<p>Hey I'm going to my first college visit next week, but I have no idea what I should be looking for! Yes, dorms should be spacious, but what the hell is spacious dorm? I thought they were all tiny.
Anyway, could we make a guide to getting the most out of college tours/information sessions? I've been looking for one on CC but with no luck.</p>
<p>Go visit the music building if you are a musician, the science labs in the area of science that you are interested in - in other words personalize the visit to your choice of major and interests as well as taking the standard tour and seeing the dorms. Talk with a coach or a professor in an office with an open door. Stop a student and ask directions and see how friendly they are. </p>
<p>These actions have maximized our time visiting colleges and helped us to remember what we liked or did not like about the schools.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>hey i wanted to add to the OP if no one minds? i was wondering, i’m a junior going to visit the college of saint rose, its an open house is it all the same???</p>
<p>to the OP i have heard to look at the bathrooms, like a public bathroom… i have seen 1 bathroom for 2 dorms or 1 bathroom with like 3 shower stalls per floor, def check that out!!</p>
<p>^^@chemusic thanks! i liked the student-directions tip.
@Jazzii I was wondering that too…whats the difference between a regular tour and an open house? do they give more info at open houses?
i like the br tip too. 3 showers per floor would get scary. although, i do take showers in the evening, so maybe it won’t be a problem.</p>
<p>Anything else? Are there any generic questions i should ask at the info session, to my tour guide?
I’ve heard asking about the drug scene is important. But that could get awk with my family around. oh well!</p>
<p>ask for sports and other clubs that you will be interested. go eat in the cafeteria to see what kind of food you will be eating and if that is of your taste. You are going to spend 4 years of your life in that environment.</p>
<p>By researching the school before you go, you will get the most out of the visit. Read guidebooks, look at the college’s website etc. I have been to info. sessions where students say that they want to major in something the college doesn’t offer or that they want a five year masters degree when the school only has undergrad programs. Only make visits that are to schools that meet your criteria. Pay attention to the people you see around and the general “vibe” and think about if you can see yourself being happy at the school. You should look at the dorms, the cafeteria, and the facilities for your area of interest as well. </p>
<p>I have found the the difference between an open house and a regular info. session is that the open house is a bigger event for the school and only happens a few times a year. Look at the itinerary for each open house – at some schools they don’t seem to offer more than a typical information session and tour and it is much more crowded, but at other schools the open house includes interesting panel discussions, a chance to sit in on a class, or meetings with department heads so they can be valuable. I typically prefer the less crowded information session/tour but, as I said, for one or two schools the open house had such a great open house program that it was worth doing. Whatever you go to, make sure you sign in at admissions so the school knows you were there.</p>
<p>As for questions, I like to ask 1) is housing guaranteed for all four years? 2) what is there to do on weekends? 3) how the student likes their classes and profs. 4) ask student why they picked this college 5) and if you are interested in anything in particular, ask. Also when you research a school in advance, you may find things to ask about specific programs a school offers (ex. maybe they have a wellness dorm you like, maybe they have a special freshman seminar program…).</p>
<p>Make sure you eat in the cafeteria, looking around at the lunch tables to see if the students seem happy, friendly, bored, cliquish, chatty, engaged, lonesome, etc. Are kids of different groups/types happily chatting, or sitting separately and ignoring each other? Give some thought to the question – if I come to school here, would there be a lunch table at which I’d feel happy and welcome? A big part of the campus visit is studying the people who live and work there; these people will be your friends and your classmates.</p>
<p>My DS always likes to get the inside scoop from a current student who is NOT with the admissions office. Whether it’s a family friend or an acquaintance, he likes to meet up with them there and get their impressions. Sometimes they can show you things that are not on the tour (for example, one friend gave us a tour of the chem labs - DS loved it).</p>
<p>I also like to ask students (often the tour guide) what other schools they were looking at and why they picked this one. Or what don’t they like about the school. Of course this is all subjective and they basically work for admissions. </p>
<p>Definitely get a tour of any department you are interested in as a major (if you have one in mind).</p>