So you've planned your upcoming campus visit and tour. Now what?

Visiting college campuses is an exciting yet crucial part of the decision-making process for prospective students. It's the perfect opportunity to get a feel for the environment, explore academic facilities, and engage with current students and faculty.

However, with so much to see and do, it's easy to overlook some important details. To make the most of your campus visits, it's essential to come prepared with the right questions.

As a lover of podcasts, I'm sharing some exceptional questions I heard discussed on the College Admissions Decoded podcast by the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC) podcast. the podcast features admission professionals discussion some questions you should consider asking your tour guide when on a campus visit.

Based on this podcast, we've compiled a list of 15 insightful questions that will help you uncover the information you need to make an informed choice about your future college. From academics to culture, these questions will ensure you leave each visit with a comprehensive understanding of what each institution has to offer.

So, grab your College Visit Journal notebook and get ready to dive into the specifics that will shape your college experience! Here are the 15 questions to ask on a campus visit:

1. What is the type of students you don’t think will be successful here? (Culture)

2. How religious is this campus considering there’s a religious affiliation? (Culture)

3. Do you feel that all students are accepted on this campus? Do all students feel comfortable being here and welcome? (Culture)

4. What’s the neighborhood like around the campus and how are you involved in it? (Culture)

5. What aspects of campus life surprised you? You learned about once you got to campus? (Culture)

6. What are your favorite traditions on campus? (Culture)

   1. Are there any unique traditions?

   2. Are they all athletic traditions?

7. What do students do for fun? (Culture)

8. How easy is it to contact and communicate with professors? (Academics)

9. Name one class that’s changed your perspective on something substantially? (Academics)

10. How easy is it to register and get into the classes you want? (Academics)

11. Can you talk about meaningful relationships with professors? (Academics)

12. Can you share an example of a class debate. What was the debate? How did it go? What happened after? (Academics)

13. If you’re undecided, how did you choose your majors? (Academics)

14. How easy is it to change majors at this school? (Academics)

15. Was there a class that convinced you to decide your area of study? (Academics)

Want to hear more of the discussion? You can listen to the entire podcast episode here: https://collegeadmissionsdecoded.simplecast.com/episodes/how-to-make-the-most-of-college-visits-k1I6wQs_

The episode features: Tom Campbell, college counselor at the Lakeside School in Washington State, and Yvonne Espinoza, founder at Yvonne Espinoza College Counseling Services, Moderated by NACAC member Eddie Pickett, a college counselor and dean at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California.

Not sure where to write down all this good information? Check out the abundance of note-taking pages in The College Visit Journal: Campus Visits Demystified.