There is no “THE” college experience. Schools have different personalities, specialties, and vibes. But if you rely only on the admission office materials alone, they all look incredible! So, how do you get past the shiny and pretty to decide if the college really is a good fit for you specifically?
THE BEST:
- An on-campus information session and tour led by a student tour guide (preferably a trained student tour guide, not just a friend) is the best way to get to know a campus. You will leave with a gut feeling, and it gets easier as you take more tours. Bonus – tours often include other families who went through the process with an older child. They ask fantastic questions you might never think of.
However, on-campus visits are not always feasible. So then what?
- Sign up for the mailing list and do the online tour. This is the most essential step. Always sign up for the mailing list. It shows demonstrated interest and sometimes gets you invites to online and in-person events. It can even save you money on app fees at some schools. Then, actually check your email weekly!
- Campus newspaper/student blog – Take this with a grain of salt, as student perspectives don’t always tell the whole story. Most newspapers have gone online and can be found with a simple internet search.
- Clubs and activities – look for the page that lists clubs and activities, often under the Student Life Section of the campus website. If you don’t find at least 7-10 that you would join, maybe this isn’t a match. These are points of connection that you need to feel welcome and a part of the community. Be aware, not every club is open to every student. For example, Model United Nations or Mock Trial may be by audition only.
- Course catalog – SO underutilized. Every campus course catalog is online. Browse through it and see if the general education course descriptions interest you at all. If you have some areas of interest (physics, communications, engineering, etc.), read the descriptions of the courses you will take for that specific major. But here’s the catch. There is no consistency. “Biology” (or your subject of interest) is different from school to school. Read the course descriptions to see where you gravitate. It’s probably a good indication of how much of a fit a school, or at least that major, is.
- Social Media channels – use with caution and ask yourself lots of questions like:
What would the administration/professor say about this?
What does this writer have to gain or lose by presenting the content this way?
Is this an emotional or fact-based presentation?
What reaction is this person aiming for, and are there any signs of manipulation or bias in this version?
Like all things internet, go in with a degree of skepticism and lots of questions.
- Alumni – what do RECENT (5-10 years out) alumni say about their experiences? What do they wish they had known, and how would it have made a difference? Alumni from 10+ years do add value, but the experience does evolve.
- Read professor bios – this often shows their areas of research and, if it interests you, possible research or specialized class opportunities.
- Talk to coaches – this is a must if you want to play a varsity sport in college. You can reach out after June 10 of your sophomore year to see what positions the coach is recruiting for, team expectations, and try to get a sense of whether you would work well with this coach’s personality. Tip: Imagine you broke your leg and were out for the season. Would you still want to attend that school?
- Event calendars – what is happening on campus that interests you? If you are lucky, the campus has a centralized calendar, but sometimes career services has a calendar for their events, athletics has a separate calendar, and campus speakers, student activities, etc., each have their own, too.
And 4 bonuses because it’s always my goal to exceed expectations. - Honors colleges – at larger schools, especially, there may be honors colleges that offer perks, including early access to class registration, smaller classes, research opportunities, special housing, and even free parking!
- Housing options – do they guarantee no campus housing? How long? Is it easy to find off-campus housing (many UC/CSU communities are struggling with this!)? Are there unique living-learning communities within the housing options?
- Career Services – what % of students get internships, how many, and with what companies? Who recruits on campus? Where are recent grads working? How many of last year’s class had jobs at graduation or within 6 months? Was that a job in their field (versus a Starbucks barista!)
- College Reviews and (some) rankings – notice how these are dead last on my list. That is deliberate. Rankings are a mixed bag, often designed to sell you something. The question to ask is, HOW did they determine those rankings, and did they use criteria you even care about to get there? Do not accept rankings as a measure of a “good” school unless you agree with both the inputs and the degree of weight assigned to each.
Reviews on sites like Niche.com also deserve mention and cautionary warnings. Don’t take any single review as an accurate description. Look for patterns. That reviewer who ranted about how awful the school was probably did not mention he failed his class because he turned in all his work late—likewise, the freshman who has only been there two weeks and loves everything. However, multiple reviews commenting on how caring and kind the professors are is a good sign. There can be valuable data, but don’t believe everything you see or read.