Getting The Most Out Of College Tours
by Valerie Erde
The college search is a complex and sometimes harrowing process, and narrowing the field can feel like a guessing game — especially if your kid isn’t sure what they want to major in or how far from home they want to travel. This is why it’s so important to schedule college visits early and often! There’s nothing quite like walking around a campus in person to get a sense of a university’s “vibe.
During the past seven years that I’ve been advising students and families about various aspects of the college process, I’ve toured more than 20 myself - really only scratching the surface given there are thousands of them - but I’ve picked up some important insights along the way. I want to share those tips and insights with you so, whether you’re visiting colleges in order to decide where to apply, or you’re an an accepted student deciding where to enroll, you can get beyond the admissions office marketing speak and and truly get a feel for how and where you might want to spend four years.
So how do you know what to look for during your tour? And how can you keep track of it all? Here are some tips to help you and your child get the most out of college visits to help decide where to apply — and where to send that deposit by May 1.
Why Visit?
The University of Pennsylvania looks great on paper (obviously), but if your kid isn’t interested in cold weather and city living — a fast pace, public transportation, trudging to class through snow, the sounds of traffic — it might not be a good fit for the next four years. Would you relocate somewhere for four years that didn’t have the type of opportunities and lifestyle you were looking for? When your child chooses a college, it’s important to remember that they’re choosing a “work” style and a lifestyle, too. They deserve to be happy and feel comfortable in that new place.
Unless your family has moved or traveled a lot, your kid may only be familiar with one or two “hometowns.” That’s not much to compare, so it may be hard for them to know what they like. This is why visiting a wide range of colleges is so important. Your child needs a chance to get a feel for different campus sizes and types, as well as different regions and urban/suburban/rural settings. Follow these steps to cover all the bases and help your child discover and articulate what they really like.
1. Start Early
You don’t have to be a high school junior or senior to sign up for a campus tour! Taking a college tour on one afternoon of a family trip or during a school vacation week is a great way to introduce the whole concept of college in a fun, low-stakes way. Many people have at least one interesting college or university within an hour’s drive, so it’s easy to make a day of it. Propose the trip as a fun outing, and discuss your opinions afterward over ice cream before you head home, and you can turn this into some special time with your child.
2. Cover a Range of Options
As you get started, remember that — especially in the early days — it doesn’t really matter if the school you visit is one that your child plans to apply to. That’s because your initial goal is to see a wide variety of campuses to help your child get a sense of where they will be most comfortable. For instance, you might want to make these types of comparisons:
a large vs. medium vs. small school
a public vs. private school
a big research university vs. liberal arts college
an urban v.s suburban vs. rural campus
a specialized school (for example, business, or engineering or fine arts)
Remember that many colleges will fill more than one of these categories, and you may be able to cover all the bases within driving distance of your home. This should be enough to give your child a feel for their broad options, and you may even find that they have a strong gut reaction right away. For example, an introvert may decide that anything over 3,000 students feels overwhelming — that’s great information to have as you move into senior year and decide where to apply!
Personal anecdote: with teen #1, our family planned a driving-distance tour to Massachusetts during the Veteran’s Day three-day weekend of junior year. (Most colleges don’t give Veteran’s day off, so you can see students on campus and visit classes.) With so many colleges in the Boston area and environs - and a bonus of family in the area to stay with - we easily were able to include a range of types, sizes, and selectivity levels. One result was that our child immediately ruled out small rural liberal arts colleges (in this case Amherst); we ended up canceling the tour of the second liberal arts college and focused her list on larger and more urban schools. Conversely, teen #2 loved the vibe at some of the more rural colleges and uniersities, but ultimately also preferred the larger suburban/urban universities.
Pro Tip: If your child is considering applying to highly selective colleges, be sure that you also tour some target and likely schools — ones that are likely to accept your child based on their current grades and test scores, not only predicted future ones. The goal is to find several colleges your child would be happy to attend, so be sure to cover all your bases as you plan your visits.
3. Time Visits For When Students Are On Campus
It’s always best to visit campus when classes are in session. This is your best opportunity to get a feel for the culture of the place: Do students greet each other as they walk by? Is the cafeteria a ghost town? Do people offer directions or hold the door for you? You can tell a lot about how happy and engaged students are by the way they interact with each other.
Pro Tip: Though it may be more fun to take a college tour on a gorgeous April afternoon, classes are in session in the winter months, too! So, checking out campus on a colder or even a rainy day will give you a much-needed reality check on what it will be like to live there. If your child likes a college in the rain, they’ll definitely still love it when the weather is good.
