Welcome: Colleges Re-Open for Visitors

After months of being closed to in-person visitors for tours and information sessions, many colleges and universities across the United States have re-opened.

Visiting schools in person is an excellent way to determine fit; often times a student will have a “gut feeling” while on campus, and these insights are critical to determining the final application list. Even though a school appears to meet all of your needs and wants on paper, it may fall short in person. It’s important to experience it in person if possible. Now is the time to start planning some in-person visits for the fall. Be sure to call ahead first to confirm as schedules are in flux and sometimes there is a lag between what is online and what is actually happening in practice. And remember to call one last time to re-confirm before you head to campus – visit schedules and events are evolving.

Start with a tour.

I recommend attending the tour first as you will probably have been in the car for a while and it is a good opportunity to stretch your legs and take in the look and feel of the campus.

Then move on to the information session.

Now that you have a sense of the physical campus, you can delve deeper into the demographics of the faculty and student body and the details of the majors and departments. While they may not be top of mind now, be sure to investigate study abroad and internship opportunities, too.

Save the interview for a return trip.

Unless distance precludes a return visit, I usually recommend saving the interview for another visit.

It’s important to process the tour and information session and visit a number of other schools before narrowing down your final application list.

Additionally, you will want to interview as close to your application submission as possible so that you will be sharing current coursework and extracurricular involvements. An added bonus is if you are interviewed by an admissions officer, they will be more likely to remember your encounter and support your candidacy in the admissions cycle.

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