Choosing a College: Take A Tour: Can I see myself here?

TAKE A TOUR......Better Yet, Stay Overnight, if you can. The best way to get a true feel for a school is to take a tour of the school and stay over night. Who knows if the administrators and the kids the administrators choose are telling the whole truth about a school. OF COURSE they want to make everything seem perfect...that's their job. So Ask the odd questions.
Some things to check out while at a school...

• School Newspaper
• This can give you intimate clues about the schools ongoing issues or problems and how they manage to resolve them
• Cafeteria
• Don't eat the catered lunch, eat the real college food...can you last there for months on this stuff? Is it edible?
• Dorm Rooms
• Check out multiple rooms around campus, think about living situations and bathroom situations, can you see yourself there?
• Visit Some Classes/Pick up a Course Catalog
• Does the school have your intended major? Visit a class to see the caliber of work that is expected of students
• Set up a meeting with a professor, many professors are more than happy to speak with you about their academic department and the work they do
• How are the classes taught...discussion, lecture, problem solving, group learning? Small/Large Class?
• Check out the surrounding area
• Is it too rural/urban/suburban? Remember you will likely stay there for the next four years.
• What is the social scene like?
• What do the majority of people do on the weekdays/weekends for fun, trust me it matters.
• Local Transportation
• Will you need a car to get off campus, for fun, jobs, volunteering?
• Is there accessible public transportation?
• Are there places to live nearby?
• Many schools do NOT guarantee housing for all four years, is there affordable housing in the surrounding areas?
• Other Colleges
• If you get tired of the social bubble at your school are there other colleges nearby where you can network with new faces?