A college visit gives you a chance to see what daily life at a school is actually like. Go beyond the standard campus tour by exploring academic departments, talking with students, asking specific questions, and taking notes that will help you compare colleges later.
Before Your College Visit
A useful college visit starts before you arrive on campus. Research the school first so you can spend your visit answering questions that are difficult to resolve from a website.
Before You Go
- Register for an official campus tour or information session.
- Research the majors and programs that interest you.
- Review admission requirements and application deadlines.
- Look at estimated costs, financial aid, and the college’s net price calculator.
- Make a list of questions that are specific to the school.
- Ask whether you can meet with someone from your intended academic department.
- Ask whether you can sit in on a class when classes are in session.
- Check parking, transportation, check-in, and visitor instructions.
- Leave enough time to explore the campus and surrounding area on your own.
Try to visit while classes are in session when possible. You will get a much better sense of normal campus life when students, faculty, and academic departments are active.
What Should You Bring?
You do not need much, but a few basic items can make the visit easier and help you remember what you saw afterward.
Comfortable Shoes
Campus tours can involve much more walking than expected.
Questions
Keep your most important questions on your phone or in a notebook.
Notes
Record important answers and observations before you forget them.
Phone or Camera
Take a few photos that will help you distinguish this campus from others later.
Weather Gear
Bring water, a jacket, umbrella, sunscreen, or other items appropriate for the day.
Visit Information
Keep your confirmation, parking information, schedule, and campus map available.
Take the Official Tour — Then Explore on Your Own
An official tour is useful because it introduces you to the campus layout, facilities, programs, and resources. But remember that the tour is designed to show the college at its best.
After the tour, spend some time exploring independently.
Places Worth Seeing
- Classrooms and academic buildings
- Your intended academic department
- Library and study spaces
- Residence halls
- Dining facilities
- Student center
- Recreation and fitness facilities
- Health and counseling services
- Tutoring and academic support centers
- Career center
- Parking and transportation stops
- The neighborhood or town surrounding campus
Pay Attention to the Students
Current students can tell you things that may never appear in an admissions presentation. Try to speak with several students rather than relying only on your tour guide.
Ask about everyday experiences such as:
- How difficult are first-year classes?
- How accessible are professors?
- Is it easy to get academic help?
- How difficult is it to register for required classes?
- What do students usually do on weekends?
- Do most students stay on campus or leave?
- What is housing really like?
- How is the food?
- What do students like most about the college?
- What do they wish they had known before enrolling?
Some of the most useful conversations happen away from the official tour. A few unscripted conversations with students can give you a better picture of normal campus life.
Visit Your Academic Department
If you already have an intended major, the academic department should be one of the most important parts of your visit.
Try to speak with a faculty member, academic adviser, or current student in the program. If possible, sit in on a class.
Ask About Classes
What are typical class sizes? Are introductory classes much larger than upper-level courses? Who teaches them?
Ask About Opportunities
Are internships, research, clinical experiences, study abroad, co-ops, or other hands-on opportunities built into the program?
Ask About Advising
Who helps students plan their courses, choose concentrations, prepare for graduate school, or change majors?
Ask About Outcomes
What do graduates of the program typically do next? Ask about employment, graduate school, professional exams, or licensure when relevant.
Look at Academic Support
Do not evaluate a college only by what happens when everything is going well. Find out what resources are available when a class becomes difficult.
Ask about:
- Tutoring
- Writing centers
- Math or science support
- Supplemental instruction
- Faculty office hours
- Academic advising
- First-year support programs
- Disability and accessibility services
- Career counseling
Explore Housing and Dining
If you plan to live on campus, try to see an actual residence hall rather than only a model room.
Housing Questions
- Are first-year students required to live on campus?
- Is housing guaranteed?
- How are roommates assigned?
- Are residence halls air-conditioned?
- Are bathrooms private, shared, or communal?
- How far are residence halls from classes?
- What happens if a student wants to change rooms?
- How much does housing cost?
- What housing options are available after the first year?
Eat in a dining hall if you have the opportunity. Look at meal-plan options, dining hours, food variety, and accommodations for allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ask About Campus Life
College is more than classes. Look at how students spend their time outside academics and whether the available activities match your interests.
Organizations
Clubs, professional organizations, cultural groups, service opportunities, student government, and campus publications.
