The College Visit

The Arts Academy believes that visiting a school is one of the most valuable ways of learning about a college.  You can only gain so much information from the printed materials (FYI: Marketing professionals outside of the school create many of these.)  Talking to your friends is fine, but it is still their point of view, not yours.  College representatives, parents, alumni and friends cannot substitute for your first-hand impressions. 

In trying to understand the importance of visiting, use this analogy: attending college is like buying a house.  (After all, the cost is quite similar!)  Would you want to own a house that you have not even stepped inside of? Hopefully for four years, you will not only be studying at a college, but you must also live there.  A college visit is the only way you can determine for yourself the kinds of people, facilities, classes and faculty with whom you will merge your lifestyle and educational path. 

Arranging a Campus Visit
When you and your family have decided on a date to visit a college, call the admissions offices you plan to visit.  Make sure that you do this well in advance of your intended dates, for they may be booked already and cannot accommodate you.  (This is especially important around long holiday weekends, like Columbus Day.)  Do not waste time writing to the schools.  Letters will just get lost or delayed in the pile of mail.  Make all arrangements over the phone. 

Remember that it is the job of the Admissions Office to assist you in making on-campus arrangements. 
These should include a:

• campus tour
• visit with a particular department or teacher
• class observation
• personal interview

Some campuses have programs that include an overnight stay in the dormitories.  Others do not.  Check with the admissions offices.  If you would like to meet with particular instructors, then let the admissions office know.  (This may be of particular interest to music majors.)

If your parents are planning to attend, they may wish to set up an appointment with a financial aid counselor, perhaps even during your personal interview. There is a list of questions in the Financial Aid section to help the parents.

What Should I Look for on the Campus Tour?

Facilities First: Library, dormitories, dining halls, student union, studios, laboratories, as well as performance and exhibition halls.  Ask specifically to see the freshman housing.  (Sometimes the tours show you the prettiest dorms, only to find out later that they are for the upper-class students.)  Are there computer hookups in the dorms?  Are there computer labs for students?  PC or Mac?  Will you be working on a computer network?  If so, what applications are available for students? 

Face Forward: What is the campus’s general appearance.  What impression does it make?  Is there a lot of graffiti?  Are the grounds kept up?  Are the buildings maintained?  Does its appearance appeal to you?  Would you be comfortable living there?  Is the surrounding area beyond the campus safe?

Friendly Folk: What kinds of students are around?  Are these the kinds of people that you could make friends with? Learn from and with? Live in a dorm with?  Brush your teeth next to?  Arrange to spend time talking to the students…away from your parents.  Spend some time where the students hang out.  Get the scoop on their attitude toward the school, but do not just accept one student’s word as truth. This is filtered through his or her individual experience and personality.  It is when you hear similar patterns emerge from many students that you take notice.

FYI:  Do everything you can to talk to students not introduced by the admissions office, see a dorm room not on the tour, get the campus newspaper, see what’s on the bulletin boards, eat in the cafeteria, visit the bookstore…Marketing is marketing, after all, and you’ve traveled a distance to get beyond the marketing.