Class Size & Student to Faculty Ratios: What Research Says?

student to faculty ratios and class size

Student to faculty ratios are statistics that purport to describe the educational quality of a university. A lower ratio seems to indicate smaller class sizes and a more intimate classroom experience. Not so. These ratios are unrelated to average class size, and they do not have anything to do with educational quality. An expert college admissions counselor explains what is behind these statistics and how to get beyond them to understand the truth about the educational environment at a college or university.

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Supplemental Essays Are Important!

essay word written by black pen on a dairy

Most students will save the supplemental essays as the very last thing they do on their application. But those supplemental essays are important. Some would say they are as important as the personal statement. Admission officers definitely raise an eyebrow when they read an excellent personal statement and then a less than mediocre supplemental essay.

Admissions officers often give a score to the essays as they read them.  In some instances, the Common App essay is scored separately from the supplements.  In other cases, admissions officers score all the essays together:  Common App plus the supplements.

Either way, lackluster responses to those supplemental essay prompts can really hurt your chances of admission. So put in the effort to make sure those supplemental essays shine.

Top 3 tips to improve your supplemental essays

Don’t wait until the last minute!

Some students are chronic procrastinators. They leave important things to the last minute. While I will admit, reluctantly, that once in a blue moon a student is able to pull out a masterpiece with only minutes to spare, these sorts of students are about as rare as snow leopards.

You want to make sure you have plenty of time to brainstorm good messages for your essays, and that you have time to create paragraphs that are well-structured, clear, and concise. Many supplements are short.  Therefore you need to pack them full of juicy words and ideas. Creating prose that is both pithy and clear takes time and effort–and usually multiple drafts. 

So start early, and focus on ensuring that the messages you want to convey in these short supplemental essays are clear and compelling. 

Answer the question!

One of the most frustrating things about reading supplemental essays is that students often do not answer the question. The admissions officers take a lot of time crafting the prompt in hopes that they will get thoughtful, interesting answers that will help them differentiate the applicant pool.  They want to admit applicants who have taken the time to answer their questions carefully and completely. They want to know that the applicant cares enough about their application to their school that they dedicate the time necessary to do a great job.

The “Why do you want to go to this college” is among the best examples of how important it is that you take the time to plan and execute a teriffic answer to this prompt. Most colleges want to know why you are interested in attending. So tell them!

Write about specific things that have attracted you to the school. Go beyond the beautiful campus and great food in the dining hall. Talk about a professor you researched on-line and can’t wait to take a class from. If you are playing a sport, talk about your impressions of the coach and the team. Find out about the programs the student government organizes then talk about how you can’t wait to organize a specific event next year. Really envision yourself as a student at the school and then tell the admissions officer what you think that would be like.

Similarly, the “tell us about your academic interests” essay requires thought. You want to take the time not only to say what interests you, but why you are interested in these disciplines, topics, or ideas. What excites you about these ideas and theories? Why would it be important to you to explore these ideas more deeply? What resources at the school would help you achieve your academic objectives? Be specific, be concise, and be enthusiastic.

Though it may sound weird and cruel, supplemental essays are supposed to be the “fun” part of your application. So, take them seriously.

Don’t repeat yourself on your supplemental essays

Each piece of writing on each application you submit should tell the admissions office something different and interesting about you. So you should not write supplemental essays that significantly duplicate information provided in other places on your application.

For example, don’t use the supplemental essays to recount or amplify your extracurricular activities. There is ample space on the Common Application to identify and explain your extracurricular involvements:  the Activities section. Use that space wisely. But don’t repeat yourself by saying similar things in your Common Application. For example, if you are the captain and quarterback of your school football team, don’t write a supplemental essay that talks all about football. If you’re asked to write about an activity you enjoy, use the supplemental essay to highlight your interest in building model airplanes or archery or crossword puzzles. Round out the vision of you as a multidimensional person so that the admissions office gets a more complete picture of your humanity.

Similarly, don’t repeat facts or themes or ideas from your Common Application personal statement. You want each supplemental essay to present fresh content–fresh ideas about who you are as a person. Admittedly, sometimes the prompts from the Common App can come back around in a new form in the supplemental essays. Try to find a way to write about something new without duplicating the personal statement.

