It is time to apply for college and you have undergone extensive research and investigation and have narrowed out your options. The next step is to take a trip to each of your top prospective campus’ so that you can get a better feel of what each college/university offers. This can be an overwhelming and costly experience and if it is not done properly, you may end up wasting more time than you had bargained for and quite possibly miss out on important deadlines. So it is vital that you are well prepared and organized before each visit to avoid taking more trips than you need to, especially if it is long distance. Here are some simple tips to help make your college tour experience as productive and efficient as possible.
1. Go with an adult
First off, it is highly advised that students are accompanied by a parent or an adult on their college tour to help with the scheduling, preparation and coordinating. It would also be helpful to get a second opinion in your decision making as well.
2. Get reliable directions
Always get reliable directions to the campus and go over it before your college tour so that there are no surprises along the way. College campus’ are expansive so it is also wise to bring along a map of the campus so that you can map out your itinerary and determine the nearest parking lot to save time. You do not want to be stuck driving around aimlessly or having to ask around to find your way through the campus.
3. Confirm your appointment
Make sure your appointment is scheduled and confirmed. You do not want drive across town to find that your appointment was never scheduled or had somehow fallen through the cracks. Always call the day before to check on your appointment, verify location information or any other important information such as parking pass or available shuttle buses. Make certain of the driving time and plan to leave early enough for traffic or any kind of delay contingency.
4. Other tours
If you want to explore a particular major or area of interest like athletics, check to see if there is a tour available for that department, preferably on the same day as your college tour so that you do not have to schedule another trip back to the campus. It is good to try to explore as much of the campus as you can without overloading so that you can get the most out of your trip.
5. Ask questions
You should put together a list of questions beforehand so you can ask when you get there. Talk to as many of the faculty and staff so that you can get different perspectives and opinions.
6. Get contact information
As well prepared as you may be, there is still a chance that you may have overlooked or forgotten to ask something so you should jot down any contact information of anyone who may be a useful source of information.
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