Friendly faces, lush landscapes, and the persuasive tone of a college brochure can make every college seem like it’s the one. Photos, especially the gorgeous glossy photos in a college brochure, tend to paint happy pictures of every college campus. How can you choose? Easy: does it fit you?
jeremy.wilburn/Jeremy Wilburn
When it comes to a college campus: you need to see the whole picture and not just a carefully composed snapshot. You should get a feel for the general atmosphere, the classrooms, and the students, things you can’t glean out of a college brochure.
You are potentially going to spend four years of your life (and plenty of money) here: make sure it’s a good fit — and that what’s portrayed in the brochure is what’s actually happening in real life.
A college campus may boast of its sprawling acreage or comfortable size, but what does that mean? Are the classrooms that you need in convenient and close proximity to one another or will you need a car to get around? Does the campus make you feel safe and protected? Is it well-maintained? If you crave the bright lights of the city, make sure that your college of choice isn’t under-estimating it’s distance to the action.
It can be hard to tell from a brochure just what a college campus is really like unless you actually take the time to check it out. Get the real story – and keep our tips to remember when visiting a college campus in mind. In this case, seeing is believing. Schedule a campus tour when college is actually in session. Skip the campus visit and you may strike out!
Related posts:
- Beyond the Campus Tour: 7 Signs to Look for When You Visit a College
- Before You Make The College Campus Visit: 4 Things to Know
- 5 Reasons A Summer College Visit Is A Smart Idea.
- When Should I Visit a College?
- Large Campus Body Small Campus Feel: Common Experience Program at Texas State University San Marcos
Tags: campus visit, Choosing a College, college admissions, college atmosphere, college brochure, college campus visit, college classes, college students, college visit
Very good points made here! I agree with the importance of the college visit. However, when visiting a college, be prepared for your admissions sales pitch. As admissions become more of a competitive process with colleges going all out in their recruiting, some admissions “advisors” are being trained as sales people and their pitches can be overwhelming.
To get a better feel for the college, I recommend that on your campus visit you try to talk to random students to hear what they think. As you talk to students be prepared for strong opinions from extreme supporters or distracters and try to take each person’s perspective for what it is – the experience of one person. However, often you can get a much better feel for what the college is really like from ‘regular’ students than from the catalog, your admissions rep, or the volunteer campus tour guide. Happy college shopping!
[...] new ones!) across the oh-so many social networks. Even before you ever get to college, those campus visits, financial aid forms, and college applications are enough to keep you [...]