Tufts Blogs

Campus visits can easily blur together. They all have an information session, followed by a campus tour, and by the end of your visit, you’ve spent almost two hours being loaded with details about academics, student life, and the application process. At the start of your college search process you assume you’ll remember everything that was shared, but by the end it can all blur together. Sometimes you are able to visit your top school a second time, which is a great way to confirm your interest, but sometimes you have only one opportunity before you need to decide where to spend four years.

That’s why it’s important to make the most of your time on a college campus by utilizing a few tips I’ve learned along the way from my own experience working with our campus visit program:

1. Make a list of what’s important to you in a college experience.

Before you begin visiting schools, think about what you hope your undergraduate experience will look like. What majors are you considering? What clubs are important to you? Do you think you want to go abroad? Do you like schools in the city or suburban or rural areas? Or perhaps a school that’s the best of both worlds, like Tufts!? It’s also okay if this list changes as you start to visit schools. Having a starting point can help you think about what questions you might want to get answered during your time on campus.

2. Think about what you might not be able to read about online.

As you are coming up with your list of questions before your visit, see which questions can already be answered by the school’s website. You might not have unlimited time to ask questions during your visit, so consider what can’t be answered with a quick search. Ask about the tour guide’s favorite campus tradition or how their transition to college was. It’s better use of your time than asking about application deadlines, which are easily available online! However, keep in mind that not everything found via Google is true. Make sure you get information from the school’s website directly, so you know it’s correct.

3. Take advantage of your time on campus.

Your campus tour won’t be able to cover every part of campus. Campuses are typically too big to show off everything you might want to see during the tour. Still, you have traveled all the way to the school, so take advantage of any extra time you have. Walk around on your own or ask your tour guide what else you should see. Make the most of your time with the Admissions team as well. This is your main opportunity to talk to current students and admissions representatives in person, so ask the questions now while they are easily accessible.

4. After your visit, consider how you felt – and write it down!

Before you move on to your next visit, think about how you felt while you were on campus. Write down any key takeaways. Later, when you are trying to sort through all your options, you can turn back to these notes to jog your memory about a visit. Even if you didn’t love a college or university, write down what it was missing! This will help you focus on looking for that in other schools.

5. Afterwards, if you have any lingering questions, reach out!

We are always happy to talk to you! We know it’s a big decision with a lot of competing factors. Reach out to the admissions office if you have application-related questions or if you’d like to be connected to a current student.

Overall, enjoy this time! It’s exciting getting to explore new places and imagine what your next chapter is going to look like. You’ll end up exactly where you are supposed to be and make the most of the opportunities that are available.