If you really can’t think of anything, it might be best to rework your personal statement into a supplemental essay for a particular application, and then write an entirely new personal statement (the Common App allows you to do such shenanigans for one application, if you need to). But this would be a drastic measure.  So avoid it, if you can.  Instead, think of new ways to explore a similar topic so that you can reveal more about who you are on the application as a whole.

Need help writing supplemental essays for your college applications?

The expert college counselors have years of experience helping their students develop interesting, clear, and successful supplemental essays for the Common Application.  Whether you need help only with essays or you prefer to get more comprehensive college admissions help, the folks at Great College Advice can make the entire college admissions process less stressful and more successful.  Contact us today for a free consultation. We look forward to getting acquainted.

 

Do I Need a College Counselor? 7 Factors to Consider

do I need a college counselor

As the college admissions process becomes ever more complicated and stressful–and expensive–more and more families are asking the question, “Do I need a college counselor?”  While not every family needs personalized guidance through the college admissions maze, many do.  To determine whether you need a professional college counselor, consider these seven factors.

Do I need a college counselor?

FIND THE RIGHT FIT

With over 3,000 colleges and universities in the US, how do you know which is the best match for you? With our first-hand knowledge of colleges and access to the admission profession, a good college counselor can provide in-depth, personalized advice that no guidebook or website can. A good educational consultant will take the time to get to know you, and then will cn identify several colleges that will allow you to thrive throughout your college years. 

INVEST EDUCATIONAL DOLLARS WISELY

Aside from a home, a college education is the biggest investment that most families will ever make. And yet most would never think of selling their home without the advice of a professional real estate agent. When you consider that the cost of a private 4-year college (tuition, fees, room, and board) ranges from $120,000 to nearly $400,000, hiring a professional to help you make a sound investment makes good sense.

PLAY THE ADMISSION GAME LIKE A PRO

Colleges and universities compete for students. And then they deny admission to apparently strong applicants. They market their educational services the way companies sell toothpaste. Then they manipulate the game in a way that favors their national rankings–and not individual students. With expertise in the field, an experienced college counselor can shed light on what can be a very opaque and confusing process. At the same time, good counselors maintain a sharp focus on student needs and aspirations. 

GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

On average, the percentage of students who enroll in a college who actually graduate from that same college is over 50%. This means that many, many transfer to other schools after having made the wrong choice. Worse, some students will drop out entirely. By guiding you toward colleges that are the best fit for your academic interests, extracurricular pursuits, and personality, a good college counselor a much better chance of matriculating and graduating from a school that suits all your needs from start to finish.

MAINTAIN DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY

The college admissions process can be stressful for everyone involved. Much seems to ride on the decision. And the tasks seem endless: choosing appropriate courses, registering and studying for standardized tests, researching colleges, completing applications, writing essays, filling out financial aid forms…the list goes on and on. With all the tension in the air, some families yearn for a way to remove the stress and reestablish equilibrium. An excellent college counselor won’t let the process get you down; in fact, they’ll help you enjoy the discoveries along the way.

SAVE MONEYdo I need a college counselor

Sometimes in order to save money you need to invest in the right services. This is why people hire accountants, lawyers, and financial planners:  their expertise and experience can actually save multiples of the fees paid for these services.  Similarly, educational consultants can help you set a budget and stick to it. While the price of higher education keeps going up, that doesn’t mean that there are not excellent strategies that you and your family can employ to save on the overall cost of college. Invest time, energy, and money up front, and you could save tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars on education. 

ALLEVIATE STRESS

Let’s face it. The college admissions rat race has us all in a tizzy. The process seems so competitive, so opaque, so uncontrollable, so random. Parents get caught up in the exaggerated fear that if their kids do not achieve a certain outcome, they will be doomed to a life as a barista. Students internalize the pressure and develop low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. A good college counselor cannot eliminate the external pressures bearing down on families and students these days. But the counselor can help empower families to focus on the things that are within their control and to let go of the things that are not. A good counselor does not elevate the stress, but instead reduces it by providing solid information, reassurance, and a zen-like presence that all will turn out well in the end. 

 

Where do I go if I need a college counselor?

The counselors at Great College Advice have both the experience and expertise to help you optimize the outcome.  While they can neither eliminate uncertainty nor rewrite the rules of the college admissions game, they can empower students and families with the information and perspective necessary to help them prepare, select, and apply to colleges that will provide them with the educational opportunities they want and deserve.  

