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100 Schools on SmartCollegeVisit's Twitter ListOur Twitter List of Colleges and Universities features a growing list of college admissions and news offices using Twitter. It's now 100 strong!
Follow us on Twitter @collegevisit and follow the list at @collegevisit/colleges-and-universities.
Student-to-Student: Questions to ask on a College VisitHere at SmartCollegeVisit, we've written several posts ranging from why a college visit is important, to providing recommendations on how to get the most out of each campus visit. A common thread among our college admissions experts is that it's important to talk with college students while visiting campus.
Some schools make it easy by including a student panel during the information session and hosting a Q & A session, but you don't have to limit yourself to the group of students hand-picked to be on a panel. It's OK to talk with strangers. A quick scan of activity on campus will give you a good idea about whom to approach and when.
When choosing a student to speak with, it's probably not a good idea to approach someone who appears to be heading to class, especially if he or she is walking rather quickly or appears to be in a hurry. Instead, look for students who are heading toward their dorm, the student center or the dining facility. Students sitting outside talking with friends are also likely candidates.
If you're wondering what to say or ask, college counselors, Jean Rutherford Wall and Tara Nelan, both from the Tampa Preparatory School, developed an excellent guide for their students, but even high school students who are not enrolled at Tampa Prep can benefit from the information. Below is a list of sample questions from The Tampa Preparatory School College Counseling Guide that Wall and Nelan recommend asking current college students:
- Why did you choose____________?
- What would you change about the college?
- What would you fight to keep unchanged at your college?
- What do you think makes your school distinctive?
- What are the major campus issues?
- Have you been challenged in your coursework?
- How large were your classes freshman year? How large are they now?
- What do students do on the weekend?
- How effective is the faculty advising system?
- How is the relationship between the students and the surrounding community?
- How important is the Greek system?
- Does the student body have a voice in the university?
- Have you ever met the college president?
- If you had to select a college from the start, would you make the same choice?
- How many years will it take to earn your degree?
Can you think of others? Comments are always welcome.
For more information about the Tampa Preparatory School, visit their web site at: www.tampaprep.org.
A First College Visit Story: WSUThe excerpt below appears courtesy of Handshake Media. It is from the First College Visit series on Handshake 2.0. To read the complete article, click on "more on Handshake 2.0" to read the full text.
The Wheat Fields Were Amber Waves of Grain - Handshake 2.0
Growing up in suburban Seattle, I wanted to get out into the world on my own, yet within driving distance of home. Washington State University was 285 miles away and seemed to fit the bill. Over a long weekend, a high school senior classmate and I drove over to Pullman to check it out. An older friend had offered his floor for us to sleep on.
Christina McIntyre, associate director of University Honors at Virginia Tech and founder of BecomeAlum, says being in an honors program can include opportunities that are outside the norm for individual students. She says it’s a way to get “an ivy-league education at a public university.”
Because honors programs vary widely in structure and mission, McIntyre recommends scheduling face-to-face meetings with honors program staff when you visit schools: “An actual visit can reveal how people involved in the honors program interact with students as individuals.”
Preparing for the Visit: What Should I Ask?
As you research a school’s honors program web page or brochure, consider the primary questions below; then form follow-up questions to ask in person:
Primary Question #1
- What is the focus of the honors experience? Is it strictly a matter of taking harder/more in-depth courses to achieve an honors diploma, or is there more?
Example Follow-up Questions
- Are there opportunities/requirements for independent research, creative projects, collaborative projects, community projects, presentations, travel?
- Is there a series of required courses, or can I shape my own program? For example, can I take a regular course and work with the professor to make it an honors course for me?
Primary Question #2
- How would the honors program connect with my major?
Example Follow-up Questions
- How have past students in my major completed the honors diploma?
- Would my honors courses count toward my major or general education requirements?
- Would I have an honors adviser and a major adviser?
- If I enter school as an undeclared major, would I still be able to make progress toward an honors diploma?
Primary Question #3
- Is there a residential component to the honors program (a “living/learning community” in which honors students live in the same residence hall)?
Example Follow-up Questions
If there is not a residential component:
- Are there other opportunities for interaction among honors students?
If there is a residential component:
- Is the purpose mainly to give honors students a quiet place to live, or are opportunities built in for academic and social interaction?
