Visiting schools is an excellent way to gather information and get overall impressions. An ideal time to visit is during the spring of your junior year while classes are still in session. Try to talk to some of the students and faculty while you are there. If you have a friend at the school, perhaps you could arrange an overnight stay in the dorm. Ask the students their opinions about the school.
• What do they like best?
• What do they like least?
• Are there things they would change?
• Is it easy to get the classes you need as
a freshman?
• How are the professors and the courses?
• Are they involved in extracurricular activities?
• Would they recommend the school?
While you are on campus:
• Read the school newspaper and try to find out the important or burning issues.
• Scan the bulletin boards; the announcements and messages there can
reveal a lot about the tone of the school.
• Sample the food in the cafeteria. Notice if there is a variety of food selections
on the menu.
Ask yourself the following questions:
• What was my overall impression of the school?
• Do I like the appearance of the campus?
• Are there strong programs in my field of interest?
• Do I like the setting (urban or rural)?
• Are the facilities well maintained?
• Do I like the students I met there?
• Were they proud of their school? Are they
respectful of the school and its facilities?
• Is the campus accessible to public transportation?
• Is there a good variety of foods offered in the
dining facilities?
• Are there affordable student restaurants close
to campus?
• Is housing readily available?
• Is it easy to get around campus? Is the campus
centralized or sprawling?
• Would I be comfortable at this school?