We started in business in 2007 with the vision that high school students and their families deserve clear insight into the complicated world of college admission. Our process has been developed by educators to provide students with the information and tools they need to take full control of their own educational and professional futures. While we cannot control a process that is controlled by the colleges themselves, we can optimize outcomes for students and focus on their intellectual, emotional, and social well-being. 

As a national practice, we have worked with students in all 50 states and nearly 50 different countries. Each year, over 95% of our students are accepted to one of their top three choices. Many of our students are accepted to the Top 25 universities each year, and 99% of our students are accepted to schools that lie within the top 10% of American institutions of higher education. 

 

We invite you to review some of our testimonials to understand that we deliver a process that is healthy, happy, and rewarding.

 

Great College Advice can keep you focused on what is truly important

Further, we are happy to share our core values.  These five lodestars guide us in our work with students and their families.

INTEGRITY  The Great College Advice team demystifies the often ambiguous college preparation, selection, and application process and delivers our guidance with thoughtfulness, honesty, and professionalism.

PERSONALIZATION  Great College Advice provides counseling tailored to each student and family. We share our advice in a positive way that encourages students to embrace their educational futures with optimism and an open mind.

EXPERTISE  The Great College Advice team shares our knowledge, expertise, and constant curiosity to empower students to maximize their educational opportunities.

LEARNING  Our process encourages students to learn more about their academic interests, their professional possibilities, themselves as human beings, and the world around them.  We strive to inspire them to expand their horizons and their love of learning.

TRANSFORMATION  We guide our students through a transformational experience.  We help them articulate their needs, desires, and aspirations so as to pursue them in college and beyond.

 

Still wondering if you need a college counselor?

If you want to explore professional college counseling and want to discuss how Great College Advice can make the process more successful and less stressful, reach out to us for a free consultation. We look forward to getting acquainted.

What To Expect At A College Reception

A street sign that says " College Just Ahead"

Fall is the time of year where admissions counselors everywhere hit the road.  They stand at college fairs, conduct interviews in hotel lobbies and coffee shops and visit four to five high schools a day, all to promote their school and spread the word to potential applicants. But do you know what to expect at a college reception?

One of the most important goals a college counselor has is to bring a little bit of their college to a student who may not have the opportunity to visit or is considering planning a visit.  The best way to do this is to have a reception or an “on the road” information session.

What is a college reception?

A college reception is different from a college fair, and different from a high school visit.  Usually receptions are put on by more than one college and are held in the evening.  They are often held at a local hotel, or sometimes at a high school.

Students often receive invitations to these events. If you have signed up for more information about a particular college, you may receive an invite.  Or colleges and universities may get your contact information from either the SAT (College Board) or ACT.  Students may receive emails or glossy invitations about the event.  They are often held at a local hotel or sometimes at a high school.

The structure of the events vary, but often times students can expect to see the same or a very similar presentation to what is offered at the on-campus information sessions. The admissions counselor will give an overview of the basic statistics of the college and the admissions process.  This is a great opportunity to learn some information about the school that may not be available on the website.

One big difference is that you may hear presentations from 2 or 3 different colleges.  In some ways, this can be less helpful than a more focused session on one school.  If you are particularly interested in one of the participants at the reception, you may have to wait patiently through the presentations by colleges that interest you less. On the other hand, you may be learning about a college or two that has not yet been on your radar screen, and you may decide to expand your list as a result of the reception.

An on-the-road college reception may also be a great time to meet with other members of the college community.  Sometimes colleges will bring current students to the reception to talk about campus life and personal experiences.  Professors may come to discuss the courses they teach and the academic goals of the college.  Alumni will often speak of life after graduation and the job searching process.

Overall, attending a college reception in your hometown is a valuable way to learn more about a school.  It can help you decide if you want to spend the money to visit a school in order to learn more.

What to expect at a college reception after the presentations are over

Usually after the presentation, you will have an opportunity to meet individually with the admissions representatives. They will set up tables in different parts of the room, and you can waIk up and ask questions. So be prepared to ask some! Research the information you want to know about majors, student life and the admissions process.  Having an audience that asks questions really helps keep an admissions officer going.  Remember that they may have been up since 5AM trying to make it to all their high school visits and are now working into the evening to showcase the college that they work for.  So show them that you’re interested, and they will feel energized!

