College Visits
Q. Why are visits important?
A. Visits are the most efficient and helpful means of gauging your "fit" at the universities
in which you might be interested. We believe confidently that there is no replacement for physically trying out the campus – seeing
the layout of the buildings and the way people interact there and listening to the minds and hearts of the students, faculty, and staff. It is not
uncommon to "feel" immediately that you would never want to attend a school that you visit; such a visit should be considered a
great success!
Q. How many schools should I visit?
A. You should visit all the schools to which you plan to apply. Understanding that time and money may be of the
essence, we recommend your using any on-line materials to reduce the list of schools to which you might apply. Some forethought will
help you to consolidate visiting several schools into one trip. We recommend, however, that you not visit more than three schools one day after another;
the visits will have diminishing value, as the facts about the schools will meld together into an incoherent, inseparable mess.
Q. When should I visit schools?
A. We suggest that you visit each school to which you plan to apply before starting its application.
As mentioned before, you may find that even a first glance at a school will elicit immediate warning signals and may cause you to
rethink your decision to apply. After receiving your decision letters, you should also visit the front-running schools
again when school is in session. When it comes down to it, even the most beautiful campus in the world should not win over your heart; it
is the academic, social, extracurricular, and spiritual environment of the university that you must evaluate. Many universities will have
special hosting weekends for pre-frosh; while these weekends may be great opportunities for meet-and-greet, they are not the best times to
evaluate the university, as the university will have packaged itself perfectly for the occasion. We do not discourage you from enjoying these
weekends, but we also urge you to make the all-important where-to-go decision outside of these idyllic weekends.
Q. What should I do when I visit?
A. Take the official school tour. Spend time with students. Realize that the people who
give the official tours answer the same questions over and over tour after tour, so they
may be tired of answering questions. Their opinions are valuable, but you'll probably
get more candid responses from friends at the school. Try to stay with friends
who go to the school. If you don't know anyone at the school, call the admissions
office and ask if they have a hosting program to match student hosts with prospective
students.
Attend classes that interest you at a level that's right for you.
I (Tim) sat in on a graduate-level electrical engineering class as a prospective.
I should have visited an introductory economics, physics, chemistry, or Slavic
literature course; these courses would have been more likely reflective of the academic environment
that I'd encounter as a freshman.
Check out the dorms, where you'll be living; eat in the dining
halls; go to the library; attend a sports practice; and go to some classes with your host.
Try to get a sense of what it would be like for you to be a student at the school.
Q. What should I do when I visit the school after I've been accepted?
A. Celebrate with the other people that got in! But, more important for the long term, we
encourage you to meet professors in your prospective department(s) and students who participate in activities that might interest you.
If you are an athlete, you may likely have already visited with members of team and the coach. If you would like
to write for the campus paper, for example, you might seek out one of the editors or a writer to learn how you can
get involved once you become a student.
