How to plan a campus visit
Get the Most out of your experience!
Plan your visit so that you can really experience a “day in the life” as a student there while also getting your questions answered and any information necessary to make a decision to attend. I worked in campus visits for nearly 10 years and here’s my advice.
Handle your logistics ahead of time. Schedule your visit with the university- most allow you to schedule online. It’s usually found on the Undergraduate Admissions webpage under “visits” or something of the like.
Make travel arrangements, put in work requests for yourself and your parents/guardian to be off work, notify your school of absences, and talk to your teachers about how to make things up. Plan where you’ll stay if it’s an overnight trip (some campuses allow you to stay in a residence hall, others have a hotel onsite or nearby).
Work the the Admissions Office to plan your day. I recommend that your itinerary include:
Admissions Overview: This could be a group presentation or a 1:1 meeting. Here you’ll get information about how to apply, the review process, and general information about the campus and programs.
Walking Tour of Campus: This is usually a tour of campus led by a current student. Make sure to wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes. Tours are typically 45-90 minutes and happen rain or shine.
Housing Tour: This isn’t always a possibility. If the residence halls and completely filled with current students and there isn’t a show room available, you may have to settle for a virtual tour. But make sure to ask about it. To be honest, residence halls are pretty standard. Once you’ve seen 2+ you really get a pretty good idea of what to expect. The biggest variations will be bathrooms (suite or community style) and dining (in the same building or a location nearby).
Departmental Meeting(s): This is where you get to learn more about the major(s) you’re interested in. Some admissions offices will work to schedule these meetings on your behalf, others will give you the contact information and have you set something up independently. Regardless, if you have an idea of what you want to study, you should definitely do this. While admissions counselors have a lot of great information about campus programs, the department representative themselves will have a lot more details and help you get more into the nitty gritty of opportunities and resources available once you’re a student on campus.
Eat in the dining hall: Yes, there may be a great restaurant nearby… but this will be the food you LIVE on for 9ish months of your life. You had better check out the set up and make sure you’re happy with it. You can usually eat as a non-student, you just may need to pay a slightly higher price. It’s usually $15 or less person. You may need to pay with a credit card or cash. Tell the admissions office you’d like to do this during your visit. Sometimes they have dining cards so you can eat for free!
Attend a campus event: This should be something that would reflect your personal interests. For example, if you love football, get tickets for a game and see if you can sit as close to the student section as possible! If you’re a musician, see if there’s a performance or rehearsal you can watch. Think about something you like to do and would likely pursue when you’re a student on campus. Ask admissions if you need ideas/suggestions. They usually can help you figure out something.
Use campus transportation: This is optional, but can be really helpful in deciding if you would bring a car to campus… What would it actually be like to take a bus to go to Wal-Mart? Yes, you probably can…. but is it easy or hard to do? What’s the frequency of off-campus transit?
That’s all folks! Remember that you can usually accomplish all of these things whether you do an individual visit or a larger group event. Just make the most of your time. Show up well-rested, in comfortable clothes and shoes, bring a method for note-taking, prep questions for anyone you’re meeting with and you’ll be all set!
Talk soon!
Veronica