Also don’t forget to send a follow up “thank you note” to the person who presented on the college or colleges that interest you. It’s a great way to demonstrate interest and get some more brownie points for attending the college reception.

Need more help on what to expect at a college reception? Give us a call.

We helps students prepare for every aspect of the college preparation, selection, and admissions process.  We can help you get ready for that college reception–or the campus visit or the interview or any other aspect of the process.  We have helped thousands of students make solid educational plans.  We’d love to hear from you. So give is a call or contact us on our website.

Mark Montgomery
College Admissions Expert

Campus Safety Questions

campus safety questions to build awareness of campus security

Campus Safety Questions

In building a college list, parents may have a lot of campus safety questions. And in this country, that is not surprising. The news seems full of bad news coming from college campuses (even when they are relatively safe, overall). And parents worry that their kids will not be the victims of crime. But sometimes it’s hard to separate the impressions one receives from the media (which may not reflect the actual risks on campus) from the facts and crime statistics.

Similarly, how does one separate information about crimes committed on campus (which may be handled by the campus police) versus crimes committed in the vicinity of the campus (which are handled by local police, even if college students are involved)?

What is Campus Safety?

The idea of “safety” is difficult to define. It’s a feeling. It is certainly related to the facts and statistics about crimes, accidents, and other risks. But these risks that all parents worry about are not equivalent. Either in terms of the lethality or violence involved or in their origins. For example, some of the biggest risks may not come from external forces (criminals or rapists coming on campus) but are, instead, a result of student misbehavior (e.g., alcohol abuse at a frat house that leads to a fall and serious injury, or instances of sexual assault perpetrated by other students).

As we think about safety on campus, we have to think about all the sorts of risks our students might face on campus. And think clearly about whether those risks are ones that the student can take steps to avoid (e.g., by moderating alcohol consumption and being more aware of the possibility of unwanted sexual advances). Ones that are more random and outside a student’s control (a hurricane flooding campus, a car accident, or–heaven forfend–a mass shooting).

Where Can I Get Statistics on Campus Safety?

The government requires campuses to gather data about crimes on campus. One way to access this data is on the “College Navigator” website of the National Center for Education Statistics. Just type in the name of the college you want to investigate and scroll down to the “Campus Security and Safety” tab. And you’ll see three years of data reported by the college, broken down into different kinds of crimes and where they took place (on campus generally, or in the campus residences). As you’ll see, liquor law violations tend to dominate the stats for any college.

One criticism of these data is that reporting is inconsistent from one college to the next. While the government provides guidelines and universities are expected to follow those guidelines. Reasonable people may question the accuracy of the data from school to school and from year to year. Some colleges may seem to have very high rates of theft and burglary, for example. But the location of the school (in a city, in a rural town) may help to explain those differences–rather than the laxity of the campus police.

Similarly, some colleges seem to have higher incidences of sex-related crimes. Those universities with higher rates of sex crimes sometimes claim that they are actually better at encouraging victims of such crimes to come forward than may be the case on other campuses. It’s hard to tell, sometimes, what the statistics really tell us about campus safety. And it can still be difficult to compare one campus against another.

Nonetheless, the statistics are helpful to families as they investigate campus safety as they are building their college lists.

Video Course for College Admissions

What Campus Safety Questions Can I Ask?

It’s perfectly okay to ask about campus safety while on a college tour. The admissions staff is generally well-positioned to answer your inquiries on this topic. They should be able to refer you to statistics and other information. And they may invite you to visit the office of the campus police. If you have particular concerns you’d like to address. You can also try to talk to local residents about their impressions of safety in the community. And the local police department can be another source of information (crimes that do not take place on campus will not appear in the government statistics reported on College Navigator).

However, it is less helpful to ask current students about the details of campus safety. You can certainly ask about their own experiences (do you feel comfortable walking around campus after dark, or do you feel safe in your campus residence?). They might be able to share their own impressions of how well the campus is able to provide information to students about safety issues. But students–including tour guides–are generally not fully aware of all safety systems, university policies, disciplinary procedures, or aggregate crime statistics.

CRIME

  • Does campus feel safe to you?
  • Is the school monitored in real time, 24/7 by video cameras? Or is the video merely checked after there has been a problem?
  • Are there emergency call boxes throughout campus? (More on these in a moment)
  • Does the campus police use a cell phone alert system to communicate imminent risks to students?
  • Does the school use electronic-access card keys to monitor the entry and exit of campus buildings?
  • Are there redundant forms of security, like cameras, call buttons and rotating patrols?
  • Does the school offer self-defense classes?
  • Do you feel safe walking alone across campus at night? If not, what do you do to get around campus at night?