- Are honors program staff part of the community?
- Would I have a student mentor?
- Tell me more.
(McIntyre notes: “National research has shown that students who are part of living/learning communities perform better academically and are more engaged in the university.”)
Primary Question #4
- What benefits does the honors program offer that I might not have thought about?
Example Follow-up Question
- I noticed on your web page that honors students get priority registration. What does this mean? Why do honors students get priority registration?
(McIntyre notes: “Comparing the way a variety of schools answer questions like this one can tell you volumes about the working philosophy of an honors program.”
Primary Question #5
- How would I enter the honors program? (Can I apply on my own, or do I have to be invited? What is the deadline for application?)
Example Follow-up Questions
- If there is an application process, what does it include?
- Is the honors program open only to entering freshmen, or can students apply later (for example, during the sophomore or junior year)?
- If I’m not eligible now but can apply later, what would I need to do to become eligible?
- Are honors courses available to students who are not in the honors program?
Be Ready to Answer Questions, Too
“A visit to an honors program can end up being an informal interview, an opportunity to stand apart from others who visit – to be identified as someone to keep an eye on,” says McIntyre. “You, the student, should be engaged in this visit whether it’s one-on-one or in a group.”
A Question Likely to be Asked of You
- Why are you interested in participating in the honors program at this university?
Preparing to Answer
- Read all the information available and ask yourself: “How does my idea of what I want from a college education align with this school’s honors program mission, philosophy and structure?”
Before you visit a school, see about arranging a visit with the honors program while you’re there.
If the web page doesn’t list a daily information session for the honors program, call and ask to schedule one. The more lead time the better – staff might not be available if you wait and call the day before or day of your visit.
“The interpersonal connection made that day can make a big difference in a student's impression of a school and its honors program,” says McIntyre. “I have seen students completely change their ‘top school’ choices based on these visits.”
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Kathie Dickenson is an award-winning higher-education writer and editor and a regular contributor to SmartCollegeVisit.
Yes, Visit (Advice from St. Catherine University) Senior Admission Counselor Mary Sue Miheve of St. Catherine University encourages students to visit schools in which they may be interested: “Not only does it give you an idea of the actual facilities and lay-out of the college campus, it can also give you an idea of the community and culture. Are students in the quad eating lunch, chatting between classes or throwing a frisbee, or is everyone wearing headphones and walking to classes in silence? A campus tour can also give you time to chat with a current student about her experience and truly allow you to gauge the personality of the campus and the make-up of the student body.”
Some tips from St. Kate’s Mary Sue Miheve:
Start visiting in your sophomore or junior year of high school. These first visits can help you begin to understand exactly what would be the best fit for you. Do you like the feel of a large state university or a small private campus? Do you want to stay close to home or be farther away? Do you want to be in an urban environment or a more rural setting? Visiting a variety of campuses will help you answer these questions.
Take some time to think about your campus visit ahead of time. Sit down with your family and think of questions you would like to ask and topics you would like to discuss with both an admission representative and current students.
When setting up your campus visit be specific as to what you would like to hear and see. For example, if you are interested in Art be sure to ask if the Art studio is part of the tour. If it is not, ask if someone can show you the facilities separately. This will allow the admission office to understand your needs and give you clear expectations about your visit.
“At St. Kate's,” says Miheve, “our tour allows students to choose 2-3 unique sites (for example, the Art Gallery, Nutrition/Fashion Labs, Nursing Labs, or specific offices) to see during their tour time in addition to the standard tour route. These are places that may not be of interest to every student but that can meet individual students’ interests. As a small campus we feel it is important to give each student a sense of the individual attention they will receive while attending school here starting right from their first campus tour. Most tours are one-on-one, meaning one tour guide per family.”
St. Catherine University sits on 110 wooded acres in the Highland Village neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota — less than a mile from the Mississippi River and in one of the most vibrant metropolitan areas of the country. To learn more, visit St. Kate’s website: www.stkate.edu.
To keep up with answers to your questions and impressions of the schools you visit, download the Smart College Evaluation Form. Print as many copies as you need and take them with you as you travel from college to college.
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Kathie Dickenson edited this post. She is an award-winning higher-education writer and editor and a regular contributor to SmartCollegeVisit.
