On the surface, a visit to a college appears to be fairly non-threatening and innocent. Upon further consideration there are many nuances to a college visit that can lead a prospective student AND her/his family into dangerous territory.

Allowing a student to become enamored with a college that may be beyond a family’s higher education budget may be a dramatic mistake, and one which causes irresolvable family chaos. At CAPlus we use our proprietary database and analytical tools to estimate accurately what a student/family will pay per year. We highly recommend that you look at this PRIOR TO visiting OR applying to the school.

Visiting a college during a “summer vacation” trip may not yield a true picture of how the campus “feels” because the student body is not on campus, and the ambiance may be altered dramatically once classes begin. If you can visit during the school year, do it. It will give you a better idea of what the college is actually like.

Also visiting a campus during a major concert or sporting event may capture an energy and excitement that is rare and not indicative of what a school is truly like.

A college visit is BEST only after all budget considerations have been made, school is in-session, and BOTH a formal and informal tour has been pre-arranged.

CAPlus offers a comprehensive guide to scheduling and conducting a college visit, including what questions to ask, departments to visit and meaningful interviews to initiate.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 and is filed under Choosing a college.