How to Make the Most of Your College Visit
Choosing the right college is a monumental decision. While all top-tier colleges offer a great education, each has its own unique character. Your college of choice should enrich your story and support your values. A college tour will help you find that perfect fit.
I chose Yale for the gargoyles. After scouring college catalogs, I didn’t have a clue how to choose one school over the other. So I embarked on a college tour.
Columbia buzzed with NYC energy. Princeton felt like a country club with lush greens. Brown felt artsy and progressive, with brick buildings matching the fall leaves. But Yale’s darkly comic gargoyles scaling Sterling Memorial Library called my name. This is where I wanted to spend my bright college years. Now all I had to do was get in.
Do Campus Visits Increase my Chances of Getting In?
Demonstrated interest makes up part of the college admissions formula. Investing the time to visit campus signals that a student is serious. Admissions officers need to hit enrollment goals. So they give those golden tickets to applicants they believe will enroll and graduate.
Just showing up demonstrates interest and builds a student’s relationship with the admissions office. And it will help answer that all-important interview and essay question: Why this school? Why you? Attending the info session and campus tour will help you articulate your motivation with specifics, the key to a compelling story.
What Happens on a Campus Tour?
Campus tours are led by students. Seeing the college through their eyes makes these tours uniquely insightful. Have some questions and be ready to engage. This is your chance to go off-script and learn from a student living the experience.
You’ll likely start on the main quad, and see students outside of class — playing catch, practicing improv comedy, singing a capella al fresco, or just kicking back. You’ll hit the library, academic buildings, dining halls, and student centers. Stop by the campus bookstore to buy some sweet college merch.
Some colleges offer specialized tours. Stanford, Princeton, and Yale all have tours for STEM majors. You’ll get to meet students and professors in your intended major, and maybe check out a particle accelerator.
Try to visit while school is in session. A summer visit is still worthwhile, but you want to feel that collegiate energy in full swing.
Are Virtual Campus Tours Just as Good?
As the pandemic curtailed in-person tours, colleges adapted with virtual campus tours and info sessions. These online experiences offer a great resource, even as in-person visits return. Get some questions brewing by taking a virtual tour before you visit. Virtual tours are also perfect for international students, or anyone else who can’t make the trip.
Different schools offer different experiences. Harvard offers a virtual tour that you can explore any time, at your own pace. Others, like Columbia, offer scheduled virtual tours with student guides and live interaction. Check the school’s admissions website to see your options.
Companies like YouVisit and CampusTours let you hit up every school on your list, with 360° walkthroughs and VR experiences. Consolidating hundreds of virtual tours in one place, use these platforms to window-shop colleges at your convenience.
Virtual tools are a great resource, but nothing beats engaging with students and professors face-to-face, and navigating those cobblestone courtyards in person.
What’s a College Information Session?
College info sessions give an overview of the college experience. They cover the application process, financial aid, academic programs, and campus life. They usually take place at the admissions department.
The info session is your opportunity to meet the admissions team. Be curious, show interest, ask good questions, and move that relationship forward. If it feels appropriate, get email addresses from presenters to follow-up with questions and thank them for their time.
Like college tours, info sessions have also gone virtual. Check the admissions website for opportunities to attend remotely.
Do I Need to Attend Both the Campus Tour and the Info Session?
Ideally, you should attend both. Each experience provides a complementary perspective.
The tour provides a more candid view of campus life. An info session covers the nuts and bolts of the admissions process and the institution. So while attending the info session is recommended, much of that info is available online and in the college catalog. The tour is more valuable to experience campus culture first-hand.
Everybody remembers hearing carillonneurs playing Bohemian Rhapsody from Harkness Tower, rubbing John Harvard’s toe for good luck, or catching a stray Frisbee on the quad. Info session at the admissions department? Not as memorable. But to make a decision of this magnitude, you should avail yourself of all your resources to make the wisest choice.
