As you plan your pilgrimage to potential colleges this summer, I have some suggestions that will save you time and money.
First, do your homework. Most admissions departments schedule a walking tour as part of your visit to show you the buildings and the physical layout of the university. A guide will show you important places such as where students spend the bulk of their time — the dorms, cafeterias, libraries, Starbucks, and bookstores. Before your visit, take the virtual tour that university websites feature and prepare a list of questions for your guide. According to Robert Franek, Editor-in-Chief at The Princeton Review, preparing specific questions tailored to each school shows your genuine interest and can help you gather nuanced information that isn’t readily available online.
Log on to the student newspaper. They usually have crime figures on campus and other information that you will not find in the admissions office. This is also one of the best places to get a feel for the nuts and bolts of campus life — social, cultural, and political. You should also search the website to see what emphasis they put on job recruitment fairs and internship opportunities. Researching these aspects will provide a more realistic view of what life is like on campus and help you assess the support available for your future career. Jeffrey Selingo, author of “There Is Life After College,” emphasizes the importance of understanding career services and internship opportunities offered by colleges, as these can significantly impact your employability post-graduation.
Once you have done your pre-campus visit research, it is time to pare down your list of potential colleges to no more than three or four. Do not plan to visit more than one of them a day. Unless the colleges are within a short driving distance of each other, it is almost impossible to glean much useful information on a brief tour. The most you can expect at many schools is a canned presentation from the admissions office and a student-led tour of the campus. You will seldom hear about the nitty-gritty details that will make or break your college experience. This is why you need a plan.
Doing your research before starting your tour means you will know what to look for when visiting the campus. If you know someone who will be on campus during the summer session, see if you can arrange to visit them and have them give you a guided tour. Promise them a meal out (students are always hungry) and ask them to bring along a friend so that you get an additional point of view. Most students will jump at the opportunity. They will tell you all you need to know and more. Ask them about the social and intellectual life on campus. Quiz them about the classes they are currently taking — or took — and which professors and classes to avoid like the plague during your freshman year. Frank Bruni, author of “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be,” suggests talking to current students to get honest insights about their experiences, which can reveal the true culture and challenges of the campus.
When you do visit the admissions office, you need to grill them about important academic issues like the quality of their science programs, grad school prospects, and the percentages of graduates who go on to professional schools (law, business, and medical). Ask them to name those schools. If they don’t have the numbers, that will tell you something in itself — they do not track the most important data on their graduates. See if your admissions counselor can set up a meeting with a top professor in your field of interest if at all possible. Some colleges will allow you to sit in on a class, and I urge you to take advantage of this offer. A few schools will even let you be a student for a day and/or night. Also, on the academic side, make sure you get a course catalog and check on requirements for graduation.
Look at club and organization websites and social media accounts, and perhaps you can meet with members of those organizations when you are on campus. Make sure that you check out financial aid opportunities while on your visit and document information about your experience. Make notes and take pictures so that you can refresh your memory about your experience. Doing follow-up homework when you return home is important as well. Use the Internet to research alumni success, professor evaluations, and more. This is where your documentation will come in handy. As noted by Lynn O’Shaughnessy, author of “The College Solution,” documenting your visits thoroughly can help you compare schools more effectively when making your final decision.
Your choice of a college home is one of the most important you will make. Your decision will shape your career opportunities, so plan ahead and make the most of your time on each campus. Remember, a well-informed decision is your best tool for success in this pivotal phase of your academic journey.
Gerald Bradshaw is an international college admissions consultant with Bradshaw College Consulting in Crown Point.
