Taking August Vacation? Include Campus Visits!

Summer Campus Visits can be the best kind. They do not require you to miss your high school classes and often are the easiest for getting the whole family involved. If your family has a plan to do some traveling in August, take a look at the options you will have to see college campuses! It may be that you can rearrange travel routes depending on what the Admissions Offices have to offer you. If there are campuses of interest to you in the area where you will travel, call the Admissions Offices and schedule tours or an interview with an Admissions staff.

By combining the vacation time with campus visits, you will make the coming months more manageable and productive. Be prompt in arriving and be prepared by having done your investigative homework. You know what elements of the college are most important to you, so you must determine how you will evaluate them ahead of time.

Be sure to consider the following, which are often included in students’ selection factors:

• Campus Environment
• Educational Philosophy
• Extracurricular Activities
• Job Placement Assistance
• Nearby Community Facilities
• Career Counseling
• Internship Opportunities
• Study Abroad Opportunities
• Graduate School Assistance

Once you have arranged to visit, get prepared. Get your evaluation materials and campus clothing ready ahead of the trip. Create a journal to record your thoughts, answers to your questions and the detail of your visit. Review your materials just before the visit, including why you have chosen the school. Think and behave positively and project confidence so that the impressions you create are ideal.

Make the most of an August Campus Visit even if you have not been able to see the school in the midst of a typical semester. What you find here may tell you that this school either has or does not have some of the criteria that are important to you. If students are available either on the campus or in dining or lounging areas, be sure to engage them in conversation, asking appropriate questions. Students can be far more candid than staff members and you can find out important detail from them.

Most important, relax and be your honest self. If the campus is good for you, it should be good for who you really are!