<p>hi everyone. I'll be going to my first college visit next weekend, and I'm looking for any tips or things to remember to check out while I'm there.
My mom and I will be seeing Swarthmore on a tour, information session and the like, but we can't get that at Haverford on that date.
Haverford's website says that the campus is open to looking around, so we plan on doing that, but since the Admissions Office will be closed we won't get a map or anything fun sadly..
Thanks for any responses, I can't wait to see if I fall in love soon!</p>
<p>College visits: most useful things to do</p>
<p>-Tour
-Info session
-See a dorm room
-Talk to students
-See a class
-Talk to professors
-Talk to sports coaches, etc (if applicable)
-Sit in the campus center and people-watch (you can get a great feel for the vibe this way)</p>
<p>You might find the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) website helpful. They even have a pocket guide for selecting colleges and questions to ask on visits.
http:// nsse.iub.edu /html/ students_parents.cfm (no spaces)</p>
<p>Almost any book about college admissions will have a chapter about campus visits.</p>
<p>in my personal opinion, you can tell the most by talking to students and sitting in on classes- that’s where i always saw the biggest differences. all info sessions will say the same things, and tour are hit or miss, so i’d really suggest going out on your own and finding students to talk to. i sat in on two classes at swarthmore-both were great and REALLY small, one had 8 students and the other had 4- and talked to a few students, and i think i got a great feel for the school (my current #1), so i think that’s the way to go.</p>
<p>sitting in a class usually gave my daughter the best feel for a college. Going to cafeteria isn’t a bad idea if class is not in session. Going to a people watching place is also helpful.</p>
<p>thanks everyone!
to sit in on a class, will I need to ask for permission in advance, especially if there isn’t any official visits that day in the school?</p>
<p>
Unfortunately the best answer is “it depends”. At a large public where the class may be 200-400, obviously nobody is going to know you are there unless you walk in on a day when they’re taking a test (they had students in some of my classes sit in assigned places by letter of last name, and TAs checked IDs). But in smaller schools where the class may be a seminar of 10-15 students you likely need teacher permission. BTW if you contact admissions in schools like these they may be able to arrange for you to sit in on a seminar or small class, even if official visits aren’t being done.</p>
<p>oh okay, that makes sense.</p>