Typically, you will start to visit colleges during your junior year of high school. This will give you enough time to not only decide on the right college for you – it will also allow you the opportunity to prepare for college applications. The application process is usually the hardest part of getting into college, but the college visits usually take the most energy. This is why you want to get the most out of each and every visit. You need to think of yourself as an investigator when you are taking a tour. Here is how to have a productive and successful college visit.
Ask a Lot of Questions
When you go on a tour of a college, you will usually be led by a faculty advisor or by student. Of course, during the tour you want to be polite and listen, but during the question and answer portion of the tour, you really want to speak up. It is important to ask as many questions as possible.
Take Your Own Tour After the Official Tour is Over
After the advisor takes you around the college and shows you all the facilities, you want to take your own tour. Ideally, you want to get lost (so long as you have a map that will get you back to your hotel). This will give yourself a chance to see parts of the college you may not have seen yet. It may also give you a real glimpse of what the campus is like when you aren’t on a guided expedition. When you do get lost, it will give you an opportunity to ask people questions and introduce yourself to other students or high school visitors.
Stay Overnight
Many students go on a tour and they leave after a few hours. However, you may want to find a way to stay over night. If you have friends at the college, you may be able to stay at the dorms. Staying over night will give you the opportunity to see what the college is like the next day. Also, having this real experience will strengthen your decision on whether or not to apply to the college.
Meet With Admissions Officials
When you do visit a college, you want to make a point of visiting the admissions office. Even if you are taking a Rutgers online course, you still want to meet face to face with admissions. These are the people that will decide if you are accepted and offered enrollment. This is why it is so important to be as courteous and nice as possible.
Show Your Appreciation After the Tour is Over
On top of everything, you want to show your appreciation to the person that took you on the tour. Moreover, you want to say thank you to anyone in charge of a certain facility you are checking out. You can think of this like laying the foundation. In the end, the more foundation you can lay during your college tours, the better off you will be.
