<p>If you want to see a res hall room, you can politely ask a current student. The worst you can get is a no, and when students asked me off-the-record (i.e., when I was NOT leading a tour - I could get in trouble for doing this when I was leading a tour) if they could see my room, I was always happy to show them. Then again, I kept my room relatively tidy as a college student.</p>
<p>I agree with seeing academic buildings/classrooms, the library, the student center, at least one cafeteria. If your student has a special interest, ask for that too (the theater, the black box, music practice rooms, the gym, art studio, etc.) You may also want to specifically ask about the availability of study spaces and ask how crowded they are at peak times (we have a reasonable number of study spaces at my university but they are ALWAYS CROWDED in the evenings, and especially on Sundays. You can have a hard time getting a carrel in the more popular libraries).</p>
<p>I also think that students (maybe with their parents) should spend some time exploring outside of the officially sanctioned tour. I was a tour guide for my college and we have to stick to the party line, you know - only taking you in sanctioned buildings, no res hall, being brightly positive about the school, etc. If you walk around on your own, most of our buildings (at both my undergrad and my grad) are open to the public. For the few that aren’t (student center and libraries), you can ask security for a guest pass to enter. Plus you can talk candidly to some students who are far more likely to give you what they really think about the school.</p>