A Few Simple Steps Will Help Optimize Campus Tours
BY LINDSAY GELLMAN
When it comes to college visits, Jack Barry has a routine. In advance of a visit, the Bentonville, Ark., high-school senior—who visited Duke, Georgetown and the University of Virginia last spring and plans to visit Yale and the University of Texas this spring—typically contacts professors and asks permission to sit in on a class, he says. During the visit, while on a campus tour, he pays less attention to the historical facts the tour guide recites than to the way students appear to carry themselves and interact with one another. And after a visit, he types up observations on his smartphone so that he’ll remember details later.
Peak college-visiting season—early spring—will soon be upon us, which means that many high schoolers and their families will be setting out to visit campuses, some for the first time—or the first time in decades. The prospect can be daunting. But there are some steps students and their families can take to make the most of college visits beyond the traditional information session and campus tour—and maybe even enjoy the trip.
Before
Check to make sure that admissions-information sessions and campus tours are being offered when you plan to visit, says Marcia Landesman, co-director of college counseling at Choate Rosemary Hall, a boarding school in Wallingford, Conn. Registration in advance might be required, so check the admissions office’s website. Keep in mind that classes might not be in session even if the admissions office is open—over spring break, for example—so it’s a good idea to ask.
You should plan to visit no more than two schools a day—one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, Ms. Landesman says. Otherwise, you’ll likely be too rushed or exhausted to absorb your surroundings, she says.
If given advance notice, many admissions offices will help arrange for a prospective student to sit in on a class, or for a family to have lunch in a dining hall, says Adele Brumfield, director of admissions and recruitment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If you have the opportunity to do so, Mr. Barry says to ask yourself, “Are the students paying attention? Or is there a dead look in their eyes?” You might also ask if advance plans are required to eat in a dining hall.
Some colleges offer on-campus interviews, Ms. Brumfield says, so you might ask the admissions office about scheduling one even if it is optional and not required.
If you’re not sure where to start, plan local visits first, even if you hope eventually to attend a school farther from home, Ms. Brumfield says. That way, you can get a sense of, for example, what size of school you’re comfortable with “without much investment,” Ms. Brumfield says. She also suggests keeping an open mind, at least at the outset, and perhaps visiting at least one school that doesn’t match your ideal criteria (e.g., a large school if you think you prefer a smaller school)—you might surprise yourself.
During
During the visit, pay attention to your surroundings, and take photos if possible, says Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher at education-services company the Princeton Review. Doing so will “anchor your memory of that school,” he says. Mr. Franek also suggests picking up a copy of the campus paper.
Don’t be shy when asking questions on the tour or in the information session, Mr. Franek says. Parents may want to ask about campus safety or financial aid. Ask if you can visit an additional residence hall where freshman live, in case the one you are shown isn’t representative, he suggests. And you might ask to be pointed toward the career-services office to get a glimpse of what goes on there, too.
Perhaps most important, be brave and go up to students you see around campus, Ms. Landesman says. Explain that you’re a prospective student and ask them to be candid about their experience, she says. Ask for contact information so that you can follow up.
After
Record your impressions right away in a notebook, whether analog or electronic, Ms. Landesman says—as Mr. Barry, the Bentonville high-school senior, does.
Stay current on campus news by following student publications online, Mr. Franek says.
And send thank-you notes to any professors whose classes you visited or to any students with whom you spoke. After a visit to Duke during which he sat in on an economics lecture, Mr. Barry says he emailed the professor to thank him for the opportunity. It’s a good idea to keep in touch, he says.
Source: WSJ
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304434104579379103450817482