How To Adult: College Visit 101

During high school, students should begin to think of where they want to go next. Start visiting colleges early to decide on what type of college fits best. Sometimes when touring a campus, students may not know what to ask. It’s a good idea to research beforehand and have questions prepared.

Scholarship Benefits
Each college has its own scholarships and grants; whichever college you visit may have easy opportunities. Ask if taking more hours will get you grants. If finances worry you, see which school will help the most.

Room and Board
Some colleges require students, mostly freshmen, to live on campus. Find out if the colleges that interest you require it or not. Go to the campus website and figure out how much room and board costs, if you were to live on campus, by asking admissions or looking at their website. Sometimes this can be more than the tuition itself.

Majors & Minors
Find out the major you want, and if the schools you like offer it. Many times someone will have an interest in a school and later find out they do not offer their major. This happens with uncommon majors and causes many people to change schools. Lessen the hassle and find out this information beforehand. Read through the course guide for each major.

Meal Plans
Some colleges require you to purchase a meal plan if you live on campus, so look into the types of meal plans to find one that works best for you. If you do not want a meal plan, find a school that does not require them, or live off campus.

Environment
As you visit this college, you should be looking to see what type of environment it offers. Decide on whether you prefer a urban or rural environment, and look at schools that have the environment you like. You will not enjoy college if you dislike the environment. In order to make the most out of college life, make everything how you want it.

Extracurricular Activities/Clubs
Ask about what kind of activities and clubs this college offers and determine if they interest you. As a college student you should get involved. Find clubs or extracurricular things this school offers that you would enjoy being apart of. If you want to play sports, but not professionally, some colleges do have recreational sports.

Emotional Support
If emotional support concerns you, or you think you will need it, find out if this college provides it. Also, if you want your own pet on campus, see if they allow pets on campus. Something like this could be a dealbreaker. Some colleges also have support counselors that can assist you whenever needed. Most colleges include this in your tuition, but double checking would not hurt.

Academic Support
Almost all colleges have some kind of tutoring available to you. You can ask about this while visiting the college or look it up on their website. Some colleges also rent out (included in tuition) laptops, tablets and even chargers. People with disabilities can also be accommodated by getting note takers in class, or getting tests in a different location than the classroom. More information about this would be available in one of the libraries.