How to make the most out of your college visits!

8 ways to make the most out of a college visit.

College visits can be fun or very stressful, but you only get to enjoy it with your teenager a few times in life. So here is a list of how to make the most out of your college visit….

1.  Begin by making a list of colleges that your son or daughter are interested in. You can use the college planner that I have created to help you stay organized while planning your college visits.

2. Once the list is created then group the colleges by location.

3.  Map out the location of the schools and sign up for a time to visit (most visits take about 2-3 hours). We visited 3 colleges over 2 days.  I made sure that I had enough time to arrive for the first visit, spend the necessary time at the college and driving time to arrive at the next school.

4.  Once the visits are schedule you will need to consider accommodations and meals. From my personal experience, we visited 2 colleges on the first day, and drove to hotel that was close to the college that we wanted to visit the following day.  This allowed us to schedule an early visit and still drive home in the same day.

5.  It is very important to make a list of likes and dislikes and get any questions answered while you are visiting the school. In the college planner there are 4 pages specific to college visits.

6.  While driving in the car, talk with your son or daughter about questions that they may have during the visit. Is there anything specific that they are concerned, worried or wondering about that you can be sure gets answered during the visit.

7.  If you are an athlete try to schedule a meeting with the coach during your visit, even if it is just to introduce yourself. Shake the coach’s hand, look them in the eye and speak clearly.  (Tip – stay off of your phone during your meeting, unless the coach gives you specific information for your phone, such as contact info, a specific app or website.)

8.  Most importantly, have fun! Enjoy this time with your son or daughter.  It only happens once and I promise it goes by so quickly.  Go out for a fun dinner or lunch after the visit and take time to have a conversation about the visit.

If you have already been through this experience…

What made your college visit successful?

Is there anything that you would have done differently during your college visit?