to gather before communicating. Parents should be in the back and students upfront.
Clothing go with something comfortable and simple, nothing special is needed.
If not given the choice when signing up for your visit, schedule a meeting with your particular college and if interested honors. Meeting individually with professor or students. Call or email them and they will make it happen. And if you forget to just go over to thier building, not a big deal. To me besides getting a vibe for campus is the most important thing.
In closing don’t be afraid to open a door or ask a question. Stay relax and don’t get overwhelmed it’s early in the process
If the schools do interviews and you’re a rising senior, make sure you schedule those as well as the tours.
If it’s a school that you think that you will apply to, be sure to ask to speak to your regional rep. to introduce yourself, or if they are not available, be sure to get their business card. Since this is the person who will be in charge of your file, it’s nice to be able to know who to contact directly should you have any questions.
Other things to do, eat in the dining hall if it’s open.
Although it’s summer and the student newspaper is probably not active, try to get a back copy or two
of the campus newspaper, just so you can gauge the tone, concerns and activities of the students
during the school year.
Some additional questions you may want to ask your guide:
Are the academics competitive or cooperative?
How strong is the advising?
Is there a career center? How effective is it?
What facilities are available for YOUR potential major? (no sense being impressed by the new science facility of you’re an English major)
What percentage of students live in the dorms? Where do they go if they move out? Is the surrounding area affordable?
What does a typical on-campus weekend look like?
Are the on-campus activities run by the faculty, the students, or a combination?
Is there a special or separate office for Study Abroad?
How far are the airport/train/bus stations, and what are the options from getting from the station to the campus?
Have fun!
Take some pictures.
Write down some thoughts or feelings about the campus. Examples could be: campus has a quad with shade for places to sit, great ice cream, bicycle friendly with racks, Walmart/Target is easy to get to, has Zip car rentals, flat/hilly terrain, etc.
Do they have any activities you did in HS that you want to continue? Like intermural sports, band, choir, places of worship,
A few things.
–I would try to print out a campus map in advance and bring it so we could find the meeting spot. Some campuses are not on some GPS systems.
-Agree, dress comfortably. Good shoes are a must.
-The amount of people on your tour etc. can vary wildly – we were on some with one other family and one with 50 or so people.
-Questions about admissions/academics are good for info. session, questions about student life are better saved for the student-led tour.
-Don’t give your opinion on a school until your child has stated his/her opinion so you don’t influence their first thoughts.
- Write a few notes down after each visit about things you particularly liked, didn't like.
-Set up an organization method at home to keep all the brochures etc. you will get. They may be useful to look back at later on.
-I would try to take the tour at Lehigh. Maybe visit Lafayette as well since it is so close (for full disclosure my D just graduated from Lafayette and loved it).
And perhaps most importantly…
-ENJOY. This may be the last great road trip you will take with your child. Take it as a chance to learn more about your child, how he/she thinks, what is important to him/her etc.
If the school year were in swing, I would say definitely try to have a meal on campus, but I’m not sure how many students will be around at this time of year. Maybe the dining halls are not even operating.
This is as good a time to visit as there is in the summer. Re Colgate, the fall sports varsity student athletes are already back with all students returning the third week of August, and with freshmen a few days earlier than the rest, for orientation and classes. That said, I don’t know what dining hall may be open to visitors, but you can always ask and also head to the Village (10 minutes away by foot, 2 mins by car) to see what’s on offer. There is a new cafe/bakery called Flour and Salt on Maple Ave that is receiving great reviews!
About the buzz on campus, and your likely interest in post-graduate outcomes, I understand that the new career planning center, Benton Hall, is just now under construction. It is a $13 million donor funded addition with 18,000 square feet, located near the Administration Building housing Admissions, between Merrill House Faculty Club and Olin Life Sciences Building.
Have a great tour and ask lots of questions. And in the run up to the tour, as well as afterwards, take advantage of all the material that colgate.edu delivers online.
Go 'gate!
Just to clarify, my suggestion to eat on campus was in order to observe student life in a random situation vs. on tour. Nothing wrong with checking out local eateries, though.