5 Ways to Make the Most of Your College Visits

Written by Sienna, Princeton University 

1. Think Beyond the Architecture

When many people take a college campus tour, they often only focus on what meets the eye - both literally and figuratively. While it’s important to get a feel for the campus layout and the type of facilities that are commonly advertised in a campus tour, equally, if not more important, is gaining an understanding of the tangible opportunities that the school can offer you. That’s why it’s important to do some research ahead of your visit and allot time for visiting the specific departments and programs that interest you on campus. 

Remember that campus tour guides are tasked with presenting the best possible picture of their college - not the most accurate one. This means that they are going to focus on the aspects of the school that are likely to appeal to the broadest audience, as opposed to the aspects of the college that are most relevant to your own interests. It's much better to do a few minutes of research and plot out the key places you want to see now instead of finding yourself filling out the school’s application and wishing you had actually had a chance to see the aspects of the school that you are writing about. 

Similarly, doing even a basic amount of research ahead of time enables you to ask educated questions and gauge how much the school lives up to their advertising without getting caught up in the sales pitch of your tour guide. Long story short, don’t entrust all your learning to one person by relying solely on the tour guide to inform your view of the school. While tour guides offer valuable insights about the campus, its history, and student life, they are only one source of information.  

2. Outreach Ahead of Time 

Maybe you are a chemistry wiz or have a strong passion for art history. Keep these interests in mind when planning your campus tour. It may be worthwhile to outreach ahead of time to relevant academic departments to see if you can arrange for a tour of their specific facilities, collections, etc. Sometimes if a department is highly accommodating, they may even let you sit in on a lecture class so you can get a feel for what the teaching is like in that department.  

Along these same lines, If you know that there is a professor at the school doing research that you are highly interested in, for example, it doesn’t hurt to reach out to that individual as well to see if you can get a tour of their lab or at least get a conversation started. Professors are busy people, so your request may not be granted, but it is worth a shot. 

3. Leverage Your Network 

Has a student from your high school recently attended the college you are touring? Is there a friend of a friend who works at the college? While you may not have a direct connection to the college you are touring, oftentimes there may be someone in your distant network that has an inside viewpoint on the school. These insiders can provide unique views not only on the offerings of the school, but the sites, food, and other attractions you should make time for while on campus. If you are unsure whether you have any such connections, ask family and friends if they know anyone with any connection to the school that they can put you in contact with. When I was going through the admission process myself, I was always surprised by how frequently a friend of a friend or a distant family member would know someone who could offer me insight on a particular school (even though me and my family are from a small, rural town). 

4. Explore Programs & Clubs 

The college experience is so much more than just the time you spend in the classroom! Some of my best memories at Princeton were with the people I met through a community service club I was a part of, or through my eating club. The clubs, programs, and other activities that you join during college and the quality of these offerings have a huge impact on your overall experience, so don’t neglect investigating this aspect of campus life during your tour.  

A few Things to ask to get the ball rolling include: 

• How many student clubs are offered on campus?

• What funding opportunities or recognition do these clubs receive? 

• Can students start new clubs? 

• Would you say students are typically involved in campus clubs? If so, how heavily? 

• Ask your tour guide if they are a part of any campus clubs or groups and what their experience has been like. 

5. Engage with Students & Observe the Culture

Chances are most college students you encounter on campus will be friendly, and while they may not want to be bombarded with questions, your interactions with them can sometimes be a good way to gauge the campus culture. Look around on campus and ask yourself questions such as “are students out and about on campus socializing?”, “how do students act when you greet them?”, “what are the expressions on students' faces on campus and do they generally seem happy?”. 

With these types of subjective observations though, you do need to keep in mind that if you meet someone who seems unhappy at the school or who is unfriendly, you may have just caught them on a bad day. Similarly, ask your tour guide what is happening on campus the day or week that you are visiting. If it is exam week, you are likely going to see a lot more students stressed and studying in the library than if it were the week after spring break, for example.