Should families prioritize local schools or consider traveling to out of state colleges?

I like it, especially when students are younger, freshman, or sophomore. I think visiting local colleges is a great way to start the process, just to get an idea: “Do I like big?” “Do I like small?” “Do I like a school that’s in a city?” “Do I like a school that’s in a quintessential college town?” Those are great ways to just get an idea of what you’re looking for in a college experience, even if you don’t end up applying to those schools. I often will tell families, “Hey, if you’re on a trip and there’s college nearby, see if you can go walk around campus.”

What extracurricular activities, or leadership opportunities do colleges value most at this stage?

So, I love this question a lot because a lot of times students think there are some extracurricular activities that are better than others, and I disagree. I don’t think that there is a list of things like high priority, lower priority, activities. They want to know how you are engaging in your community, your school community at large, outside of the classroom. They just want to know how you get engaged out of the classroom, because that gives them an idea of how you might get engaged on their campus, right? What colleges look for is something called “Longevity and Leadership,” so something that you have committed to over time; Leadership is definitely something that they value, have you taken on more leadership over time. “Have you organized an event?” That [type of] leadership, even if you’re not the president. That’s the kind of stuff they are looking for. 

What kinds of questions are the best to ask during a campus tour to get the most useful information.

I think [one] of the most telling questions is, “why did you choose this school?” Right I mean it sounds obvious but I’ve been on enough college visits, either in my role or with my own kids, that it’s interesting to hear their answers. I mean, everyone has a different reason and I think it’s just helpful to hear from so many different people. Another question that I think is just as important to ask is “what frustrates you about this school,” “what don’t you like or what would you change about this school.” Because it gives you a lens that no place is perfect, right but what kinds of things are students frustrated about, and then you can decide as a potential student, is this important to me. So those two questions are great ones for sure, but I think, another one that I always hear on visits that I think, is what do students do here on the weekends. Right because some schools are more commuter schools, a lot of people go home. Some schools like there’s always something going on, and so then you get that student’s perspective, and the kinds of things they do on the weekends. One question I always asked, my kids hate it when I ask questions, but I would always say, “what’s the culture here; do you feel like you’re competing with your peers, or is it more collaborative?” And honestly people would usually answer pretty honestly.

What unique experiences can students gain from visiting colleges while it’s in session?

So I think our advice is, whenever possible, try to do a college visit while students are actively there, while schools are in session. I mean any college visit is going to be beneficial for a student to walk on campus, get a feel for things, get a sense of how I see myself here. But definitely doing it when students are on campus is ideal for a number of reasons, you really do get a sense of “how crowded are the side walks between classes,” or “are people talking to each other?” You get a sense of the culture on campus, but you can also talk to students. One of the things we encourage students to do is if you’re sitting down for lunch, ask someone who looks nice next to you, like, “hey, can you tell me why you chose to come to this school?” Then you get a perspective that’s different from the tour guides. Tour guides are awesome, but they are also the most outgoing; usually not always the best, but for the most part they’re pretty good…It’s just getting a sense of culture on campus.