College Visit Questions to Ask


College visit season should be kicking off now for most juniors. Colleges are in session for only 2 more months, and it is best to visit while students are still on campus. As I have mentioned before, college visits (if possible) are one of the most important parts on the entire search process. Student cannot duplicate the experience of walking the campus, sitting in classrooms, eating the cafeteria food, and much more other than actually making the trip to potential colleges and universities. Most people would never think about buying a car without seeing it, taking it for a test drive, and asking the dealership questions. So if you wouldn't do this with a car, why would you even think about doing it with a college?

So it is obviously very important to see the schools first-hand, but make sure you have questions ready to go for admissions counselors, professors, and students…yes even current students! One of the best things you can do while visiting a school is to walk up to a random student and ask them about their school. Most students are happy to talk about their college, and those who aren't may be just as important, as it could be a bad sign about that school.

With all of this said, take a look at the following sample of questions you may want to ask when visiting a school:
·         What is the freshmen-sophomore retention rate?
·         What is the on-time graduation rate?
·         What is the job placement/graduate school admission percentage?
·         If applicable, what percent of student who apply, are accepted into medical school?
·         What percent of financial need is met for students?
·         Is housing guaranteed for all four years?
·         What percent of students commute?
·         Do you have campus police/patrol?
·         How is the food selection? How are the living quarters?
·         Is there a core curriculum? If so, what is it?
·         Do you have study abroad opportunities?
·         What do students do on the weekend?
·         What tutoring opportunities does your school offer?
·         What is the student to professor ratio?
·         Could you tell me some features of the school that makes it unique?
·         What percent of students are accepted from Early Action/ Early Decision?


-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

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