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VISITING COLLEGE CAMPUSES:
WHY AND HOW!
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Whenever returning high school
graduates are asked, "What one thing most helped you in deciding where
to go to college?" they always give the same response: "Visiting the campuses."
Every grad will tell you that the visits they made were more important
than reading the catalogs, talking with the college reps or attending the
College Fair Program. All of them emphasize the importance of visiting
the Admissions Office, taking a campus tour, and talking to both college
officials and students in attendance. As one student said, "When I finished
my third visit, I knew which college I wanted, but I still made two other
visits. They confirmed by decision about my first-choice campus."
Q Why is visiting campuses so important?
A Because no one should make a decision
as important as where to attend college on the
basis of pictures in a pretty
booklet or someone else's opinion.
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Pictures always show the most (and sometimes the only) beautiful spots
on a campus. The job of a college rep is to sell a college, not criticize
it. Only you can really decide which campuses "feel right" and "fit"
you best and will provide you with maximum opportunities for both personal
and intellectual growth.
* SIX IMPORTANT STEPS IN SETTING
UP A COLLEGE VISITATION
| 1. Select six or seven campuses to visit |
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Select six (or more) campuses you are thinking about attending. Select
both UC and State Colleges as well as private campuses. (Remember
that you are just looking and that private colleges provide more financial
aid, in general, than do others.
| 2. Visit local colleges first |
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Do not overlook the local colleges. Start with them to get experience
in handling a college visit. Our local area provides you with the
opportunity to see all four kinds of college campuses:
| Type of college |
Local college |
| UC |
UC Santa Cruz |
| CSU |
San Jose State University |
| Private |
Santa Clara University, Stanford, Menlo College |
| Community |
De Anza, Foothill, San Jose City,
West Valley, Mission |
| Bus./Tech College |
Heald, Cogswell |
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Don't pass up the easy, inexpensive opportunity these colleges provide
in gaining experience in what to ask and what to look for. Tour one
of them before you make the long distance visits so that you have some
practical experience to guide you when you're 500 miles from home!
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After you have made up your list of six or more campuses, plan your trips.
You may want to go with your parents or with a friend. Often, an
initial trip with a friend is a good way to start, with return visits to
your final top choices made with your parents. In general, we do
not recommend going with a group of friends. It is too easy to lose
sight of the serious purpose of the trip and end up with too little information
and a lot of fun, but, wasted hours.
| 4. Call ahead for appointments |
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Contact the Admissions Offices, ask about tours, and set up specific times
when you can talk to an Admissions Officer. If you know what your
major will be, try to get an appointment with the Department Chair or someone
in the Department Office. If you have time, make plans to stay overnight
in a campus dorm.
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On the day of your actual visit, be on time. Be prepared with questions.
Be sure you have at least looked through this catalog! At private
colleges a summer interview can be a big boost in getting admitted.
If you know you want to be considered for admission at a certain college,
be doubly sure you have done your homework. Don't make you first
impression your last.
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Above all, try to be relaxed. Completing visits in the early summer
practically ensures that the college application process in November will
go smoothly. Knowledge builds confidence, and confidence is what
makes tasks easy! We want every one of our seniors to get all the
knowledge necessary to be able to make confident decisions in the fall.
* QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK
ON A TOUR
The guided campus tour is
the ideal time to ask questions of your student guide that you don't want
to ask an admissions department interviewer or to which you feel you would
get a straighter answer from a student. Often it's a good idea to
ask the same questions of your guide and your admissions interviewer to
see how the answers differ. Questions to ask can be divided into
four areas: academic, social, surroundings, and general.
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How hard do you have to work to be successful? Do professors teach
most courses, or do graduate students do much of the teaching? What
is the attitude of most professors toward students? Are they friendly?
Accessible? Willing to give extra help?
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Some colleges are doing a lot these days in the area of career counseling.
How does this college stack up? (One college, for example, devotes
certain weekends to exploration of different careers with graduates coming
back to tell about what they do and talk about salary, advancements, etc.)
Is there a Career Planning and Placement Center on campus? How many
graduates does it help me place? Does the school have adequate computer
facilities? What percentage of graduates go on to professional or
graduate schools?
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What do students do on the weekends? Do many of them go home?
Is the campus empty? What is the situation with regard to drinking
and drugs? Are there good place to eat, aside from the official dining
halls? If the school is not co-ed, what kinds of social arrangements
are made? How important are fraternities and sororities in campus
life? Are groups in the college community involved in what's going
on in the outside world - politics, international relations, community
service?
| 3. Questions about the surrounding area |
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For non-urban schools, find out what the surrounding community is like.
How are relations between residents and students - the so-called "town-gown"
relationship? What's the transportation like between campus and town?
(This is particularly important at colleges where freshmen are not permitted
to have cars on campus.) Is there any large urban area accessible?
For urban schools, how safe is the neighborhood?
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What kinds of help are available - academic, personal, psychological -
in case you need them? How are personal problems handled? Always
ask what students like most about the college. Dislike most?
Also ask, "What's wrong with this place?" as well as, "What's
the greatest thing about this college?"
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Finally, what is the general attitude toward students by the college
admissions officers, registrar, dorm managers, assistant deans, and academic
advisers? Be sure to ask your guide what is true of this college.
Junior Calendar