<p>What are the most important things to do and look for when visiting a university?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I would go on the campus tour--it'll give you a general feel of the campus which I think is the number one most important thing to do on a campus visit. It'll also give a little of the history and student life, but take everything with a slightly cynical grain of salt, because the tour guides are trained like used car salesmen.</p>
<p>I liked to go on campus tours-much better than wandering around yourself. Some of the things I always visited were:
1) the library (Was it adequate? Was it quiet? Was it conveniently close to dorms?)
2) the dorms (AC? Equipped with what?)
3) dining/rec facilities
4) science labs (Well-equipped? Age? Available outside class?)</p>
<p>you can find lots of info on the web about campus visits. For example, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/dzbao%5B/url%5D">http://tinyurl.com/dzbao</a> or <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4lfu9%5B/url%5D">http://tinyurl.com/4lfu9</a>
Also most of the books about college admission have a chapter about visits.</p>
<p>IMHO you are not visiting at a good time if you go in the summer, though. Go read the parents forum thread "One-line descriptions of each LAC culture from enrolled students" and you'll see how different each school can be. You could never discover this by just walking around campus.</p>
<p>One more thought. Make a list of questions you'd like to find out about college, then write down your answers after visiting each school while impressions are fresh. Include the queries "the thing that suprised me the most was ...", "my favorite thing was ..", and "what I disliked most was ..."</p>
<p>When you've narrowed down the list you're considering, contact the schools in the fall and ask about an overnite visit. Most colleges can arrange this where you spend a nite in the dorm with a volunteer host.</p>
<p>Take pictures, lots of pictures - make sure to label them for later reference. After a few visits it's hard to remember what different campuses really looked like.</p>
<p>Eat in the cafeteria if at all possible (tip: if you ask admissions "would it be alright to eat in the student cafeteria?" many admissions offices will give you a voucher for a free meal. (Obviously the student cafeteria may not be open during the summer).</p>
<p>If you are visiting during the summer and you see alot of kids walking around be sure to ASK if they are regular students of the college or students attending for special summer programs.</p>
<p>Scope out the neighborhood and town/city. Where can you shop? What type of restaurants are there? How there lots of bars nearby?Where's the nearest movie theater? What places are there to just get off campus for a few hours?</p>
<p>check out the bulletin boards in the student union and in the buildings housing your potential major department. Look for information about clubs, meetings, political events, internships, etc.</p>
<p>But my favorite tip for visits, that I can not lay claim to because I read it from someone else here on CC is this: break away from your family or whoever you are visiting with. Walk around the campus by yourself and see how it feels to you to be there by yourself.</p>
<p>DD and I will be checking out a few places this summer--fall will be far too busy with cross country (the other "cc") and band and etc. If we are able to meet with department heads---what questions should we ask and any ideas on how to leave a lasting impression?? leave a resume?? Thanks- momnipotent</p>