Don’t Just Walk Around the School on Tour or Listen to the Information Session

You may have a lot of schools on your list that you want to visit. Resist the desire to pack as many school visits into as short a time as possible. Sometimes you can tell if a school is not for you just from a “feeling” that you get from it right away. Usually, though, the school will look pretty nice and you will not just “know.” Spend some time there and talk to regular students that you meet. Try to visit a department that you are interested in. Visiting colleges isn’t like visiting temples on a holiday to Thailand; you could end up spending four years of your life here, so take some time to get to know about it.

Attend a Real Class

The campuses of many colleges are really beautiful, but the classes that take place on that campus are more important. You should try to sit in on a class and see what it’s really like. Choose a subject that you are interested in and attend a class. Ask students what taking classes at the college is like. Are most of the classes taught by experienced professors or by teaching assistants? What resources are available if you need help with the work? Is it difficult to get access to the professors outside of class? Are some classes difficult to get into because they are so popular?

Find Out More About Where You Would Live and Study

Try to visit the library and the dormitories and ask some questions about the facilities available at the college. How large is the library? How modern are the laboratories? Is it hard for first year students to get dormitory housing? What does the housing look like? Is housing guaranteed for students? If you wanted to live off of campus, would the school allow you to do that? If you do live off of campus, what are the rents like in the areas nearby? Is crime ever a problem on or around campus? Some colleges are the middle of large cities and others are in quiet rural settings. Will there be things to do during your leisure time? What kind of public transportation is available?