University of Idaho, 2024
Over the winter, you have been working hard to define your College Criteria—the characteristics you are looking for in your future college. We’ve used self-surveys, card sorts, career information, and defining campus visits to help you get a sense of what is most important to you as you begin researching colleges. Now is the time to start visiting campuses on your college list.
Use the resources in your Walberg College Counseling Digital Binder to help you plan your visits.
Take notes and pictures. They will help when trying to remember the atmosphere of the school.
Use opportunities like school days off and in-service days to visit a college. Visiting when the college is in session will let you see the campus on a “normal day.”
Avoid visiting campus during “game days,” especially during football season. Visiting on a big game day can skew your perception of the campus. All of the activity and spirit on campus during those days are not representative of what the college looks like for most of the academic year.
If visiting during your spring break, check the college’s calendar to see if they are in session. Visiting a campus during their spring break can make the campus feel like a ghost town and leave a negative impression.
Preview a college by watching a virtual tour.
When deciding your itinerary, choose a balance of colleges that fit academically and socially. You can always visit more colleges after receiving acceptances.
Let the admission office know you’re visiting and give yourself 2-3 hours to visit campus.
Register for an official tour.
Meet with an admission counselor.
Have lunch in the cafeteria - what is the atmosphere like?
Meet with a coach, professor, or student representative of a club you are interested in.
If comfortable, talk to some students.
Ask why they chose this college.
What do they like or not like?
What is the campus like on the weekends?
What is the surrounding area like?
Explore the surrounding area by choosing a fun thing to research and compare.
For example, if you love ice cream, find a local store and indulge.
Do this with each college visit and compare your notes as a family!
Keeping an open mind during this process is essential.
Campus Visit Tips for Parents
Some colleges will likely resonate with you, but not your child.
Help your child reflect on the visit by asking open-ended questions about what they saw, heard, and thought while on campus.
Listen carefully to your child’s reactions before sharing your impressions.
Take your own notes, as your child may forget to write down information.
Most importantly, enjoy this time with your teen before they head into the next chapter of their lives. Try to build some downtime and fun activities that have nothing to do with college, and enjoy this exciting journey.
Want more tips? Here is a great article from Bierer College Counseling about making the most of spring break campus visits.
Make Plans to Build Your Activities Resume This Summer
Summer is a great time to relax, but it’s also a great time to explore academic interests and build your resume. Even a part-time job can help you understand what you could be interested in doing for a career.
If you already know what you want to do for a career, consider taking a college class or participating in a research program that will give you a deep academic experience. For example, UW’s Summer Sessions have lots of options (online and in person), and registration begins in April. Other colleges also offer summer courses and programming - to find those options, search for “high school summer programs” on your local college’s website.
Not sure what you want to do for a career or what you want to major in? No problem! Think about the things you already enjoy doing and expand on those activities. Love being a camper at summer camp? Consider becoming a camp counselor. Love apps and games on your phone or tablet and have ideas about improving them? Consider teaching yourself how to code or attend a coding camp like the ones offered through Digipen.
If you already participate in clubs and organizations, there are opportunities to expand your resume. You don’t have to be the club president to build responsibility and experience. Look into leadership positions or ways to take more responsibility for specific events or projects with which the organization is involved. Is there a project the club is considering creating that you can join the planning team for?
Want more ideas? Check out this article from TeenLife about summer activities. You can also search their database for summer programs or use the Summer MatchPoint AI Search Tool to find other national-level summer opportunities.