Visiting is a vital part of finding great college matches. We encourage our students to meet with admissions, take a tour, sit in on a class, eat in the cafe, and speak with current students on campus. We find that our students that actively visit are more confident about what they want and what a good fit looks like for them.
Visiting is like test driving a car. Many people test drive a car before buying it. For those of you who know me, I am 6’4 and can’t fit in some cars. Buying a car without sitting in it would make me anxious because I would still have so many questions about how comfortable I would be. The same goes for visiting college! Students need to see if various colleges are a good fit. When we are looking at good matches for students we look at academics, social life, extracurriculars and learning support. If students don’t feel comfortable in those areas while on campus, it isn’t a proper match. If you are in the market for a sports car, you want to make sure that it drives as such. What if you want a quick-paced academic curriculum but find yourself in a school that doesn’t move at that pace? Get the point? You are afforded an opportunity to test drive colleges for a reason!
There are benefits visiting colleges outside of test driving. Colleges love when students are on campus because it shows the student’s interest. Yield, which is the number of students attending a college that has accepted them, is an extremely important data point for college admission offices. Colleges want kids that want them. Demonstrating interest in this way is a great start!