In most cases, when you are looking for the right college, you are supposed to plan and schedule your visit to ensure your goals and objectives are met.
During this time, you get to feel and know what the college offers and provide you with the experience you require to determine if the college is the best for you.
The article below explains what to expect during your college visit and how to schedule your college visit.
What to Expect From a College Visit
Most people are usually anxious when visiting a college because they do not know what to expect. Therefore, visits can be quite varied depending on the college, whereby some college visits are overnight stays, with others being hour-long visits.
In some cases, you will be taken on a guided or casual tour, while you might be required to sit through a talk or presentation. Therefore, it is a good idea to inquire about the visit’s duration before you embark on your campus tour.
You are also encouraged to ask what you should expect during your campus visit to ensure that you are very much prepared on arrival at your college.
Usually, you will attend a session involving an admission representative discussing more details about the college with a group of attendees or individually before taking your tour.
Secondly, you should also expect a tour around the campus that a continuing student typically heads up and who is also on hand to answer any questions you may have.
Finally, other campus visits usually offer prospective students other exciting opportunities like:
- Enable them to attend an ongoing class in the college.
- Meeting with admission officers and talking with them in more detail about finances and 529 Plans of the college.
- Meeting a potential professor and asking a few questions regarding any specific classes.
- Come together with other campus students and share a meal in the dining hall.
- Attend a sports practice session or a club meeting, especially for students interested in taking part in athletics.
- Spend a night in a college dorm.
Tips to Set Up a Visit
Below is what all students are expected to do when setting up a college visit:
1. Determine Which School to Visit
Typically, most people view this step as the simplest, but in reality, it is the most challenging part because coming up with the college you will carry out your visit to is essential because specific objectives and goals need to be met.
Therefore, during this phase, you are expected to ask yourself if you would like to carry out your visit to a small liberal arts college or a large state university.
However, if you can visit a medium, large or small institution, it is more beneficial because it gives you a feel for all the options.
You are also supposed to determine how far away you are more comfortable attending college. It would be best if you also decided on the schools you want to apply to so that you can narrow it down to choosing which colleges to visit.
2. Contact the Admission Office
Mostly, people are advised to sign up for a campus admission visit by calling the admission office. Most colleges usually have a campus visit coordinator whose responsibility is to answer phone calls and schedule a day for your visit.
Most of the personnel are welcoming and friendly. Similarly, you can also head over to the college website or common app to have a day for your visit set up.
3. Decide on a Date and Time
During this phase, you are supposed to choose the date and time to conduct your visit. Doing so is vital because different campuses usually operate differently.
Some allow you to visit them whenever you want, especially during business hours, while others have specific visit days outlined. Others also allow people to conduct their visits on Saturdays only.
It would help if you also decided on your arrival to ensure you are left with a few hours to go on a tour to get everything checked and ensure you meet with the admission counselor.
4. Watch for Confirmation Materials
Most confirmation material comes in different forms, including emails, phone confirmation, text messages, or written confirmation via snail mail.
You must double-check all of your confirmation material to ensure you have the right time, date, and appointment during this step.
5. Visit the Campus
During your visit to the campus, you are always encouraged to arrive ten minutes earlier before your scheduled time.
If the campus is far from where you live, you are expected to travel a day before or decide when to travel before the arrival time.
On arrival, you should go to the admission office to meet with the campus visit coordinator. In most cases, if you do a group visit day on the campus, the events you are likely to take part in include:
- An information session with the admission counselor who gives you an overview of the campus
- Take part in a college walking tour.
- Eat lunch which at times may be provided for free in some institutions.
- Have an academic information session majoring in the department you intend to major in.
- Participate in specific academic department tours.
6. Ask Engaging Questions
Ask questions on things you seek clarity or are interested in getting more detailed answers to.
Some of the relevant questions you can ask during your visit include what type of rolling admissions or applications are available and when the application time is due, which are some of the best learning programs offered, among many other questions.
7. Times to Avoid Your Visit
You are advised to ensure you check your scheduled visit dates with each college before planning to visit the institution to avoid visiting when classes are not in session or the campus is closed. And since you want to get the feel of college life, you are supposed to visit when things are running normally.
To ensure you see the campus during the right time, you should look over the college’s website and look at the academic calendar or call the admissions office.
But in most cases, colleges are usually not running during Christmas week, thanksgiving weekend, and spring and winter breaks. Similarly, they do not also hold classes during exam weeks, reading periods, and weekends.
With each of the steps discussed above, you can schedule a successful campus visit. Additionally, you are sure of the things to expect during the visit.
