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Sunday
Apr222018

An Informal College Visiting Guide: 7 Things to Look For


By: Sam Mueller

You’re at least halfway through your high school experience, and those dreaded words shoot down your spine: college search. Although many people - especially supportive adults - regard the experience as exciting and eye-opening (which it can be), it can also be a stressful time. Why are there so many colleges? How do I pick the schools I like? How do I even know what to look for? In this article, I’ll talk about some of the factors that are important to look for on a college search.

1.) First off - Why visit colleges? Can’t I learn everything there is to learn on their website?

The answer is both yes and no. By visiting, you’re showing the school you care about them. It’ll also make you look favorable on your application. There’s also something you get when you visit a school that you can’t see on their website. You can see the students living their everyday lives, what the dorms, libraries, classrooms, and other facilities are like. You can see how each school is unique in its own way, and this individuality is hard to obtain from a virtual tour. College is four years long - that means you don’t want to make an important choice without visiting your future home!

2.) Geography: is the location right for you?
Would you like a small-town feel in a “college town” or live in the middle of a city with no formal campus? Do you want to live close to home, or far? Do you want your campus to be close to cities, or is a rural area preferable? Hint: there’s no right or wrong answer to these questions. It’s all about what you’re comfortable with.

3.) Size
Colleges vary in size - anywhere from 2,000 students total to 30,000 or more. Do you want a quiet, small student population or a vibrant, loud campus with a massive social scene? Do you want to meet new people every day and see new faces or all the time, or would you rather have a tight-knit group of students and know every face? Size is something to consider in your college search.

4.) Academics: Majors & Programs
What you’re studying in college is obviously important, so be sure to pay attention to what each school offers! Look at the wealth of majors and minors each school has. Furthermore, are there any special programs that are specific to a field of interest? How are each of these programs and departments ranked academically? Look out for these things at each college you visit. A smaller liberal arts college might not be the best fit for a prospective engineer, just as an arts-centered college experience wouldn’t be the best at a STEM-heavy school.

5.) Faculty
Do you see yourself in a large lecture hall, or a small, intimate classroom? Think about how you’d like to learn when you visit different schools. Pay attention to the student-to-faculty ratio, which is a good measure of classroom size.

6.) Student Life and Professional Opportunities
What clubs and organizations are available to a college’s student body? How can you spend your time outside of class? These are questions that you should ask as you tour different colleges. Also pay attention to what professional opportunities are available to students. Does a specific college seek undergrad students to work in labs or other settings? What other work or internships are available off campus? If you know what you want to study, think of ways to get hands-on experience during your four years.

7.) Cost and Financial Aid
Needless to say, cost is important. Pay attention to tuition costs when you visit colleges as well as how much financial aid they can give. This factor will vary from family to family, but oftentimes is the most important factor in the college search.

Considering all of these factors should help you narrow down your college search to the schools that match your fit. The college search process is a stressful time, and it’s important to remember: the process is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes careful thinking, and opinions can change over time. You might not immediately fall in love with a school, or feel torn between several. That’s okay. You have plenty of time to choose - all you need to do is give yourself options. College searching and visiting is a manageable task when you know what to look for. Armed with this information, best of luck to everyone on their search!

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