If you are in high school – maybe around your second or third year – you may be getting pressure to take college tours. These tours will usually help you cement your top three choices for colleges that you want to apply to. It is critical that you attend these college tours early – not only because the traveling can be stressful, but also because you want to get back to your schoolwork. If you want to graduate and go to the college where you take a tour, you want to get excellent grades. Not to mention, you also want to ace your SATs. When you do go on a college campus visit, it can help to find some ways to make the most of it. Here is how to have a successful college campus visit.
Have a Set of Questions Ready Before You Go on the Tour
Depending on the college where you are taking a tour, you may have questions. If you don’t have questions, you should have questions, because the answers may determine your immediate future. If you are getting Maryville’s online MBA degree, you may not need a college campus tour, but it may help to get a sense of what in-course classes look like.
Ask to See Every Aspect of the Dorms
Ideally, you want to see the rooms, but you also want to see the common areas, the bathrooms, and you want to check out any other areas where students may spend time. Sure, you want the dorms to be livable, but they should also be clean, quiet and conducive to getting your schoolwork done. In some cases, the dorms may be a wreck and there may be loud students, which can be extremely distracting. Not to mention, you could also be tempted by the peer pressure to party.
Wander Off the Campus and into the Local Town
You’ll want to get a feel for your new town and you’ll want to become friendly with the locals. When you go to a new college, it is easy to feel like you don’t belong. If you feel comfortable and if you feel a kinship with the town, perhaps the college is for you. Not all cities can be welcoming, so when you do get that feeling, it is important to jump on it.
Give Yourself Enough Time
If you only have an hour, you probably won’t get the most of a college tour. Ideally, you want to give yourself a full day or a full two days. You’ll want to size up the college by every inch. Spending a day at the college will allow you to cover all the ground you need to cover for the sake of making a decision about your top choices.
Explore all the Facilities and Labs
On top of everything, you want to discover and learn about the facilities and the labs. If you are fascinated by science, you may want to become a doctor or a surgeon. If that is the case, you’ll want to check out the science department. In the end, the closer you look, the easier it will be for you to make a final decision.