If you have a high school junior or senior at home, you’re probably already deep in spreadsheets, school research, and lists of deadlines. If your family can handle one more college-prep activity, I’d like to recommend campus visits. They are a powerful tool in the college search process, but only when you approach them with real intention. A visit done right helps students move from “I think I might like this school,” to “I know this isn’t the place for me.” Here’s how to make the most of every campus you step on.

Preparing for Your Campus Visit

Before you even pull into a campus parking lot, a little preparation goes a long way.

Researching the College

Spend some time on the school’s website before you arrive. Look at the academic programs your student is interested in, explore the student life pages, and check the school’s recent news. If there’s a specific major on the radar, dig into that department’s pages. I personally like the layout of Cal Poly SLO’s PDFs for each major. Check out this page for the BS in Business Administration. The goal isn’t to memorize everything, it’s to generate good questions. When you arrive already knowing the basics, your conversations with students and staff can go much deeper.

Creating a Visit Itinerary

Most schools offer a standard tour plus an information session, and I’d encourage you to attend both. But don’t stop there. If possible, schedule a meeting with someone in your student’s area of academic interest, a departmental advisor, an admissions rep for that specific college within the university, or even a professor who’s willing to chat. Build in some unstructured time, too. Grab coffee in the student union, sit in a common area, and simply observe student life. Some of the most telling moments happen off the official tour path.

Virtual Tours: An Alternative Option

Can’t make it to campus in person? Virtual tours are a solid starting point. Many schools have invested in online experiences since the pandemic, and they can help your student narrow down a long list before committing to travel. I typically suggest using virtual tours to rule out schools that don’t feel right before booking flights to the ones that are strong possibilities. Think of them as a first filter, not a substitute for the real thing.

What to Expect on a Campus Tour

Overview of the Campus Layout

Your tour guide will walk you through the campus and orient you to key areas (academic buildings, residence halls, dining facilities, and recreation spaces). Pay attention to how the campus feels as you move through it.

• Is it compact or spread out?
• Easy to navigate between classes?
• Energizing or exhausting to walk?

Your student will be navigating these paths every day for four years, so the physical layout matters.

Meeting the Student Body

Here’s one of my favorite pieces of advice: let your student talk to current students; they often share honest and informed perspectives. Encourage your student to ask the real questions:

• What’s hard about being here?
• What do you wish you’d known before you came?
• Would you choose this school again?
• If you were put in charge of this campus tomorrow, what’s one thing you’d change?

Those answers are often the most useful part of the entire visit.

Exploring Academic Departments

If you can, spend a few minutes in the building where your student’s intended major is housed. See if you can sit in on a class, even briefly. Notice whether the classroom environment feels collaborative or lecture-heavy, engaged or checked out. Even a 10-minute look can give you a real sense of the academic culture — something no brochure can replicate.

Key Areas to Explore During Your Visit

Dining Hall Experience

Eat a meal on campus if the timing allows. The dining hall is a surprisingly good window into daily student life.

• Is the food fresh and varied?
• Are students eating together, or hunched over their phones in silence?
• Does it accommodate any dietary needs your student has?

Dining quality affects quality of life in real, daily ways.

Campus Life and Activities

Look for bulletin boards. Old-fashioned as that sounds, they tell you what’s actually happening on campus right now.

• Are there events that would genuinely interest your student?
• Clubs that connect with their hobbies or goals?

A sense of community and school spirit matters enormously for social students and more introverted ones alike. The energy of the student body is something you can feel if you slow down enough to notice it.

Facilities and Resources

Make a point of finding the career center, the academic support or tutoring center, and the library. These aren’t the most glamorous stops on a tour, but they’re where your student will turn when things get challenging. Ask who staffs these centers, how students schedule appointments, and what the track record looks like for career placement.

Asking Questions During Your Tour

Important Questions for Current Students

The best questions for current students are the honest ones.

• What’s the worst thing about this school?
• What surprised you most?
• Are most of your classes with professors or TAs?
• What’s your average class size, lower division versus upper division?
• What do you wish you’d known before enrolling?

You want candid answers and most students are genuinely happy to share them.

Inquiries for Admissions Staff

For admissions staff, I’d focus on the questions that cut past the brochure:

• What does a thriving student look like here?
•  What support exists for students who struggle academically or personally?
• What percentage of freshmen return for their sophomore year?
• What scholarships are available, and are they renewable?
• What does tuition actually cover, and are there additional fees?

Understanding the Fit for You

At the end of the day, the campus visit is really about answering one question: can your student see themselves thriving, not just surviving here? Encourage them to pay attention to how they feel while they’re on campus. Energized or deflated? Excited or indifferent? That gut response is one important data element.

