<p>This summer, my son and i, we will be making our college visits... i know what i will be asking, but are there any questions that parents typically ask that i should know about... what exactly should i as a parent be looking for at my sons school?</p>
<p>as for my son he believes he knows what he is doing, but i like every other concerned parent... well im concerned. what are things he as a student should be looking for and inquiring about... he also wants to know if the cafeterias accept money... he doesn't want to spend the next 4 years of his life chewing on distasteful foods.</p>
<p>RaiderFan - If your S knows what he's doing then your are a fortunate parent indeed. Relax and enjoy traveling with your S. (And if you must ask questions, consider doing that privately. Parents asking questions at presentations is the #1 peeve for visiting students!)</p>
<p>As NewHope says, try to let the kid lead the way. I took notes at the info sessions because the differences between schools can be subtle and helpful to remember when filling out the application. But aside from that silent work I just listened to the kid and kept my distance. They really do get the hang of how to tour and do the info sessions after a few visits. Start at schools lower on the "desirabilty" list for practice.
I would recommend trying to eat a meal on campus.
Read the college websites and guide books before you go so you have a sense of the place before the visit. Have fun!</p>
<p>We tried to get a bit beyond the tour & info session on our visits. More time consuming to set up and carry out the visit, but we figured we didn't want to go back, either. My D typically attended a class, and sometimes met with a coach in the sport she was interested in. I usually went to see the study abroad office (she had some specific interests in that area that are off the beaten study abroad track) while she was in class, and we ate lunch on campus. And she interviewed at some campuses, too. Although the school she picked in the end was one where she did not interview on campus because she wasn't that sure she was serious about it, but they came to our town later that year and she had an interview then.</p>
<p>We agreed on a list of questions ahead of time, and we both took a copy of the list with us on campus. A wide variety of questions on lots of stuff, everything from dorm atmosphere/AC availability to quality of class discussion/friendliness of classmates & professor to J-term options. I definitely took more notes than she did, but she used them a lot later on (especially for those "Why College X?" essays!!).</p>