Maximizing Your Summer Campus Visits

Are you visiting a college campus this summer?

If so, you may be worried about evaluating a school when classes are not in session…but with a few tips you can maximize your visit anytime of the year! Whether you're a high school freshman, sophomore, or junior beginning your college search journey or a senior narrowing down your options, making the most of these visits can significantly help in your decision-making process.

Here are a few of my tips:

Schedule a Tour

This may sound obvious, but I "stopped" by many campuses in high school without scheduling a tour, and I wish I had! Your college experience has little to do with just building facades, so schedule that tour (show some demonstrated interest) and get to know the activities, clubs, and academic options of that specific school!

Explore the Area

Spend time exploring the nearest towns and cities. Yes, so much about a school has to do with on-campus activities, but equally important is where you can get your hands on a great coffee, explore the outdoors, or listen to live music. I consider Nashville as much my home as I do New York!

Visit the Facilities

Continuing the things you enjoy doing today in college is SO important. If you play sports, check out where the club teams play. If you like to work out, look at the gym. If you enjoy painting and drawing, see if there are accessible classrooms and spaces. This is a great way to envision yourself in a new environment.

Get to Know the Academic Programs

I thought I was going to be a Math major, but after a traumatizing experience in advanced calculus that path was quickly abandoned. To me, it wasn’t the exact academic programs that mattered, but rather the flexibility. As someone who loves to learn about anything and everything, I was comforted in knowing I could easily switch majors or even colleges, add a second major, or create my own. If this sounds like you, see if there are interdisciplinary options and avenues to explore your academic interests! If you know what you want to do, explore research opportunities, professors in your field, and elective offerings.

Connect with Current Students

Whether this means connecting with someone while on campus, or simply asking questions and recommendations over the phone, reaching out to current students is the best way to understand campus culture…especially if you are visiting over summer break. There are many factors that can change campus morale (losing a big game, finals week, a day of bad weather, etc.) so this can help a lot. If you don’t know anyone at that school, CollegeConsulting.us’s extensive network can help you find a student or recent alum to talk to!

Write Down Your Thoughts

This is very important...especially if you are visiting multiple campuses in one trip! Write down the things you loved, things you liked, and things you didn’t like. Think both micro and macroscopically. This will help you gain a greater understanding of what your dream school looks like!

Equally important are the things that you shouldn’t get too caught up on:

Dorms

Is living in a beautiful and spacious dorm ideal? Of course! But take it from someone who has gone from having a brand new dorm with high ceilings, sparkling floors, and clean bathrooms, to a dorm sooo old that Jack also lived in it (no offense, Jack)…my experience living in my moldy, cockroach infested, Scales room was my favorite. It’s the people that make a place.

Your Tour Guide

I have had my share of incredible tour guides (that I still remember six years later), and one’s that made me want to ditch my tour half way through (sometimes I did…oops). Remember that your tour guide is not a comprehensive representation of the student body.

If You Can "See" Yourself There - The Double-Edged Sword

Everyone used to tell me you need to be able to envision yourself at that campus. Well, I unfortunately could envision myself at nearly every school for nearly every reason that didn’t matter. I saw myself tanning at the UMiami pool, having a poké bowl everyday for lunch at Duke’s dining hall, cheering on the UMich football team, and sitting in Harvard’s infamous library. While yes, a tan in December probably would have done me well, envisioning yourself as a part of a community, not a place, can be hard. If you have an intuitive pull to a campus, most definitely honor that, but also it is okay if you don’t.

I hope these tips will help you during your campus visit this summer, and in your process at large!

To your college visit success,

Melina

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