Visit Tips for Prospective Families

Maximizing Your Campus Tour Experience

Come with your questions written out separately for both you and your student. Take notes during the visit and hold off on comparing impressions until afterward (you’ll often be surprised at what you each noticed). Take photos of things you want to remember. And plan something low-key after each tour, lunch at a nearby spot, a walk around the neighborhood, so you have a chance to decompress and debrief while everything is still fresh.

Follow-Up After Your Visit

After each campus visit, take a few minutes to follow up. A brief thank-you email to an admissions rep, a departmental advisor, or a professor who made time for you demonstrates genuine interest. It’s also a natural opportunity to ask any lingering questions while the visit is still top of mind for everyone. A visit to campus is a sign of demonstrated interest and can help with admissions

Your Campus Visit Checklist

Use this as a guide during and after each tour. Print it out, share it with your student, and compare notes on the drive home. You’ll likely notice you each picked up on different things, which contributes to a much richer picture of your college visit.

WHAT TO OBSERVE

• Campus: Did it feel too big or too small? Did you like the layout and architecture? Was it easy to navigate? Did it feel safe?
• Student Body: Could your student picture themselves among these students? What was the energy like (intense, relaxed, studious, social, fun)?
• Academic Programs: How strong is the department your student is interested in? Are there special requirements or prerequisites for the major?
• Housing: What were the residence halls like (room size, common areas, bathrooms)? Are freshmen required to live on campus? Is housing available for all four years?
• Career Center: What services are offered? Who staffs the center? What’s their job placement track record?
• Extracurriculars: Were there clubs or activities that genuinely interested your student? How active does the student body seem?
• Study Abroad: How easy is it to go abroad from this school? Can credits transfer back smoothly? What are the costs?
• Food: How many dining options are available? What meal plans exist? Do they accommodate dietary restrictions?
• Faculty: If you sat in on a class, how engaged were the students? What was the teaching style like?
• Town: What’s the surrounding neighborhood like? Is it walkable? Do students need a car? What’s nearby?

QUESTIONS TO ASK CURRENT STUDENTS

• What’s the best thing about this school? What’s the worst?
• What surprised you most about attending here?
• What would you change if you could?
• Are most of your classes with professors or TAs?
• What’s your average class size?
• What social opportunities exist outside of class?

QUESTIONS TO ASK ADMISSIONS STAFF

• What percentage of freshmen return for their second year?
• Is it easy to switch majors?
• What scholarships are available, and are they renewable?
• Is housing available for all four years?
• What does tuition cover? Are there additional fees?
• Are campus jobs and internship or co-op opportunities available?
• What are the biggest challenges students face here?

Wrapping It All Up

Campus visits are one of the most valuable investments of time and energy in the entire college search — when you approach them with intention. Your student doesn’t need to fall in love with every school you visit. In fact, touring a school and realizing it isn’t the right fit is just as useful as finding one that checks every box. Both kinds of visits give you better information and move your family closer to a decision you feel good about.

That’s really what this whole process is about gathering enough real information, from real people and real places, to make a choice with confidence. I hope this guide makes every college campus visit more intentional, more productive, and honestly, a little more enjoyable for everyone.

If you’d like help building your college list, preparing for visits, or making sense of everything you’re learning along the way, I’d love to support your family. Book a Strategy Session to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many colleges should we visit before applying?

There’s no magic number, but I generally suggest visiting four to six schools across a range of sizes, settings, and selectivity levels. The goal is to develop a real feel for what your student is looking for and what they’d prefer to avoid before the application list is finalized. If travel is limited, prioritize the schools at the top of your student’s list and use virtual tours to pre-screen others first.

Should parents attend the campus tour with their student?

Yes, but with a light touch. Attend the information session together, take the official tour together, and then give your student some independent time to talk with current students. The visit is really about helping your student figure out where they belong.

What if my student has a strong gut reaction — positive or negative — to a school?

A campus visit is designed to generate a real response, and sometimes that response is this isn’t it. Debrief with your student after each visit and keep notes on what they liked and what didn’t feel right. Patterns will emerge over time, and those patterns often reveal exactly what kind of environment your student will truly thrive in.

When is the best time of year to visit colleges?

The spring of tenth or eleventh grade year is ideal, campuses are in full session and students are around. If spring is too busy, summer visits are better than nothing, though campuses can feel quieter without students. Just avoid visiting during finals week or major school breaks, when campus energy won’t reflect the real day-to-day experience.