ALCOHOL AND DRUGS

  • Is there a well-defined alcohol and drug policy? How vigorously is it enforced?
  • Are residential staffers trained to spot abuse and offer help?
  • Does the college inform you of arrests and hospitalizations related to drugs and alcohol?
  • How many students are in fraternities and sororities? (They tend to drink more heavily.)
  • How many students are involved in community service? (They tend to drink less.)

FIRE

  • Are there smoke and carbon monoxide detectors?
  • Are there sprinklers and fire extinguishers? Are there two exits? Do the windows open?
  • Are there regular fire drills?
  • Does the furnace get annual maintenance, and is the electrical system up-to-date?

Campus Safety and Blue Light Call Boxes

Often when touring campuses you’ll see a network of call boxes or emergency buttons, often with blue lights on them. Campus tour guides may actually point them out while on the tour and mention how quickly campus police will arrive when one of those buttons is pushed. As I mention in the video below (the audio is pretty bad, for which I apologize), these systems were constructed before the ubiquity of the cell phone. These systems usually still work (where they have not been removed), and they often are still featured on campus tours.

Campus Safety Questions and School Location

One of the biggest differentiators in campus safety has nothing to do with the quality of policing or the complexity of campus policies. Rather, the location of the school can tell us a lot more about the relative safety of the campus than anything else. These days, most students seem to want to attend college in a city. But higher population density in urban areas is correlated with criminality (not to mention traffic accidents, which remain a significant risk on many campuses).

On urban campuses, one is likely to find a high degree of security. For example, at the University of Pennsylvania or New York University, it is impossible for a casual visitor to visit any building without proper permissions and concomitant identification cards. However, on campuses located in small towns or rural areas away from major population centers, all campus buildings may be unlocked at all hours.

In this video below, I explain this phenomenon while showing viewers around the Bowdoin College science building. It’s not the best quality video, either, but it gives you a distinct impression that some campuses feel relatively safe and open while others feel more like a minimum-security prison.

So if safety is a primary concern, you may want to consider the location of the campus itself.

Campus Safety, Alcohol and Drug Use, and Walkability

As a parent–and as someone who has worked with gazillions of young people over a long career in education. I tend to worry about some of the simpler, more obvious risks that pretty much every student may be expected to at least experiment with while in college: alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. Because young people are impaired while on these substances (their protestations to the contrary). I thought it important to consider how easy it is to walk from place to place around campus while impaired.

Big busy streets with speeding cars seemed more risky to me than small, tree-lined lanes with slow-moving traffic. And the proximity of campus buildings to one another seemed better than ones where a car might be required to head to a bar or off-campus parties. I wanted my boys to be able to walk home (with or without the support of a sober friend) without having to get behind the wheel.

Why Is Campus Safety Important?

Campus safety is an important consideration in selecting a college. You want to have an understanding of the relative risks involved in choosing a particular campus. And statistics give us an indication of what sorts of risks one might encounter. However, keep in mind that the statistics do not necessarily tell the whole story and that environmental and circumstantial factors (e.g., the location of the campus) may have a bigger impact on campus safety than school policies or the size of the campus police force (indeed, there have been examples of outrageously poor policing by some campus cops).

As you think about campus safety, you’ll have to trade off these considerations with other ones, including the quality of the academic programs, the availability of certain activities or amenities, and other preferences and priorities.

Whatever campus you choose, it’s important to think carefully about the risks one might encounter while at university. And to build awareness about how to minimize those risks for you as an individual student. Understanding the risks is the first step in reducing them for yourself.

Mark Montgomery
Montgomery Educational Consulting

Tips for Successful Campus Visit For Parents and Students

campus visits

Get the Most from Campus Visits

As you plan the general goals of your campus visits, plan the logistics, take the tour, listen to the information session, and investigate the campus surroundings, keep in mind these few tips for making the visit as productive, successful, and fun as possible.

Parent Tips for Campus Visits

Don’t ask too many questions, either in the information session or during the campus tour. Even if your kid is silent, try to restrain yourself. Silence does not indicate that your child is comatose. I can guarantee that even the most taciturn teen is taking it all in, trying to incorporate new ideas about their own future, some of which are really exciting, and some of which may be sort of terrifying.

