Spotting a Good Fit on a Campus Visit
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009By Jillianne Hamilton
Choosing a college can be a stressful time. Your parents are encouraging you to go to one school, your friends are recommending another. But what about what is best for you? Well, it’s time for a college campus tour.
Visiting a college campus before starting in the fall can make or break your final decision. But when you’re visiting the campus of one of your top college choices, how do you know whether it’s the right fit or not? Here are a few things to think about when your deciding which college is best for you.
1) How big is the campus? Maybe a huge campus is intimidating for you. Or, simply, you have no sense of direction. Remember: just because a university is huge, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily better, or even a good fit for you.
2) If possible, talk to at least a couple of your prospective professors. Do they seem like people you could spend hours listening to? Keep in mind, you’ll be listening to them talking a lot next year. If you are unable to talk to some of your teachers, request to sit in on a lecture or class so you can see what they’re like as a teacher. FYI: Teachers can sometimes be completely different face-to-face than when they’re teaching.
3) Check out the campus dorms. You can usually make appointments for a tour of the dorms beforehand. If you’re the type who needs your own space (rather than sharing a 2 by 4 holding cell), you may want to apply for a single room (which will cost you a little more) and start looking for an apartment in the area. However, keep in mind that most people make the majority of their friends on campus during their first semester in the dorms, so don’t be too quick to move off of campus.
4) Don’t forget about sports, clubs and campus extras. If you’re into extracurricular activities, you may want to check out the school’s athletics program and team sports available. Most colleges offer a wide variety of clubs and facilities to make the transition from high school to college a little easier on students. (Just don’t attend a college based on their previous athletic success. That’s silly.)
5) What about the town/city? Chances are you won’t be restricted to just the college campus. If you’re unfamiliar with the town or city you’re moving to, take a walk or drive around. Visit the downtown area. If you’re bringing a car to college with you, keep an eye out for parking structures and one-way streets. If you don’t have a car, look into taxi prices (ew) and the cost of a bus pass (yay!).
But more important than any of these tips, listen to your gut. If it feels right to you, then it’s probably a pretty cool place to live and learn.
Jillianne Hamilton is a writer, blogger and photographer from Nova Scotia, Canada. She writes for various blogs, including myUsearch. Find out more about Jill at her website.
Woo Girls/Yeah Bros: These girls and boys know how to party, and not much else. You can easily spot them by their vacant stare, polo shirt or slutty top, and the emphatic enthusiasm they show every time someone takes a shot. Always down for beer-pong, and always late for class, the woo girl/yeah bro is a staple of college parties and spring break. In addition to the endemic woo-cry, also look out for the blinding flashes coming from their digital cameras as they document every drunken, ridiculous moment of their lives.
Future Waiters: They are like, working on a lot of creative projects right now. You should totally come check out their show! They are trying to like, break down the artistic barriers…it’ll be a really, really profound experience. They don’t just want to learn, they want to live. Finding a solution for climate change through interpretive dance never seemed like a better idea.
