<p>I will be heading off in a few hours to go see some colleges over the next few days. Is there any good questions I should ask, because I can't think of any right off the top of my head?</p>
<p>Do they have a program that enables you to visit again, stay in a dorm, go to class??? Do they grant interviews and does it go into adcom consideration? Where can you buy a course catalog.....you will want one if you can get one, even last years is good. I found these easier to use than the web.....you can make notes compare books....a very good resource.</p>
<p>Do they guarantee student housing all four years? That's an issue some places.</p>
<p>Here are some that immediately come to mind.</p>
<p>Ask about the quality of the food; where the cafeterias are in relationship to the dorms; is there a bus system; how do you get to the nearest big city without a car if you're in a rural area; ask if there are problems in graduating in 4-years (are students shut out of required courses); is the campus dominated by greeks; are there a lot of clubs; can you have a car and when and where do you park it; are the libraries any good (enough books, journals, computer work stations); how wireless is the campus; are the academic advisors any good/helpful; is the school's administration student-oriented; what do people do on the weekends; what are the dorms like, comfortable, air-conditioned; is housing guaranteed, for how many years?</p>
<p>Oh and I will also be meeting with the person in charge of Economics. So maybe there is a few questions I should ask about the economics program?</p>
<p>You need to become familiar with the degree requirements and the course offerings.....ask if any specific profs will be "on sabbatical" or off the teaching schedule. Sometimes a course will appear in the catalogue but is offered only occassionaly.......this could affect your planning. Have you researched the course catalog.....and the faculty research/publishing to become familiar with their projects which may become of interest to you???</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>