<p>I am going on campus visits to both Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill on Thursday and Friday. What are some questions that you guys suggest that I ask on a campus visit? I haven't really thought of a lot to ask yet. Thanks</p>
<p>This is from my local HS – I believe they got it from Kaplan:</p>
<p>Questions for that Essential College Visit:</p>
<p>Take some time to visit a few colleges. Use the time to informally walk the campus, ask a student if you can look at their dorm room, wander into a classroom or 2 and if you’d like to know more, schedule a guided tour with a student. All campuses have a link on their website to faciilitate signing up. </p>
<p>(The following questions might be helpful to keep in mind or ask when on compus:</p>
<p>How many hours a week do you study? Is that typical of the students here? Is the library a good place to study? Where do you study? </p>
<p>Are campus jobs readily available? How do I apply?</p>
<p>Do a lot of students go home for the weekend? </p>
<p>Is the food good? </p>
<p>Can you study in you dorm room, or is it too noisy? Where do you study? </p>
<p>How late at night is the music blasting away? What is the quiet time curfew? Is it enforced? </p>
<p>What do you like the most about this college? The least? </p>
<p>How easy is it to get the classes you want? Is Drop & Add easy to figure out? </p>
<p>What is the size of your largest class? The smallest?</p>
<p>Do I want to stay in state? Can we afford out-of-state tuition? </p>
<p>What size school do I want? Small: ~3,000, medium: ~3,00-7,500 Large: 7,500-14,500? Very large: over 14,500 </p>
<p>What kind of weather do I prefer? </p>
<p>Do I want a single-sex college? </p>
<p>Do I want to join a fraternity or sorority? </p>
<p>What extra curricular activities do I want? (clubs, co-ed teams…) </p>
<p>Do I want an extensive athletic program? </p>
<p>Do I want a strong creative arts program? </p>
<p>Do I want a strong academic program, or one where I don’t have to knock myself out?</p>
<p>Do I want a lot of academic structure or a program where I can do independent projects with little requirements? </p>
<p>Do I want a liberal arts or pre-professional program? )Pre-law, Pre-Dental…) </p>
<p>Can I live with restrictions and regulations? </p>
<p>Do my career interests require special facilities? (Cyclotron, labs?) </p>
<p>Do I want to do an off-campus internship? </p>
<p>Do I want a year-round work-study program that alternates work (guaranteed) with classes? </p>
<p>Can my family afford this college? How much should I try to save?</p>
<p>Would I be willing to work part-time while in college? </p>
<p>Do I want a Liberal Arts College?</p>
<p>thanks for the questions, some of them are pretty helpful</p>
<p>Thank you so much for offering these. My oldest [a junior] has just begun touring campuses and this list will come in handy.</p>
<p>Tip 1: Have a few questions that you ask at all the colleges; T26 has a good list but it’ll be hard to get to more than 4-5 in a tour (or even sitting down with a random student at lunch). Asking the same questions everywhere gives you a basis for comparison after it’s over.</p>
<p>Tip 2: Try to make the questions ambiguous/open-ended: EX. What the party scene like? Don’t imply anything, just let the answer come out. </p>
<p>Tip 3: Listen to how the question’s answered. Does it sound like it’s straight off the web site or do you feel you’re getting a personal response.</p>
<p>Tip 4: Listen more - Talk less. A follow-up question that leads them toward something you want to know is better than telling them exactly what you want and then having the student try and adjust the answer accordingly.</p>
<p>Tip 5: Pay attention to how you’re treated before, during and after the tour. This is your biggest contact point with a university; if they can’t be pleasant before you even apply why will they be nice once you’re in?</p>
<p>Tip 6: Have a checklist with some (5-7) important factors: e.g., Location, Safety, Academics, Dorms, Girl/Guy Cuteness, Attitude etc. Immediately after the tour rate those factors 1-5. Don’t talk about it, just react. After you’ve finished the answers then talk about it. You’ll be surprised how the discussion will flow and how you’ll identify what’s important to you.</p>
<p>Tip 7: Go with your gut instinct. It’ll be right more often than not.</p>
<p>Ask the tour guide what schools they applied to and why they pick this school. I think that question provided some of the most interesting perspectives.</p>
<p>Here are questions in 4 areas to give you a starting point to begin thinking about what is important for you and what you want to ask. </p>
<p>Environment:<br>
How many students are at the school? Are they primarily from the local area, in-state, or national? What are the students like? Are the students studying late into the nite, or socializing? Do they seem politically involved or not? Conservative, liberal, or radical? Is preppy dress in, or is it 80’s attire, or what? Is the mood intensely competitive or more relaxed (you’ll probably have to ask people about this)? Are intramural sports popular, and are there exercise facilities available? What do they have at the student center? Is social life organized around the greek system or more independently? Are there clubs for activities you might be interested in? What is the weather like (if you’re not used to cold weather, it can be a big shock!) There’s no “right” answers here, its what you want or could grow comfortable with.</p>
<p>Location/housing:
2 big factors that could affect your enjoyment are: 1) is the school residential or a commuter school? 2) Is it part of a larger city or an isolated college town? Housing really runs the gamut at various schools. At some places you can’t even be sure of getting in the dorms as a freshman, others require you to live there 1st year, still others guarantee on-campus housing every year if you want it. Housing may be traditional tower-structure dorms, smaller dorms, on-campus apartments, suites, etc. Dorms may be “theme” dorms; foreign language, academic, or other special-type interest. At some schools the housing is just a place to live; others organize students around a “house” that you will be affiliated with all your years there. Find out what housing is like at the schools you consider.</p>
<p>Academics:<br>
Look at what the academic program is like. If you’re not sure what you want to major in, when do you have to decide? Are classes taught by professors or TAs? Do the TAs speak English fluently (trust me, you want to ask students this question!) What is the typical class size for freshmen? For upperclass students? (be sure and ask students this because administration numbers can be misleading, especially at larger schools). How wide an array of majors is offered? Is the program (for some majors you are considering) highly structured, or do you get a lot of choice in electives? Ask the students how easy it is to meet with their professors; are they easily available, or is teaching undergraduates a burden to them? Is counseling provided by whoever is at the window when you walk up, or will you get a faculty advisor? Are there opportunities to do research with professors? For summer research positions? (If you are interested in grad school, the opportunity to have a professor get to know you and your work by more than the grades you got in her/his class will be important for getting strong letters of reference). Are there seminars, or do lectures predominate? Do they have a semester overseas program? Are they on a semester or quarter system?</p>
<p>Life after undergrad:
Right now it sounds strange, but also think about what you might want to do after you finish college (strange because you haven’t even picked a college to attend yet!) As a general question, do many of the school’s grads go on to grad-school, or do they enter the job force after college? If you have a major you’re contemplating, you can be more specific; how many history majors, for example, go to grad school and where do they tend to go? Ask about the placement office; what services do they offer? What firms come to recruit on campus (ask who came this year, for example)? How about internships? Is there an internship program with companies that come to campus each year, or does the placement office merely review your resume and point you to books listing employers? Ask about the alumni; do they have a program where you can talk to alumni about their field, how they got started, etc?</p>
<p>As anyone looking at colleges, cars, or houses can tell you – after a while they seem to run together. So after each visit write down your impressions and summarize the answers to your questions; if you want to be uber-prepared you could even print out your questions and jot down answers right away.</p>