Going on my first major campus visit in a few days, currently planning it, to the University of Alabama.
What are the most important things to do/see?
Spend time in the student union building and/or dining hall. Find a bench somewhere, whether it be insdie or outside and people watch. Walk around asking yourself whether you can see yourself living there for 4yrs and do you see people who look like the kind of people you can see yourself hanging around with. Pick up a college newspaper and see what they’re wriitng about. Ask the tour guides about their experiences. GL
For schools that track student interest, the most important thing you can do on a visit is sign in and provide information about yourself (like high school, email address, etc) as requested. I don’t know if this is important for Alabama though, since larger universities often don’t track interest. Still, getting your name and email address into their system will help ensure that you get notified of important events/programs that could be of use to you.
On the visit itself: use the website to identify things about the school that interest you. If you have questions that aren’t answered by the website or in the information session before the tour, then be sure to ask. If you go on a guided tour and it doesn’t take you to something you want to see, ask the guide after the tour if you can visit it on your own. A big place like U of Alabama is certainly not going to be able to show you everything at once.
Many people like to visit surrounding neighborhoods or hang out in the campus food court.
I brought a notebook with me to every college visit and took notes during the presentations. I also took pics during the walking tour just so I would remember everything when I was deciding on where to go in the spring.