When is the Best Time to Visit?

When you are ready to start narrowing your college list down to the finalists, you should start thinking about college visits. Usually this will happen around the Spring of your Junior year or the Fall of your Senior year. When deciding the dates of your visit, start with these two tips:

• Ask the college or research the website! They will usually list the best time to visit their school. This will help you avoid weeks like Spring Break or Finals week, when campuses are less likely to offer tours.

• The beginning or middle of the week is preferred because campuses can sometimes be quieter on Fridays. Your best bet is to use Sunday for travel and Monday for things like tours and class visits.

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What Should You Do When You Visit?

Check out these printable checklists from the CollegeBoard to help plan and evaluate your college visits:

• CollegeBoard - Campus Visit Checklist

• CollegeBoard - Campus Visit Scorecard

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Fly-In Programs

If you’re thinking about going to school away from home, you should be familiar with fly-in and special visit programs, where schools pay for prospective students with limited financial resources to visit campus. These programs can give you a unique opportunity to not only visit campus, but to spend a few days there, sit in on classes, and interact with students who may very well be your peers for the next four years.

You can find out about fly-in and special visit programs by checking out schools’ websites for information about visiting campus. Does the school offer tours, on-campus interviews, and overnight stays? Do they have special events for low-income or multicultural students? If you’re not sure, call up the school’s Admissions Office and let them know who you are, when you want to visit, and if your family has financial difficulties. They may have special programs or transportation stipends for you and your family to visit campus.

Below is a list of schools we’re partnered with who offer visit and fly-in programs. For more information on dates and registration/application deadlines, contact the schools directly.

• Babson College (MA)

• Barnard College (NY)

• Bates College (ME)

• Brandeis University (MA)

• Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

• The Catholic University of America (DC)

• Claremont McKenna College (CA)

• Columbia University in the City of New York (NY)

• Concordia University of Texas (TX)

• Cornell University (NY)

• Dartmouth College (NC)

• Davidson College (NC)

• Dickinson College (PA)

• Emory University (GA)

• Feather River College (CA)

• Grinnell College (IA)

• Illinois State University (IL)

• Indiana University - Bloomington (IN)

• Iowa Wesleyan University (IA)

• John Hopkins University (MD)

• Lasell University (MA)

• Middlebury College (VT)

• Moravian College (PA)

• Mount Saint Mary's University (CA)

• New York University (NY)

• Northwestern University (IL)

• Otis College of Art & Design (CA)

• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY)

• Sarah Lawrence College (NY)

• Skidmore College (NY)

• Smith College (MA)

• St. Francis College (NY)

• St. John's College (MD & NM)

• St. Mary's College of Maryland (MD)

• St. Olaf College (MN)

• Texas State University (TX)

• Trinity College (CT)

• Tufts University (MA)

• University of Illinois Springfield (IL)

• University of Maine at Machias (ME)

• University of North Carolina at Asheville (NC)

• University of Oregon (OR)

• University of Pennsylvania (PA)

• University of Richmond (VA)

• University of Rochester (NY)

• University of San Francisco (CA)

• The University of Virginia College at Wise (VA)

• Vanderbilt University (TN)

• Washington and Lee University (VA)

• Washington University in St. Louis (MO)

• Wellesley College (MA)

• Wesleyan University (CT)

• Whitman College (WA)

• Willamette University (OR)

• Williams College (MA)

• Wittenberg University (OH)

• Yale University (CT)

Can’t Visit? Don’t Stress!

Visiting a college campus is definitely the best way to determine if a school is going to be a good fit for you. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider schools you can’t physically visit. Here are some other ways to get to know a school a little better.

Go Online

Visit the college’s website (and look for them on Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Spend an hour or two browsing the website contents. Most colleges have a lot of material online for interested students. Here are some things to look for:

• Virtual tours that show you around the campus.

• Information about campus life, such as organizations and clubs, past and upcoming events, and student support and resources offered.

• Links to student blogs and newspapers. These can tell you a lot about what’s happening on campus and the kind of students that attend the school. You can also check out the descriptions of student clubs, organizations and other opportunities offered at the school.

• A sign-up page for interested students to request brochures and more information.

• You can also use resources like www.ratemyprofessors.com to find out more about universities. Although it’s primarily used to provide student feedback on teachers, some students also will rate their university as a whole.

Attend a College Fair

Visiting a college fair gives you a chance to meet with admissions officers and request more information from schools that interest you. Come prepared with questions to ask about the school and take down the admissions officers’ contact information in case you think of more questions later.

Speak with Students and Alumni

If you can’t visit a school, speaking with alumni and current students might be the next best thing. Make sure you get as many opinions and perspectives as possible and be sure to ask about both the positives and negatives of their experience at the school. Some colleges have student or alumni liaisons who will schedule a phone call with you to answer questions and talk about the school. Some may offer alumni interviews in your city. Yes, these interviews are primarily so the alumni officer can assess you, but they are also a great chance for you to ask questions.

How to research schools without a college visit