The Ins and Outs of Campus Visits and the College Fair: Agenda and Activities 1.Why campus visits? 2. How to make the most of your visit 3. How do you even plan a visit? 4. Alternatives to visiting 5. The College Fair & Business Cards

THE INITIAL (JUNIOR YEAR) GOAL: The initial goal is to develop a list of 10 – 25 colleges that reflects your interests and preferences and that represents a balance of “reach, likely, and very likely” colleges in regard to your chances for admission. THE FINAL GOAL: Early in the senior year, you will pare down the initial list to 5 – 10 colleges to which you will apply for admission. The Magic “8”

How do you choose colleges to apply to? How do you feel out what’s best for you? When should you visit? (Undergraduates Give Advice) colleges/how-find-your-college-fit colleges/campus-visit-guide/when-to-visit colleges/how-find-your-college-fit colleges/campus-visit-guide/when-to-visit

“Every college visit should have at least two dimensions, formal and informal,” notes Janet Schneider, director of college counseling at the University School of Nashville (TN). What are “formal” dimensions? What are “informal” dimensions?

Formal Dimensions * Take a campus tour * Have an interview with admission officer * Participate in group information session at the admission office * Sit in on a class (or two!) * Talk to a professor (or two) in your chosen major(s) * Talk to a coach in your chosen sport * Talk to a student or counselor in the career center * Spend the night in the dorm with a current student

Informal dimensions Read the student newspaper Eat in the cafeteria Talk to current students Wander around the campus by yourself Read the bulletin boards in the student union and in the academic department you're interested in Browse in the college bookstore

Informal Dimensions Continued Walk or drive around the surrounding area How will you get to/from home? Ask a student what he/she does on weekends Ask career services about what graduates do Try to see a dorm that you didn't see on the tour See if you can imagine yourself at this college colleges/campus-visit-guide/campus-visits- before-you-go-college-visit colleges/campus-visit-guide/campus-visits- before-you-go-college-visit

To cover both dimensions, begin your planning with a checklist. To make sure you’re able to see everything you’d like to, don't forget to call the college ahead of time and schedule your visit! So… how do we do that? And when?

Possible Times for College Visits: * Spring Break * Ex. Ed. Week Fall ’15 & Spring Break * In conjunction with family trips * As an add-on to sports or other extracurricular activities * Summer Break (late August is best) * October Break & Thanksgiving

Alternatives to Visiting: * Colleges Visiting Us! (Naviance Alerts) * Online Tours: * Mini-Interviews (Prior to College Fair) * Possibility Shopping (Juniors) * Sealing the Deal (Seniors)

College Fair: Do your research Come prepared Business Cards Volunteering Follow-up/Relationship Building