Making the Most of Campus Visits
Spring Break is an ideal time to begin your college research and visit college campuses. Whether this will be your first college visit or your tenth, these questions can help you go beyond the basic and dig a little deeper into the schools that you're considering.
Academic Environment:
- Are service-learning, community-based projects, or internships an important part of most majors? Will you have hands-on opportunities to apply the knowledge that you learn in the classroom? Is there funding for independent learning or internships?
- How early do students have access to labs or the opportunity to do research? Do professors work with students to publish papers? Is this something that is reserved only for the graduate students or do undergraduates have access to these opportunities also?
- How quickly do you have to declare your major? Do students have the opportunity to double major? Can you double major across schools/fields (ex: is it possible to major in art history and biology)?
Life Outside of the Classroom:
- Do most students live on campus or commute to and from school? How long do students generally live on campus? When students move off campus, where do they live?
- When the cost of attendance is calculated, does this include a meal plan? Does the cafeteria include vegetarian or other dietary options that you may want?
- What do students do when they aren't studying? What are popular clubs, sports, and student organizations? Can you ski, mountain bike or hike on the weekends?
- What percentage of students study abroad? Do financial aid/scholarships travel abroad with you? Do you have to speak a foreign language to attend a study abroad program (are they full immersion programs or will your courses be taught in English)? Is there a minimum GPA to study abroad?
Life after College:
- What percentage of students graduate in four years? In six years?
- What types of career planning and job placement services are available? How successful are graduates in applying to post-graduate programs?
- Is there an active alumni organization that students use to network and find jobs?
- What is the average debt of graduates?
See what current students have to say as you pass them on campus, poke around labs and classrooms to get a feel for the academic environment, and use resources like collegedata.com to find statistics about the school.
Enjoy exploring!