College+Visits

 Try to visit the colleges to which you are serious about attending. After all, there is nothing like first -hand knowledge of the place you could spend the next four or more years of your life. Also, the visit will confirm or disprove the impressions you havereceived about these colleges from literature you have read, from your friends, orfrom other sources. **Be sure to schedule your visit with the college'sadmissions staff ahead of time. Make it an "official" visit!** Try to schedule your college visit so that you will not miss your classes at school. Look at the college's academic calendar to determine when it will be in session.

Zola Dincin Schneider in //[|Campus Visits] ////[|& College Interviews] ,// 3rd Edition (The CollegeBoard, 2012) suggests the best times for a college visit are during the following: 
 * High-school holidays -Use our school holidays, especially the ones that fall on Monday when colleges are generally in session.
 * Spring vacation- This is a great time, especially in the junior year to visit colleges.
 * Make sure the colleges are in session!
 * The best seasons to visit colleges are late summer before your senior year begins. Fall through winter are good times also to conduct major college visits.
 * Make your college visits __before__ college applications are due.
 * Do not plan a weekend visit. Most college offices are closed down at this time.

On your college visit, do the following:
 * Go to the Admissions Office and pick up admissions information, course catalogs, etc.
 * Go to the Financial Aid Office and discuss options for paying for your college education.
 * Talk to students on campus and get their insights about the college. For example, do most students go home on the weekends? Are faculty members interested in and accessible to students? Are campus jobs available to students?
 * Take a guided tour of the campus, housing, student center, library, etc.
 * Walk around the campus and get a feel for its environment.
 * Eat in the college's cafeteria.
 * Meet some of the faculty.
 * Try to stay overnight in a dorm with a college-student host.

If you are a student athlete and are considering playing sports in college, talk withcollege coaches about the following: If you attend a class, think about the following:
 * Does the Athletic Department provide tutoring to students, when needed?
 * Are academic-support services available to students?
 * What percentage of student athletes graduate'?
 * How often will you be required to miss class because of your sport?
 * What GPA is required for continued eligibility?
 * What are the eligibility standards?
 * Why would you choose this college over another on your list?
 * Are you challenged by the class?
 * Do the students seem interested?
 * Does the professor have a good rapport with the students?

As you walk around the campus on your own, or take a guided tour, think aboutthese:
 * What is the condition of the buildings on campus?
 * Are computers plentiful and readily available to students?
 * Is the lab equipment technologically current?
 * Are rooms in dorms clean and pleasant to be in?



Graphic from [|http://www.connectionsacademy.com]