Have you thought about any colleges yet? Have you been on any college visits?

These are some of the most important questions your student will encounter when navigating the college planning process. How do they decide which colleges are right for them? By determining their factors. What’s important? Size, location, distance, cost, major? One way to figure that out is to visit colleges! Visiting campuses allows students to visualize themselves in those environments, helping them to make more confident choices. It’s also the #1 piece of advice that we offer families. Here’s why college visits matter and how to make the most of them. 

Our advice at Class 101-Lexington is to visit 10, apply to 7, love 5. 

Colleges are ready for students to visit and have made the process of signing up easy. Most campuses provide registration directly through the college’s website. Once on the “visit tab”, there will be different options available. Some of these include: 

*Info session with campus tour – this is standard at most campuses. Attendees will receive information from admissions counselors about the college and the admissions process, followed by a guided campus tour. 

*Open House –Open Houses are typically conducted in Spring and Fall. They are longer and provide additional opportunities-perhaps a student panel or sometimes lunch!

Plan ahead. Campus tours fill up quickly for spring break and summer because that’s when students and families are available to visit. Look at which colleges are near other ones. It’s possible to visit one college in the morning and one in the afternoon.   

Make the Most of the Time on Campus.

When on the campus, take in the atmosphere.

And ask questions! Ask about campus organizations, paths to pre-professional programs, options for bringing a car to campus, internships. Many of the questions will probably be answered in the info session, so pay attention 🙂. Take some time afterwards for your student to write down thoughts while the campus and the visit is fresh in their mind.  

Revisiting After Acceptance

Perhaps your student has already applied and been accepted to several colleges. We would recommend visiting the college again. Many colleges hold admitted student days for just this purpose. Students spend four years (or more) at the college of their choice. Make sure it is a campus with which they connect and feel at home.  

There may not be one perfect college, but your student will come much closer to knowing what they want by visiting college campuses. 

Remember, the college doesn’t make the student. The student makes the college!