Questions for a Campus Visit
While getting yourself on campus for a visit is GREAT, it doesn’t do much good if you aren’t prepared to look for specific things that you believe you need to have a good experience as a student there. I would advise to prepare a list of questions for a variety of areas and ask those questions at every campus you visit. Make sure to note the responses so you can compare apples to apples as much as possible. You can and should ask questions that come to mind while you’re there- don’t hold back. But keep this list as a baseline. Below are subjects and examples of questions I would recommend. But make sure you go through and thoughtfully customize your questions to your needs/desired experience.
Academics
How does it work if I’m not 100% certain what I want to major in?
Can I double major or do a major/minor combo?
What’s the best way to sign up for classes? Is it hard to access required courses?
What percent of students graduate in four years? *Note campuses are required to post 6 year graduation rate rather than four.
What research opportunities are available? Do undergraduates typically do research?
What kind of study abroad programs are available? When do students typically go?
Involvement Opportunities
What kinds of religious or spiritual outlets do I have access to?
Do many students participate in Greek life? How many fraternities and sororities are on campus?
What types of leadership opportunities are available to me?
What kind of volunteer opportunities are there?
Professional Opportunities (as a student and post-graduation)
How do you help students find and apply to internships? What about jobs after graduation?
How do I find on-campus jobs? Work-study jobs?
Research
What kinds of research opportunities are available to me as an undergraduate student?
How many research opportunities does a student participate in during their time on campus?
How do I find research opportunities?
Housing
Do most people live in the residence halls? How many living options do I have, and how different are they? Are there single rooms? Apartments?
How do you get a roommate?
What’s the bathroom set up? How do students make it work?
Support/Resources
Where can I find support if I’m struggling academically?
What kinds of scholarships are offered? What do the financial aid options look like?
How accessible are the medical facilities?
What kinds of counseling and mental health services do you offer?
Student Experience
How do you balance classes, extracurriculars, etc. within your schedule? Can you give me examples of how you manage your time?
What’s a typical day in the life like for a student here?
What are the students like? If you had to describe a “typical student,” what would you say?
How did you meet your friends?
That’s all folks! Remember to customize the questions to meet your needs. Ask multiple people the same question. You may get different answers and perspectives that you find helpful.
Veronica
