Guide to College Visits: How to Get the Most Out of Them

August 31, 2022 byConnections Academy

9 min to read

For many young adults, college is a gateway to a successful life. Every year, 66% of high school graduates go straight to college. But only 64% of those who enroll earn an undergraduate degree within six years. How can you help ensure your child is among those who succeed?

It all begins with choosing the right college. And that begins with college visits.

Researchers have found that college campus visits help students better prepare for college and find success once there. So, if you and your child are thinking about visiting colleges before making your higher education decisions, you’re making the right choice.

Here are five steps you can take to maximize the value of your child’s college visits:

1. Plan Ahead

Some students wait until the summer between junior and senior year to start looking at colleges. While this can work, it’s much better to start earlier in the high school experience, so you and your child have plenty of time to consider the thousands of options and narrow down the choices.

How do you get started choosing a college?

Beginning as early as freshman year, your child should consider what types of careers, campus life, and extracurricular activities they would most enjoy. Then, as you have time, you can research colleges that have the features and strong degree programs related to the fields in their desired career. While your child might change their preferences multiple times over the course of high school, it’s good to get in the habit of researching schools so you can get a feel of what’s out there.

What should you consider while choosing a college?

As you research, there are multiple things to look for in colleges, including:

Tuition cost and other expenses like dorm residency and meal plans
Scholarship and financial aid opportunities
Student body size
Location
Average class size
Whether most classes are taught by professors or graduate assistants
Graduation and acceptance rates

The more you know about colleges, the easier it will be for you and your child to select the colleges that are most likely to benefit them. Any college that has the right degree program, potentially fits within your budget, and offers an educational setting that seems to fit your child’s personality is worth putting on your long list.

A high school student researching things to look for in colleges.

2. Choose Which Colleges to Visit

Planning college visits takes thought and coordination. Unless you have unlimited time and a large travel budget, you and your child will only be able to visit a handful of campuses. How do you choose which ones?

Start with your long list and look at each college’s visitation schedule and how to schedule college visits to their campuses. Different colleges will offer different types of visits at different times. Some offer group tours, some have personal tours, and some even offer the chance for your child to stay on campus overnight.

When is the best time to visit colleges?

In terms of when to visit colleges, the best time is during your child’s junior year of high school and while a college is in session. This will naturally limit the weekends you have available. Try to choose one college to visit for every weekend that makes sense. Rank your long list in order of preference and schedule visits to as many of your top-choice colleges as you can.

If visiting one of your child’s top preferences isn’t feasible, see if the school offers virtual tours. Virtual college visits are a great way to “see” additional schools. If need be—and if you plan ahead—you can also take some summer college tours. While these won’t give a full sense of campus life, they will allow you to see the school in person and speak with representatives.

Finally, if you’re short on time, you can visit schools informally. Many metropolitan areas have multiple colleges. If you’re in town to visit one college, consider what other campuses are nearby and, if one is appealing, make a stop and explore.

How many colleges should you visit before choosing a school?

All that said, there’s no perfect number of college visits. The goal is to see which colleges seem to fit your child’s needs best. For some, that might mean visiting two or three schools. For others, that might mean visiting 10 or more. The right number is as many visits your child needs in order to make the best decision of where to apply and, ultimately, where to attend.

3. Make the Most of Your Time on Campus

Once you’ve arrived for a college visit, you’ll want to get as much out of it as possible. This task, however, will fall mainly on your child. While many colleges allow parents to tag along on tours and some even have special parent-centric events, colleges tend to expect the prospective student to take the lead. Your role during college visits is to listen closely and provide guidance as needed.

How long are college tours and what should you prepare for?

The length of a tour depends on the individual college. You can typically get that information beforehand from their website or by calling the admissions office, but a good rule of thumb is to expect to spend at least half a day on campus.

As for what to expect, that also depends on the specific college. Some have a formal series of events and some are just a casual tour and Q&A session. Make sure you look closely at the visitation schedule beforehand. The types of events a college is holding will help you and your child answer basic questions like how much time you should set aside and what to wear on a college tour.

What questions should you ask on a college tour?

While you and your child most likely won’t have much control over the specific schedule for a college visit, your child will have control over one vital aspect: the questions they ask.

In addition to any questions about specific degree programs or extracurricular activities, there are several, broader questions worth asking, such as:

What makes your school stand out?
Can you describe the typical student?
What do you look for in a college portfolio?
What does it take to succeed here?
What are new students surprised to discover after they enroll?
What’s the college’s relationship with the local community?

These and similar questions can give your child a better idea of what kind of experience a college offers. They should ask such questions to staff as well as any students they have the opportunity to speak to. In fact, the more people they can talk to about the college the better.

A student exploring the local town around her prospective college.

4. Explore the Nearby Community

Whether in a big city or a small town, a college’s location is an integral part of student life. No matter how much a college might fit your child’s interests and aspirations, if your child doesn’t like the place they’re living in, their experience—and ability to succeed—will suffer.

What makes a good college town?

To make sure your child doesn’t head off to a city or town they’ll dislike, you should explore the location during a college visit. Check out the places near campus where students congregate, as well as the wider community. In particular, look for:

Convenience of essential shopping
Types of restaurants
Entertainment options
Cultural institutions
Public transit availability
Proximity to major roads and airports
Cost of living
General atmosphere of area
Safety of neighborhoods
Proximity to internship or work opportunities

Not every factor may be important to your child, but noting each and visiting multiple local places will help them get a sense of whether the college is located in a town or city that they will enjoy for the next four (or more) years of their life—years that tend to be quite formative, helping teenagers grow into adulthood.

5. Consider Your Options Thoroughly

Once you’ve completed all your college visits, it’s time for your child to decide where to apply for college. To do this, your child will need to re-rank their preferences based on what they learned during your visits. Then, you’ll need to help them decide how many of their favorites they want to apply to.

Here are some criteria to consider:

Quality of desired degree program
Reputation of school
Overall yearly cost
Scholarship/financial aid availability and qualifications
Appeal of location
Proximity to home
General personality of student body
First impression during campus visit
Lasting impression from visit

Additionally, you should consider the competitiveness of each college’s admissions. Colleges with very low admissions rates—like Ivy League colleges—routinely reject even the most qualified students. So it’s best not to have an entire list made up of highly competitive schools, unless those are the only schools you and your child believe are worth pursuing.

Many high school students include what’s known as a “safety school” on their list. This is a school that is very likely to admit the student, providing the student with a backup option in case their top choices reject them. However, if you do add a safety school to your child’s list, make sure it still scores well given their criteria. There’s no point in your child applying to or attending a college that isn’t a good fit for them and their goals.

A parent and student discuss finding a college.

How to Help Your Child Get a Head Start on College

No matter which colleges your child wants to visit or where they end up applying, they can improve their ability to get into college and succeed there if they’re enrolled at the right high school. The closer a high school can get them to college the better.

One high school that’s great for students who want to go to college is Connections Academy®, an online tuition-free public school. With more than 20 years of experience helping motivated students succeed, Connections Academy knows how to help students make their way to college. Offerings include:

AP* courses
Dual-enrollment
Advanced courses in numerous subjects
College-focused guidance
SAT prep
College application assistance
And more

If your child is focused on college, Connections Academy can be just the high school they need. To learn how else you can help your child get a head start on college, check out our article, “Getting Ready for College.”

*AP® and Advanced Placement® are registered trademarks of the College Board. Used with permission.