The college visit: Basics & Checklist

Touring a college provides teenagers opportunities to visualize themselves living and studying away from home. For college visits with younger children the main objective is to plant the idea of higher education in their minds - such visits can be combined with a family vacation or outing. Once the college search process kicks in, however, the focus is on finding an appropriate and affordable fit.

During the visit you should scrutinize the learning center and eat at the college cafeteria at peak hours. While the tour and the info session are sales pitches where the school exposes you to carefully selected students and staff, the cafeteria offers an unedited version of the college and a chance to speak with random students.  How is the atmosphere? Do students look happy? Food options? Ask students about what they like and dislike about this college, why they choose to attend and what a typical day looks like.

College Visit Checklist LD Students

Before deciding to visit a college, do your homework. LD support varies from college to college. School websites have answers to many of the questions below.

1. What LD accommodations are offered? How do to obtain accommodations? What documentation is required?
2. What tutoring, counseling, and support services are available on campus and how are they accessed? Is there an additional fee for these services?

3.  What academic elements are considered in the admissions process - courses, grades, test scores, interests, financial needs, essays, recommendations, and interviews? How important is each of these factors?

4.      How many students at this campus? Student/teacher ratio?

5. Which academic programs on campus are the most popular?
6. What is the largest class size for a freshman or sophomore? How many large classes to expect?
7. Who teaches freshman classes? (tenured professors? teaching assistants?)
8. What is the freshmen retention rate?
9. What is the graduation rate? (4 year? 5 year? LD kids sometime need 5 years)
10. What activities do students participate in during their free time-on campus (school sponsored) and in the community? What are the most popular extracurricular activities? 
11. Greek life? (fraternities and sororities?) If so, what percent of the student body participates in Greek life? Are parties open? How do students who elect not to participate in the Greek system fit in? Policies against hazing?
12. What portion of the student body lives on campus? What portion of the student body remains on campus for the weekends?
13. What transportation options are available to and from campus? Trips home? Trip to the mall/shopping/excursions?  Trips to points of interests?
14. Can freshmen have cars on campus? What is the fee for having a car on campus?
15. Where do students go if they have a medical emergency?
16. Do you need to bring your own computer? Are the dorms wired for Internet/e-mail services?
17. What laundry facilities are available?
18. What are the safety issues on campus? How are they addressed?
19. Is campus housing guaranteed for all four years? What percent of students live on campus all four years? What housing options exist? (Theme housing? Single sex? Coed? Greek? Off-campus?)
20. What meal plans are available? Are freshmen required to purchase a specific type of meal plan? What hours may students access food services?
21. What is the yearly cost of attendance, including books, tuition, fees, housing, meal plans?
22. Which financial aid forms are required? FAFSA, a CSS Profile, institutional or school specific forms, states forms?
23. What percent of entering freshman received aid? Merit aid? Is merit aid also need based? What is the average freshman aid package? Is there a way aid is packaged - loans first, for example? Is the aid package negotiable?