Figuring out if a university is the right choice isn’t easy, so here are some suggestions for how to dig deeper than the guided tour, and get the most out of a visit.
1. Visit while classes are in session. For major universities that offer extensive summer courses, that’s a lot easier, but you should try to do it even at smaller schools. Campuses feel entirely different during regular semesters, and you should get a sense of what it’s like to travel around with hundreds of students hurrying by.
2. Make learning about the food situation on the campus you’re touring a must, especially if you follow a restricted diet. If you can, arrange to eat in the school’s main cafeteria, pick up a copy of the menu if they offer one and ask the tour guide how the food is. Lack of choices and/or poor quality of food are the number one complaint I’ve heard students make about their school.
3. Many tour guides take students through the campus library’s most picturesque areas – all of those towering windows and leather armchairs – but pay attention to the rest of the facility. You can always go back after the tour for a more detailed view. Many students spend a significant chunk of their university career in the library, and some will be there every day. Is it welcoming and functional?
4. Pay attention to the fliers and posters posted around campus; they will tell you quite a bit about the student social life. If all you see are posters for free beer and you’re a bookworm, the school might not be a good match. Stop in front of the largest billboard you can find, probably at the student union. Does the message make you excited or intimidated about this university?
5. Your tour should include a stop at a typical first-year dorm, but if it doesn’t, please ask for one. And make sure you’re seeing a place where you could actually be assigned to live. Also, ask the tour guide to show you a typical dorm-room-to-classroom commute for a first year.
6. Stop people on campus to ask questions. If you have doubts about something you saw on the tour, ask about that: “What’s it like to live at a residence with six other people?” Generally, people who aren’t late for class will be happy to answer your questions…and if they’re not, well, you just learned something about this campus culture.
If all of this seems overwhelming, you’re right: It is.
You can’t find out everything about a university on a single tour, and that’s why it’s great to have websites and email addresses to find out more. To make the best of the short time you have on campus, my final tip is to discuss what you most want to find out about each university with your parents.
Consider making a checklist. Then, on the way home, review what you learned, share impressions and get a sense of what you liked and disliked. A campus tour is an opportunity to learn more about each other as well as about the university.
