A Guide to College Tours

Junior year is one of the most jam-packed, crazy years of high school. There are SATs and ACTs to take, there’s the challenge of academics, and there’s the loom of college decisions always on your mind.

Take it from me: I’m in the middle of the frenzy right now. The college choices and major decisions seem to highlight the stress already occurring due to high school academics, but I have found that college visits can be made fun as well. Lately, I have been going on countless college tours to find the best fit for my future. At times, the tours all seem to blend together, but I have a guide to help potential tour-goers escape the monotony and have fun while also making decisions on what you like and don’t like.

Before I go on any college tour, I look online to see what the school has to offer. My interest must be slightly peaked in order to travel to the school and actually take the tour. Whenever I actually go on a college tour, the first thing I do is look around the campus. That way, I get an unbiased feel for what the campus is like. I ask myself if I could see myself there one day, and go into the tour with that in mind. As I am going throughout the tour, I make notes either mentally or on paper about my likes and dislikes. I also look to grab lunch or do something local in the area to get a feel for the atmosphere. At the end of a string of tours, I sit down and compare the schools, ranking them from my most favorite to my least favorite. With a list of most favorites, I will have a solid idea of schools that I am going to apply to. Even if I don’t like a particular school, I get a better sense of the criteria I want in my ultimate school decision.

I know firsthand that this process is stressful, and it feels like your whole future depends on this one decision. However, I hope you will take the time to enjoy your visits and find these tips useful in scouting out your dream schools.