The Insider: College Admissions Advice from the Experts

If you’re a high school junior, it’s time to start planning college visits. Whether you’re making a trip across the country to look at schools in better weather, or just taking the long weekend to visit a few schools within driving distance, there’s no better way to get a sense of the college experience than by being on campus.

Your Seasonal College Visit Checklist

This summer, families around the country will be filling up the gas tank or boarding a plane to visit colleges around the country. Because students and parents have so much flexibility in their schedules, and because you can pair college visits with vacation time, summer is one of the most popular times to see colleges. But is it the best time? Maybe not.  When you see a college can seriously affect what you think about that college. At Reed, we used to give out popsicles to students on our summer tours—not exactly common practice in rainy Portland, Oregon! Following are some ideas and strategies to keep in mind as you prepare your schedule for college visits this year.

5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your College Visit

Little Miss Sunshine. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. National Lampoon’s Vacation. The history of the silver screen is chock-full of interpretations of the great American road trip. And while Hollywood tells us it’s the journey that counts and not the destination, when it comes to college visits, sometimes the destination is important. So how do you make the most out of your arrival at your figurative Walley World U? Is there a method for learning about a college beyond the admissions info session and student tour? With just a little bit of planning, the answer is yes. The following are a few tips that will help ensure you’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to your college road trip.

Part Two: What questions should I ask about financial aid on my college visits?

Last week we told you how to begin researching the financial aid practices of colleges you plan to visit. This week, we provide you with questions to ask an admissions or financial aid counselor that will help clarify your understanding of their processes. (Note: It’s usually not a good idea to ask these questions of student tour guides, as they will not be as well informed about school financial aid policy.)

Part One: Do your finance homework before making college visits

The car is packed and you’re ready to hit the road for a summer tour of colleges with your soon-to-be high school senior. While your student is checking out the majors offered, the size of the dorm rooms, and the quality of the food, you’re probably wondering about the price tag.  Unfortunately, you can’t learn your exact “bottom line” at a college until your child’s senior year when he or she applies for college admission, scholarships, and financial aid. However, the initial college visit is a perfect time to collect information about financial aid and pricing practices, and to establish a general idea of the aid your student might receive.

This month, many high school students from across the country will receive a well-deserved respite from the rigors of academic life. While I wouldn’t deny anyone the opportunity to spend some of their break in front of PlayStation 4 or simply hanging out with family and friends, high school juniors should seriously consider using at least a few vacation days for university and college visits. Even sophomores can get into the action; starting early to determine your most basic college likes and dislikes can help ease some of the pressure as you near senior year.

The College Visit. It’s a rite of passage for many students, and it’s also the best way to really get a feel for the campus and determine if a school is the right fit. It’s also the best way to demonstrate your interest to a college, something that has become much more important in college admissions in recent years. If you’re only looking at schools within a couple of hours’ drive from home, you can and should visit.  But what if you are looking at schools on the other side of the country?  Unless you have unlimited resources, a campus visit isn’t always practical. So how do you effectively research a college without actually visiting the campus?

Looking at college marketing materials and websites, you may get the impression that every college campus in the country has an abundance of gleaming state-of-the-art buildings, classrooms full of students engaged in active discussion or incredible lab experiments, and a population of culturally diverse, perpetually happy individuals.  While some or all of these things may be true of many campuses, you can be sure that these images are carefully chosen to entice you.  Some are even staged.  So how can you discern what is real and what is a mirage?  Visit the campus and see for yourself!