What Should You Consider When Touring Colleges?
As the pandemic eases and college campuses finally start to open up to outsiders, you may be gearing up to visit colleges with your sophomores and juniors. Here is a FAQ for you and two free downloadable templates to guide you in your research.
Should I Book an Official Campus Tour and Information Session?
Yes, when possible. Although these tours are part of a college’s marketing, and therefore should be taken in that light, you can gain valuable information from the tour and info session. Also, for colleges that track student interest, your visit is an extremely important demonstration of student commitment. Colleges that track demonstrated interest.
How Do I Find out When a College is Open for Tours?
Go to a school’s Admissions page.
Search for on-campus tour options.
Register for a live tour, an information session, or, ideally, both.
Beware that many schools only offer tours on weekdays. Some schools also offer self-guided tours when you aren’t able to book a live tour.
What if the College Doesn’t Have any Spots Left for Tours When I Visit?
I always think it is useful to visit a school informally even if you can’t fit in a formal visit. Be sure to visit the admissions office to get your student’s name down (see above for the need to show demonstrated interest at some schools), and use your time to walk around, talk with current students, and get a feel for the school’s culture.
I Can’t Visit a College in Person. Are There Virtual Options?
The pandemic sent college info sessions online, and many colleges continue to offer virtual info sessions. I suggest you start by registering for the school’s online info session. Some colleges and universities even offer major/school-specific info sessions. e.g. for direct admit business students.
What Questions Should I Ask on my College Tour?
Each student has different interests and needs, so there is no one set of questions. Use this free CTK College Questions guide to figure out which questions pertain to you and make note of how your colleges answer those questions.
CTK Pro Tip: Take Notes! If you are doing your research right, you will be gathering a tremendous quantity of data. I promise you will not be able to recall much from one school to the next if you don’t take notes as you go. Moreover, your future self will thank you when you are writing your “Why X School” essays if you can recall more than how nice the buildings were. As my college jazz band director, the great Fred Berry, used to say: “The difference between an amateur and a professional is that the professional writes it down.”
Free download to help you organize and compare notes for each college tour
I’ve created a free template for you capture your research notes. You can save a copy of CTK Research Notes and modify for your own purposes using this list of questions.
