Thanksgiving is not the best time for college tours

During the week of Thanksgiving, colleges are often open, but the students have already ventured home to be with their families. College admissions officers, too, are very often out of the office entirely–finally getting a few days to spend with their families during a grueling travel season. Rarely do colleges even offer tours and information sessions during Thanksgiving week. You may be able to meet with someone in the admissions office, but it will be difficult to get a feel for the college culture without students present. On many campuses, all dining facilities and campus amenities will be completely shut down as staff are given a few days off for the holidays.

So we recommend you forget Thanksgiving as a viable time to visit a campus, unless all you want to do is look at a bunch of locked and empty buildings.  Not a super helpful time to get to know a school and its’ community.

The winter holiday is not the best time for college tours

Winter holiday break is just as bad, if not worse. When students leave campus, many offices also close up.  Dorms are locked up tightly while students are away.  The library may be on limited hours if it is open at all.  Faculty leave town and go on their own vacations.

Most colleges may be completely closed from December 23rd to January 2nd. If you venture to a college that third week in December, a few admission counselors may still be in their offices, but they will more than likely be knee-deep in reading applications. So here again, unless all you want to do is see a bunch of locked and empty buildings, the winter holiday is not a great time for college tours.

What about summer for a college tour?

For many families, summer is the best time for a college tour.  This is when students are no longer wrapped up in the demands of the academic year and time is a bit more flexible.  While summer is not a perfect time to visit a college campus, it is better than Thanksgiving or the winter holidays. Some colleges and universities do have summer sessions, and most will have some sort of activities going on–even if they are not set up for their regular student bodies.  Offices are generally open, as are most facilities.  During the summer, you may not see the campus operating as it does during the academic year, but at least the admissions office is set up to show you the best of what the campus has to offer.  While you’ll find it harder to have conversations with current students, at least you’ll get an idea of the what the campus feels like when there are actual humans around.

So when is the best time for a campus visit?

Unfortunately, the best time to visit a college campus is during the school year. This is when you will see the college or university in actual operation.  Students will be going to class, all the facilities will be open–and bustling–and you’ll get a better idea of not just geography of the campus, but the people who animate it.

Try to pick a time, such as a February or March break, but be careful not to overlap with the college’s spring break if possible (once again, the college just won’t look or feel the same when the students are not around). Make sure you do your research and look at the school’s campus tour calendar. Most colleges have sign-ups online.

For more tips, read our previous blog post:  Planning the Perfect Campus Visit.

The post Holiday Breaks – Not the Best Time for College Tours first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

The post Denison University: Hands-On Education first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Great College Advice

The post Ohio Wesleyan University: Oh-Woo! first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

The post Check Out Bulletin Boards On Your Next Campus Visit first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Educational Consultant

The post Touring a Campus? Don’t Forget the Library! first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Here are few virtual campus tour sites to check out:

www.campustours.com:

On this site you can search for schools alphabetically or by state. The site offers some statistics on the school, a link to the website and a virtual tour.

www.unigo.com:

Offers unofficial student reviews of the college or university as well as photos and videos.

www.yourcampus360.com:

Is a high tech website that offers interactive virtual tours complete with a taking tour guide! However, there are only a few schools featured on this site.
Several schools also offer virtual tours directly on their own website. So whether you are trying to narrow down your list of schools to visit in person or just trying to see another prospective, virtual tours are a great way to research colleges and universities.

Katherine Price
Educational Consultant

The post How to Visit a College Campus From Home first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

It’s a list of observations that can help you get more out of your college visit.

ASK QUESTIONS

When I was at Macalester, it was preview day for admitted students. Scads of families wandering around campus in groups of three (one student, two parents). And tours left from the admissions office constantly all morning. So at any one time, I could run between this tour and that one, listening in on the tour guides’ patter and make some comparisons. I must have followed six different tours. Despite the constant refrain from the tour guides (“Do you have any questions?”) virtually nobody asked any. If you don’t know what questions to ask on a campus tour, look at this post of things you might consider asking.