If your child is considering colleges that are far from home, remember that you don’t actually have to visit schools before you apply. You can save on airfare — and your sanity! — by waiting until they’ve been accepted before booking your trip. Likewise, you may also want to wait to visit until you receive the full financial aid package to make sure the college is a realistic option for your family — no point getting your child’s heart set on something that you end up having to say no to!
4. Decide What’s Important Ahead of Time
Before your visit, ask your child what they most want to do during or get out of college. There are no wrong answers here! This could be as simple as “have a fun social scene” or “be able to do club sports,” or “join an a cappella group.” Maybe they want to rush a sorority/fraternity, or don’t want to see any overt signs of Greek life. Perhaps they’re looking for a kite flying club or intramural SpikeBall. Maybe they want a politically active student body or one that’s engaged, but less active.
In addition to activities and campus life, ask your child to think about how they feel about dorm life. Are they okay with hall-style bathrooms? Do they prefer gender-neutral housing? Would they be lost without a nearby kitchen for baking? Do they need vegan options at the dining hall?
Make a list of the non-negotiables and bring it along on the tour. If the guide doesn’t mention one of the items, be sure to ask! Your child shouldn’t leave the tour without feeling like they know what the college has to offer in regards to their most important questions.
Remember that campus tours are developed and overseen by the admissions office (aka marketing department), so it’s a good idea to go straight to real students with some of your questions. Chat with your tour guide or students you bump into in the dining hall to ask more probing questions, such as:
What do you know now that you wish you knew as a freshman?
What are weekends like here, and what do you do for fun?
What’s one thing you don’t like about this college?
Will someone interested in _____ fit in here?
If you know a friend or family member who attends a nearby college, an “insider’s tour” can be another great way to get more detailed, unbiased information, too.
5. Keep Your Eyes and Ears Open
As you tour, leave your notebook behind so you can focus all your attention on what’s going on around you (all the facts and figures you hear about are available to double-check online later, anyway). While you’re there, just take it all in.
As you look at the facilities, you can note whether things seem to be in good repair as well as how they are used by students. Are lounge areas empty or full? Are bike racks used? Is the parking lot packed?
You’ll also want to keep an eye on the students you come across to gauge how happy and/or stressed they seem to be. Are they having fun? If you walk through classroom buildings, take a peek to see if student body language looks bored or engaged. You can also keep an ear out for laughter, snippets of conversation, and even music as you walk around.
In general, the question your child is looking to answer is: Would I like to be a part of this? If they feel welcomed and enjoy the energy, that’s a good sign!
6. Three Things Not to Miss
Make sure your tour includes the following:
A look at campus housing options (for all four years)
A taste of campus food
A tour of the academic building in your child’s proposed major/area of interest
Don’t assume that these areas are naturally included in your basic campus tour, especially if the school is large. When you sign up, double check to see what the tour covers, and ask the admissions office for an add-on tour if needed to cover these important elements.
It’s often possible to ask to sit in on a class or activity - such as an orchestra rehearsal - which can be eye-opening for your child. (When I toured college with my own teens, both of whom wanted to participate in music ensembles as non-majors, they - not mom and dad - emailed various conductors and organizers and sat in on several rehearsals.) Other special activities include coffee or lunch with students, student panels, and overnight stays. So be sure to ask the admissions office what they offer to tailor your visit to your child’s interests.
7. Debrief Together
After the tour, be sure to discuss what you’ve seen with your child — but let them take the lead! You can start the conversation with a simple “What did you think?” or “Can you see yourself at a place like [fill in college name here]?”
Then, listen. This is a time to let your child process the visit and ruminate over what they liked, what they didn’t, and what they were unsure about. Resist the urge to share your opinions at this point to avoid coloring their view. This might be hard, but it’s very important. Even your best intentions could backfire if your child is feeling rebellious or anxious, so hold your thoughts for now. You can always summarize your own impressions in a notebook later that evening so you don’t lose your memories of the trip.
Keep in mind that your child might not be ready to talk about the trip right away, and that’s okay. In this case, keep your own notes if you like, and revisit the topic in a few days to see what they think.
Putting It All Together
After you get several college visits under your belt, ask your child what their ideal school might look like, based on what they’re experienced so far. Consider size, campus setting, location, and anything else that is meaningful for your child. From there, your child should have a stronger sense of what they’re looking for when they begin to apply to colleges during their senior year.
If you need more help understanding the college admissions process, we’re here to help! From test prep to writing a great essay, Veridian Prep is here to support your student and help them reach their dreams.