College visits 101

For many wide-eyed high schoolers, the college search can be an intimidating process. And for a college hopeful, nothing is more beneficial than a first-hand visit to your school of interest. Simply taking a look around won't suffice, however - to get the most out of these valuable visits, you have to know where to go, what to see and what to do. This guide will teach you how to get to know a college campus from the inside out.

When to go: You can learn the most from a college when it isn't expecting you. Avoid special days for visiting high schoolers, when faculty and students are least likely to behave naturally, according to career center counselor Cathy Henderson-Stein. She suggests visiting during regular days for the visit to be "as real as possible," she says.

Henderson-Stein suggests late August as a great time to visit, when many colleges have started, but high schools haven't. During the summer, you're likely to meet more summer campers than college students, but spring break will give you a more authentic look.

*Late August is the perfect time to visit - you're still on summer break, but many colleges are in session.
*Spring break is an easy time to plan a college visit vacation.
*For an authentic experience, avoid special visiting days.

How to approach: It's okay to be casual about visiting schools - take a minute to look up the colleges near your spring break vacation spot, and plan a day trip. No prior arrangements are necessary, so strike out on your own and wander around campus, have lunch in the dining hall and be sure to check out the surrounding town or city as well.

Some students prefer a more immersive approach. Many schools have designated dorms where visiting students can stay for overnight visits. Administrators generally need around two weeks to organize this, so be sure to call in advance. Sit in on a class if you can, and see what the academic atmosphere is like, taking into account class size and course focus.

*Check out schools near your spring break getaway.
*Take a self-guided tour of the campus.
*Stay over in a dorm.
*Try to sit in on a class.

Take a tour: A tour of the campus can be illuminating, especially if you know what to ask your tour guide. Guides are usually students who attend the school, so feel free to ask them questions about their experiences. Ask why they chose to come to this school and what they like most and least about it.

Henderson-Stein says more specific questions will yield more useful answers. For example, instead of asking if the dorms are quiet, which can get a relatively ambiguous answer, ask where the tour guide studies - if he or she goes to the library, maybe the dorms are too loud. To get a good sense of student life on campus, ask the guide what he or she did last weekend.

Also ask about campus safety, Henderson-Stein stresses. Though campus representatives are legally required to volunteer such information, not everyone does.

*Ask your tour guide specific questions.
*Don't let them skim over the bad stuff - make sure to get the full story.
*Remember to ask about campus safety.

Soak it in: College visits are all about ambiance. Spend a few hours on your own on campus. Pick up a copy of the school's newspaper to learn about the issues on campus and what the students care about. Take a look at the bulletin boards around campus and check out some of the events posted.

*Take a look at a newspaper to get an idea of what's going on at the school.
*Check out the bulletin boards to get an idea of what goes on on campus.

For the open-minded college hopeful, narrowing down your list of prospective schools can be a real challenge. Here are three sites that can prove very helpful. All require registration, but they're all free.

CollegeBoard.com is the ultimate college site. From the people who brought you the SATs, this site can help you register for tests, learn about available scholarships, and send off your applications. The site features extensive profiles of thousands of colleges including academics, location, sports, admissions rates and majors offered, including the most popular ones and percent of students taking them.

PrincetonReview.com's 2007 list of the 361 best schools is enough to keep you entertained for days - there are top 20 lists of party schools, politically active student bodies and extracurricular activities, among many others. The site's "Counselor-O-Matic" asks you a long series of questions about your test scores, academic ambitions and ideas for the perfect campus lifestyle and produces an in-depth list of colleges that match your interests.

Family Connections (formerly TCCi) allows you to compare your GPA to the averages at different schools and track your college application throughout the process of applying to schools. You can sign up for visits with college representatives and get e-mail alerts for information sessions, scholarships opportunities and more. To access Family Connections, go to the career center for your personal registration code. Family Connections is found at http://connection.naviance.com/mbhs/.

All of these sites are well worth looking into, but remember, there's nothing like a campus visit.