Recreation
Fitness facilities, intramural sports, outdoor recreation, events, performances, and other ways students spend free time.
Community
Campus traditions, social atmosphere, weekend life, student gathering spaces, and connections with the surrounding area.
If You Want to Play College Sports
Students interested in varsity athletics should try to learn what being an athlete at that particular college actually requires.
When appropriate, speak with a coach and current athletes. Ask about:
- Weekly practice and training commitments
- Travel during the season
- Off-season requirements
- Academic support for athletes
- Class scheduling around practices and competition
- Team expectations during school breaks
- Roster competition and playing time
- Scholarship renewal requirements when applicable
Ask About Career Preparation
A college visit is a good opportunity to investigate how the school helps students connect their education with employment or graduate study.
Career Questions
- Is there a dedicated career center?
- When can students begin using career services?
- Does the school help students find internships?
- Are career fairs held on campus?
- Which employers regularly recruit students?
- Is there an alumni mentoring or networking program?
- Does the college publish employment or graduate-school outcomes?
- Are career services still available after graduation?
Talk About Cost and Financial Aid
The admissions tour may not provide enough information to understand what attending the college would actually cost you.
Consider meeting with financial aid staff and asking:
- What is the estimated total cost of attendance?
- What percentage of aid is grants and scholarships rather than loans?
- Which scholarships require a separate application?
- Are scholarships automatically renewed?
- What GPA or other requirements must be maintained?
- Does financial aid normally change after the first year?
- Are there additional fees for your intended major?
- How much do housing and meal plans typically increase each year?
Do not confuse a college’s published tuition with what you would actually pay. Financial aid and net price should be considered before making a final cost comparison.
Look Beyond the Campus
You may spend four or more years living in the surrounding community, so explore beyond the edge of campus.
Consider:
- Grocery stores and pharmacies
- Restaurants and entertainment
- Public transportation
- Airports, train stations, and major highways
- Employment and internship opportunities
- Off-campus housing
- Healthcare
- General walkability and transportation needs
Observe Instead of Just Listening
Campus visits are partly about asking questions, but they are also about observing what is happening around you.
Watch the Students
Are students talking with one another? Studying? Participating in activities? Does the campus seem active or unusually quiet?
Look at the Facilities
Are classrooms, laboratories, residence halls, libraries, and recreation spaces maintained and actively used?
Notice the Distances
How long does it take to walk between residence halls, classrooms, dining, parking, and other important locations?
Questions to Ask on a College Visit
The best questions are usually ones whose answers are not obvious from the college website.
- What is a typical first-year workload?
- How easy is it to meet with professors outside class?
- What happens when a student is struggling academically?
- Are introductory courses usually taught by professors or teaching assistants?
- How easy is it to change majors?
- Are students usually able to get the classes they need?
- What percentage of students live on campus after the first year?
- What do students usually do on weekends?
- How does the college help students find internships?
- What is one thing students commonly complain about?
- What type of student tends to be happiest here?
- What do students wish they had known before enrolling?
If You Cannot Visit in Person
An in-person visit can be useful, but travel cost and distance may make it impractical. You can still learn a great deal about a college remotely.
Look for:
- Virtual campus tours
- Online information sessions
- Virtual department meetings
- Student panels
- Recorded campus tours
- Residence hall videos
- Student organization pages
- Online course catalogs
- Campus newspapers and student media
- Opportunities to speak with current students or alumni
Use the same questions you would ask during an in-person visit. The goal is still to understand academics, cost, support, student life, and whether the college fits your priorities.
After the Visit
Take 10 or 15 minutes to record your impressions before leaving campus or shortly after the visit. If you visit several schools, details can begin to blend together surprisingly quickly.
Rate the College
- Academic programs
- Classroom experience
- Faculty and advising
- Student atmosphere
- Housing
- Dining
- Campus facilities
- Student activities
- Career opportunities
- Surrounding area
- Estimated affordability
- Overall fit
Write Down Three Things
What Did You Like?
Record the strongest reasons you could see yourself attending.
What Did You Dislike?
Record concerns instead of assuming you will remember them later.
What Is Still Unclear?
Keep a short list of questions that require additional research or follow-up.
Do not ask only, “Did I like the campus?” Ask whether the college fits your academic goals, financial situation, preferred environment, and plans after graduation.