I’m a currently a junior in high school and I’m confused as to when I should touring campuses. is it too early to start touring? should I wait until I’m accepted? should I go over the summer? please help!!
If you are interested, then it is not too early to start touring some prospective colleges. I would definitely visit before applications so you can focus on what type of schools would be of the best fit. Visit some local schools that are a few hours away when you have a day off from school. For schools farther away, consider going during Spring Break or Summer.
It’s definitely not too early!
Since it’s second semester already, spring or summer break would be a great time to look at some campuses so you can narrow down your college list.
You can definitely still visit after you’ve been accepted to help make your final decision, but I would definitely recommend visiting some potential colleges; after all, if you don’t like their campuses or location, you might not want to apply there in the first place. Good luck!
Agree, you can start to visit schools now. IMO it is best to visit while the schools are in session so you can get a sense of the students, the activity on campus etc. rather than just seeing the buildings. When my kids were juniors we did some weekend trips to colleges that were relatively close and we did a longer tour over their HS spring break. Keep in mind that you can re-visit your top couple of choices between the time you get accepted and have to make a decision.
echoing some of what has been said above, start by visiting colleges of various types in your area. You want to go to a LAC and a large U. One in a rural area, suburb, city. Actually being there makes it a lot easier to picture being a student than just thinking about it. And I’d recommend visiting while school is in session. Take the tour, see if its possible to sit in on a class, and maybe just talk to a few students that are hanging out on campus and ask them what they like and don’t, what they wish they had asked about when they were in HS.
Many books on college admissions have a chapter on finding a good fit and what to do on a college visit.