Don’t try to fill the silence by embarrassing or annoying your child. I can’t tell you how many tours I’ve taken on which students and their parents have traded eye-rolls, verbal jabs, elbows to the ribs. This is a stressful time for everyone, so don’t your parental instincts interfere with your child’s experience.

Do help your student to brainstorm the questions he or she has about this college and its campus before the visit starts. What information do you already know about this campus, and what questions remain? What things are important to see during the visit—facilities that may be important for your child? Encourage the student to ask the questions by helping to formulate the right questions in advance.

Do seek answers to your own parental questions. If you have particular questions about financial aid, for example, that remain unanswered in a general information session, you may want to call the financial aid office and seek their counsel. Similarly, if you want to learn more about a particular sports program, an academic offering, or more details about the curriculum, make sure that you check the college website thoroughly.

Colleges have become pretty adept at putting tons and tons of information online. If you can’t find what you seek, by all means pick up the phone. Better, if it’s a question that you and your child share, encourage the student to do the communicating. Empower the student to take charge of gathering the information that will help him or her find the right college match.

Don’t even think about accompanying your student to the interview with the admissions officer. Just asking the question could be a red flag for admissions officers who really don’t want to have to deal with overbearing, bossy, and domineering parents. Assume that you are uninvited, and be surprised (and pleased) when the admissions officer engages you in some conversation before or after the interview. If such a conversation does take place, don’t talk about anything beyond pleasantries. The worst thing you can ask is, “what are my kid’s chances?” Not only will they not answer that question, but they may be a bit annoyed that you even ask it. So don’t.

Student Tips for Campus Visits

Do take charge of the visit. Don’t be passive. Don’t let mom and dad do it all for you. Look at the maps and figure out where you are and where you’re doing. Take the lead as you wander around campus. Know what you want to learn during the visit, and know how you are going to learn it. At this stage of your transition from high school to college, every parent is a bundle of nerves, and they hate a power vacuum. When parents sense that their student is disengaged, they engage more forcefully. So don’t give them the chance. Do your homework, be involved in planning the visit, and take charge of the visit once underway.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. This is a big decision, and you are going to make it based on the information you have gathered. This is not the same as asking a question about proof in geometry class or about mitosis in biology. This is about your future. Everyone (including your parents) knows that you have about a zillion questions rolling around in your brain during a college visit. So ask a few, especially those that you think that a tour guide or an admissions officer can ask. If you can’t figure out how to formulate your own questions, perhaps memorize one or two from this list.

Don’t be afraid to talk to other students on campus, and to ask them what they like about their school. In most cases, students on campus love their choice of college and will be only too happy to share their thoughts with you. You can also ask them what they don’t like—for no place is nirvana. Usually, they will readily tell you. Of course, the answers they give will be based on their own, personal experience of that campus, and cannot be said to represent the entire student body. But if you ask several students the same question or questions, you may find a pattern that will help you confirm (or disconfirm) your own impressions.

Do focus on academic factors at least as much—if not more—than social, environmental, and geographical factors. Remember, you are choosing a school, not a vacation resort. You will spend a great deal of time in class, studying for exams, preparing lab reports, and writing papers. And you will spend a lot of time interacting (or not) with professors.

So try to gather relevant information about the academic program. Tour guides will all say that “professors are accessible” and the “average class size is low.” Dig beneath those platitudes, especially when you talk to other students on campus. Are professor-student interactions limited to office hours? Do academic departments host activities open to all students?

Do guest lecturers come to the campus, or is there not enough of a scholarly audience (or budget) to attract them? Do professors offer open lectures frequently about their research or other timely and interesting topics? How active are academic societies on campus? Do the honorary societies merely hand out certificates, or do they sponsor academic activities? How often do individual professors or departments host meals or other social events for students?

Prepare for Campus Visits

Campus visits contain some of the most important moments in the entire college selection and application process. You need to prepare. You need to be aware. And you need to know what things are important to you—and which are not. As with every other aspect of the college search process, the focus should be on you: your abilities, your preferences, your desires, your needs, your aspirations. The primary question in your mind should be, does this campus fit me?

The more you are able to keep yourself at the center of the visit, the more productive and helpful your campus visit will be.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant and Professional College Tour Taker