DON’T LET THE PARENTS DO ALL THE TALKING

A word to the wise, folks. It’s not a good idea for parents to ask all the questions. It makes the students look dorky and shy. It makes it seem that your parents are making this decision for you. I know it may feel uncomfortable in a group environment, but show some curiosity! You are considering investing four years of your life in a college, and to just follow a tour passively without engaging yourself is really a waste of time.

TAKE NOTES

I am constantly amazed that virtually no one on a college tour (except me) takes notes. This is a perfect job for a parent (let the student ask the questions, and the parents can be the silent scribes). Often I ask parents how many colleges they are visiting, and many cite double digit numbers. How can they keep it all straight? How can they make meaningful comparisons if they don’t write down their impressions and discuss them afterward?

No one can possibly retain all the information divulged in a tour. While I do know that picking a college can have a “gut level” aspect to it, it’s important to take notes to give yourself a “gut check” after the tour is over.

IGNORE THE WEATHER

It was raining in St. Paul the day I visited Macalester. Dreary. Cold. The weather can affect our moods, and it’s important to keep that fact in mind when visiting a campus. Of course, you will want to consider the climate when picking a college. For example, Minnesota’s winters are not the same as Florida’s.

And you will want to take into account how the college is integrated into the environment (for example, St. Olaf has lots of skylights and enormous windows that let in tons of natural light–even on a frigid, winter morning, while Carleton–two miles away–has fewer windows, more classic “collegiate” architecture, and a less airy feel). But don’t let the weather on a single day dampen your enthusiasm for a college that seems perfect in all other respects.

DON’T KILL (or HUG) the MESSENGER.

Tour guides can be wonderful. Or awful. I really enjoyed my tour guide at St. Olaf. He was a funny, intelligent young man who showed his pride for St. Olaf without showing off. A few hours later, at Carleton, my tour guide was equally enthusiastic but spent a good portion of the tour talking about herself. She came off as smarty pants and was much less helpful in communicating interest in her college. For example, when one prospective student declared her interest in art, the tour guide just pointed to the building.

When the prospective student asked if we could take a short detour inside, the initial response was “It’s not on the tour.” But since she was the only student and I was also interested, I convinced the tour guide it was worth a quick look. It turned out that the tour guide had never been in that building before, and had never even looked into any of the art studios. The point is, some tour guides are great, and others are lousy. Don’t judge the college by the quality of the tour guide.

TOURS ARE CAREFULLY CHOREOGRAPHED

It was fun to compare tours at Macalester. I could just hang out in the foyer of the library and wait for new tour groups to shuffle through. And for each tour, the guide’s patter was virtually identical. Maybe the order in which the information was presented was different. But each guide used the same phrases. The same script. Keep in mind that every building, every stop on the tour has been carefully chosen by the director of admission to pique your interest and to show off all the positive aspects of the college.

At all times you should be asking yourself, “What are they NOT showing me?” and “Why did they pick this building and not that one over there?” The point is not to trip up the tour guide and hijack the tour. But once the tour is over, spend the time to investigate the corners of the campus you did NOT visit on the tour.

For example, it’s always a red flag for me when a tour does not stop at the library. Ordinarily, it should be the centerpiece of the intellectual life of the college. If the tour does not stop there, I know something is up. Perhaps it’s ugly. Perhaps it’s never used. Perhaps there is not enough study space. The point is that you have to look beyond the script and the choreography if you’re really going to get the most out of your college visit.

I love visiting colleges. I learn a ton, and get a good feel for the campus geography, the “vibe” of the student body, and a sense of what it might be like to attend. But visiting is work, folks. Don’t be a passive recipient of the college’s party line. Investigate! Inquire!

Mark Montgomery
Great College Advice

The post Visiting College Campuses: Observations by a Professional Tour-Taker first appeared on College Admission Counseling.