Juniors: Plan Visits Wisely

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

It can seem overwhelming to plan visits to colleges when there are so many types of schools to see. There are only so many days of vacation or long weekends, and overloading them with college visits may do more harm than good. If you visit too many schools, especially in too short of a time, they will often run together and it will be difficult to get much out of the visits. So, at the beginning, it is important to choose schools that are different in significant ways in order to maximize the value of visiting.

Some important factors to consider are size, location, academic offerings, and selectivity. If students are unsure whether they would be happy at a large university with a bustling environment, or a small liberal arts college in a rural area, then it is important to visit both of these types of schools as well as schools that fall in-between. Be sure that each school has something a bit different to add to the mix.

Students should not get too caught up in what they assume they want before they have an opportunity to experience different types of environments. It is much better to be able to say that you don’t like something than to say that you wish you had known this type of school existed. Even if a student is convinced he only wants to attend College X, it isn’t advisable to only visit College X and schools exactly like College X. It is crucial to push the boundaries of one’s expectations, and visiting can help students narrow their interests and options. Even if students return from visits just as committed to attending College X or schools like it, that commitment is now more informed by the experience of seeing what such schools—and others—are actually like.

Once you have determined which schools to visit, there are a number of things that students and parents can do to make the most of the visiting experience. Our next post will provide tips for how to make visiting colleges exciting, fun and informative.