The answer is a resounding YES! You absolutely should take the time to go on college campus tours. Of course, you can’t visit every single school before you submit your applications, but visiting schools will help you determine what is important to you. The goal is for you to find the right fit.
What you get from college campus tours
This is one of the first steps you can take towards building your college list. You can start touring colleges as early as freshman year in high school, but it definitely will have a bigger impact when you are a junior. You might think that you don’t need to go back to the school you toured with your older sibling, but think again. If you go back now, you will see it with the eyes of “Could I go here?” versus “What are we having for lunch?”
I always tell my clients to consider going on a campus tour at schools near them. You can do this at any time, even before you have a single school on your list. Here in the Los Angeles area, we are fortunate to have many excellent and very different types of colleges. You can first visit Loyola Marymount to see a smaller, private liberal arts college close to the coast. Next, you can venture to a large public university, the sprawling and rolling UCLA campus. You can then hop back on the freeway and hit the urban, private, yet large, USC. This way, you get a sense of what you like and don’t like by comparing these very different styles of campus.
My own experience with college tours
Once you have added a few schools to your list, it’s a great idea to visit a few of them, if it’s affordable for you. With my own children, we spent spring break junior year doing college tours back east. In fact, this was eye-opening for my daughter. On paper, she had selected a particular school as her #1. However, once on campus, and on the campus tour, she burst into tears, feeling utterly disappointed. As difficult as it was as a parent to see her so sad, I knew this was a good thing. It was better for my daughter to feel disappointed now than when unpacking her bags in her dorm room.
How to set up your college tours
First, when setting up college campus tours, try to avoid graduation week, move-in week, and exam periods. Next, be sure to start looking at the tour schedule weeks before you plan to attend. If you are planning to go during the high school spring break, give yourself even more time to plan. The good news is that college spring breaks are usually much earlier than high school breaks, so when you do visit, the campus will be full and vibrant. Summer breaks are ok if that is the only time you can visit, but the campus will be much less lively.
Schedule the tours on college website admission page
Ready to set up your college campus tours? Go to the college’s admission page and look for the word “visit” or “campus tours”. You should see a calendar with tour availability. Typically colleges will run 2 tours per day – one in the mid-morning and one in the early afternoon. Be sure to sign up for the info sessions as well – you will glean excellent information about their admission process. Remember that colleges want you to sign up for the tours to make sure they have enough tour guides present.
Make sure you are wearing comfortable walking shoes and are dressed for the weather; if it’s on the cool side, have at least one layer. If it’s raining or threatening to rain, bring your own umbrella. It’s miserable to be wet and cold, so be prepared. The walking college campus tour is usually from 60 to 90 minutes. The info session takes place before or after the walking tour, and is 45 to 60 minutes.
What if the campus tour you want is full?
If you will already be in the area, and it would not be inconvenient if you were turned away, I would show up anyway. Many people schedule a tour and then are no-shows. I would go to the admissions office (which is where you typically meet up for college tours) and ask if you could possibly take part on the tour that is next scheduled. In the alternative, if you arrive at the campus and there is no tour about to start, you can get a self-guided tour map from admissions, or download one from the website.
What to look for and do when on a tour
Your college campus tour guide may ask what majors you are interested in. This is to help them decide the best parts of the campus to show you. As you are walking around, be sure to ask the tour guide questions such as:
- What are the best reasons for coming here?
- What do students complain about?
- What is the dorm situation? Do you get to choose?
- How is the food?
- What are weekends like here? Do many students go home?
- How are the libraries?
- How are the professors?
- Is the campus safe at night? In general?
- Where do you do laundry?
- How large are the classes?
- What is the college town/area outside the campus like?
These are just a few questions to ask – I am sure you will come up with some great ones! Here is a link for my Campus Tour Tips.
Remember to take lots of pictures, and to write some notes in your phone or create voice notes. If you end up visiting several college campuses on your trip, the campuses may blend in your mind. Don’t judge a school by one student’s opinion – get enough data to make your own decision about the school. Visualize yourself on this campus – does it fit you? Take a look at the bulletin boards/kiosks – what sort of activities are happening? If you see it, grab the school newspaper.
After the tour
If you enjoyed your tour guide, let them know! Also, you might want to stay in touch with the guide – feel free to ask for their email address if you really connected. Be sure to attend the information session either before or after the walking tour. These are given by admissions officer(s) and will give you details about how they evaluate applications, deadlines, and other admission requirements. Be sure to go down and introduce yourself to the presenter(s) at the end, and get their business card for further contact. It’s always great to have someone specific you can reach out to with your admissions questions.
On your way in, or out, be sure to either walk around or drive through the areas surrounding the campus. Check out the restaurants, shops, theaters, residential areas. This will show you how the campus fits into the community.
Lastly, try not to make any quick judgments, but do trust your gut feelings. Make a final note, and be sure to fully investigate the college website for more details. Most of all, just have an open mind and appreciate what an exciting time this is in your life.
Happy Touring!
And don’t hesitate to ask a question or leave a comment – I’m happy to help!