It’s summer, and many high school students are much less busy than they are during the school year. This makes summer a great time to visit colleges. If possible, you should sign up for a campus tour and information session, as these will provide you with much more information than you’d get from just driving through or walking around a campus. Attending a tour and info session also demonstrates your interest in a college, which some colleges track when considering students for admission. Remember, tour guides and admission officers want you to ask questions, so don’t be afraid to speak up.
If your family is traveling this summer, it’s usually easy to find one or two colleges to visit near your destination. College Tips & Tricks can help. Enter the name of the state you’re headed to and the website will show you colleges you can visit. It also suggests places to stay, eat and visit nearby. Even if you don’t think you’re interested in the colleges near your vacation destination, visiting campuses will help you determine what types of schools you gravitate toward. For example, you’ll find out if you are excited by the feel of a large campus or attracted to the intimacy of a small one.
If you have more time on your hands, you can plan a trip specifically to visit college campuses. Perhaps there are several colleges in the Pacific Northwest on your list. Taking a week during the summer to visit all of them is hugely beneficial. There’s nothing like being on a college campus to help you decide if it’s a great fit for you. Even though campuses are quieter during the summer, visiting in person is still extremely useful. If you need help planning and mapping out your trip, you can create a free account at Go See Campus and use its College Trip Planner.
For more advice on making the most of a college visit, see this blog post. Although some of these options likely won’t be available during the summer, there may be more to do during your visit to campus than simply attending the tour and information session.
Even if summer travel isn’t in the cards, students can still take advantage of down time to visit colleges virtually. One of the positive outcomes of the pandemic is that colleges have developed their virtual resources, making them much more useful. Go to the Admissions section of any college website and sign up for a virtual tour and information session. You’ll also often find official videos of campuses and residence halls on college websites. Other resources for virtual tours and videos include Campus Reel and Campus Tours. And, if you want even more options, enter a college’s name in YouTube to find official videos as well as those made by students.
Regardless of whether you visit in person or virtually, make the most of your time by taking notes and writing down your opinions and reactions. Questions to ask yourself include:
- What were your impressions of the campus’s appearance and facilities?
- What were your impressions of the campus’s academic and extracurricular opportunities?
- What were your favorite things about this college? What were your least favorite things?
Many colleges start to sound and even look alike. The more detailed your notes, the better off you’ll be when deciding where to apply and ultimately where to attend. In addition, many colleges’ supplemental essays ask why you want to attend that institution. If you’ve taken thorough notes, you should have plenty to say.
