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7 Ways to Make College Visits
More Cost-Effective
College visits are a great way to explore the campus environment,
meet with the appropriate departments and service providers,
and investigate the community, but with over 2,500 four-year
colleges and universities across the U.S, it is impossible
to check them all out. Many families have found that college
visits have become surprisingly expensive and time-consuming.
What are some smart and efficient ways a family can select
campus visits, while being cost-effective?
1. Establish what you can about your family's criteria
for college selection before you choose the colleges
to visit. Top criteria should include cultural/ environmental
fit, appropriate college majors for career aspirations, reasonable
likelihood of admission, and an eye on your finances and the
types of assistance that may be available.
2. Visit college websites and familiarize yourself with
the different departments and campus facilities before you
go. Remember admission criteria may vary by department.
Some colleges offer virtual, video or photo tours. Make notes
on offices or departments you want to make sure to visit.
Print out directions to campus and campus maps, especially
those indicating visitor parking lots.
3. Start your visits with a school close to home. Get
practice and make mistakes early, so when investing more money
to visit schools at a greater distance you will be more knowledgeable
about what to ask and who to see. If you overlook something
at a local college, it's easy to return to campus to meet
with someone missed the first time around. Treat the community
college the same as any other campus visit.
4. Call ahead to schedule appointments with admissions
counselors, arrange campus tours, or to sit in on classes.
We highly recommend that you meet faculty of the department
or major you are selecting. Make sure the students will be
on campus when you schedule your visit. Come prepared with
questions and let your student take the lead as much as possible.
Send thank you notes or emails to all who meet with you.
5. Create a map of the schools you are considering and
interesting places or activities nearby. Plan a trip(s)
combining family vacations with college visits to make this
task more efficient and cost-effective. If you have younger
children, they get a general preview of being on a campus,
but don't include them in all the visits or appointments.
6. Learn more about the campus and community, before and
after your visit. Bookmark the campus and local newspapers
on your home computer. If the campus is small and their newspaper
is not online, then pick up a copy during your visit.
7. Get organized. Set up a notebook with all your
information. Take notes at meetings and record impressions.
Use a camera during each visit. If you visit several colleges
over time, it's easy to confuse them. Evaluate how your options
compare to the criteria you initially selected.
© Copyright 2009, Career Vision. Article may be reprinted
with permission.
Direction.
Decisions. Satisfaction.
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