Summer can be a time to catch up on important tasks or explore new places; an excellent summer adventure for any student is a campus visit! Without having to worry about missing classes, many students use summer to travel and see if certain colleges are right for them. In this blog, we’ll list a few things you and your family can do to get the most out of college visits.

Meet with Admissions
Rather than follow an online tour or video visit, make a reservation and take the real admissions tour. This establishes a record of student interest, and it provides a chance to establish a relationship with your admissions representative.

The Admissions Office is meant to serve as the primary point of contact for all those interested in attending a school, providing useful information on programs, tuition and scholarships, and evaluating applications. In short, meeting prospective students is their job. Meeting with an Admissions Officer can help connect you with resources that can help you better make a decision. An admissions officer might, for example, have information on classes and tuition that is otherwise not easily available on the website. They might also be able to connect you with others who can support you on your journey: faculty, alumni, or current students.

By reaching out and making an impression, you can make yourself a more compelling candidate. Not only can visits help students experience “college fit” and campus culture, they also can be important in establishing “demonstrated interest.” Demonstrated interest is a measure of how interested a student is in a college. It can be tracked through things like official tours, admissions’ events, clicks on email and text messages, and reaching out to admissions representatives or academic programs. According to data from the National Association for College Admission Counseling, more than 50 percent of four-year colleges indicate that demonstrated interest is of “considerable” or “moderate” importance in admissions. This is why we continue to ask our students and their families to attend formal admissions events and visits. This summer is the perfect time to visit schools. As you make this a priority for your family, remember that we can help students prepare for visits. 

Meet with a Professor or Visit and Academic Department
While you are on campus, you might find it beneficial to reach out to someone who can speak to your major or area of interest or about the overall offerings of your department.

If you are looking into forensic science, for example, a professor may be able to tell you what kinds of labs and resources they have available. They might speak to internships with local police and research centers. They might also speak to research opportunities or class dynamics. These meetings, which will often take place in a professor’s office, can also give you a better sense of a campus’s overall layout and let you explore more of a building. During your visit, you can ask yourself: Do I see myself walking these halls? Does this offer all that I want?

Many colleges in our area offer a “college close-up” program as part of their admissions visit programs. These schools include the University of Cincinnati, Ohio Northern University, University of Kentucky, and Miami University. If a school does not offer a college close-up or the opportunity to meet with a major, you can still request this, call the academic department directly, or stop by when you are on campus. 

Visit the Surrounding Community
Finally, you might use a college visit to see what the surrounding area is like to see if it matches your impression of what you want your college experience to be like.

Ask yourself: Do you want to enjoy a vibrant city life or do you prefer nature and rural spaces? Do you want your campus to be within walking distance of a grocery store, bank, and other essentials or are you comfortable driving or taking public transportation? Do you want to live in a place with four seasons or one where it is warm all-year round?

These kinds of questions can help you ground yourself as you walk through a college visit. If you can see yourself enjoying four years in a place, there’s a good chance it’s a good fit for you.

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In this blog, we described three ways that you can make the most out of your college visit. If you’d like more tips, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!