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The purpose of the college visit is to discover more information about the school that you don't already know and to verify what you have read and heard about the school. In order to accomplish this goal, you need to ask lots of questions of lots of different people you meet on campus: students, admission officers, financial aid officers, faculty members, and coaches! You should ask the questions from each category of questions below of several representatives from each group so that you can see if the answers are the same. It is also important to ask open-ended questions, not "yes" and "no" questions, to get fuller responses.
What kinds of questions should you ask? Here is a sample of possible questions that you might use on your visit to get you started. Feel free to add to the list if it doesn't cover a special interest or issue that matters the most to you.
Questions to Ask Students
- Why did you select this college to attend? In what ways did it meet your expectations? In what ways have you been disappointed?
- What are the college's biggest weaknesses? What do you dislike the most about this college?
- What type of student thrives here and what sort of student is unhappy?
- How safe is the campus? How do you feel about walking on campus late at night?
- How do students spend their free time here?
- What do students do on the weekends?
- What is the best place to study on campus? Where do you study? Is it possible to study in your dorm room?
- How much time do you allot for study time?
- How adequate for your needs is the computer networking system on campus?
- What is the most popular course on campus? Which department gets rave reviews?
- Who teaches the classes, professors or graduate students?
- How big are freshman classes?
- How effective is your faculty advisor?
- How does an average student who has not been identified as a learning disabled student access academic support services?
- How accessible are the faculty members? Do they have regular office hours? Do they provide you with their email address or phone number?
- What do you like best about dorm living? What do you dislike about campus housing? Which dorms are the most popular?
- How long is the dining hall open for meals?
Questions to Ask Professors
- What do you expect of your students?
- What are the typical course requirements: how many exams, research papers, and presentations in a semester class?
- Do you offer opportunities for students to engage in research? Do you often mentor students?
- Who teaches introductory courses – graduate students or professors?
- How do you make yourself accessible to your students?
- If tutoring is needed, what arrangements are made for the student?
Questions to ask Admissions Officers
- Why do students select this college?
- What is distinctive about this college?
- What would a student gain by attending this college?
- How would you describe the profile of a typical student who attends this college?
- What is the process used to evaluate a student's application? How important are the SATs in the final decision?
- Do you recalculate a student's GPA?
- If I apply for financial aid, does that reduce my chance of getting into this college?
- How are roommates selected?
- Are there opportunities for study abroad or college exchange programs?
- How easy is it to obtain a part-time job on campus?
- What is the percentage of students who graduate in 4 years?
- After graduation what is the career placement rate and/or graduate school acceptance percentage?
- What kinds of things are your most recent alumni doing?
All of these questions and how the answers to to them from each group corrspond can help you decide if this college fits your needs. Choosing the right college for you requires a lot of hard work and lots of questions. |
