• HELPFUL TIPS WHEN VISITING A COLLEGE

    The Questions listed below offer some suggestions for issues to consider during your visit.

    Physical Facilities
    A. Geographical location
    B. Proximity to other colleges or attractive cultural opportunities
    C. Size of the school
    D. Size of the freshman class
    E. Residence halls

    1. Location of classes and dining room to residence halls
    2. Are they coed? If so, how are they organized? (By floor, suite, or room)
    3. Are there special residence hails available? (single sex, quiet floors, etc.)
    4. Are there enforced quiet hours? What are the other rules?
    5. Where do freshmen tend to live? Are they grouped together within residence halls or are they randomly distributed?
    6. Are there sufficient rooms for all interested students throughout the four years?
    7. Are most rooms singles, doubles, triples, or suites?
    8. Is there a variety
    9. Do most students stay on campus on the weekends? of food plans available?

    F. Admissions

    1. Do you recalculate GPA? If so, how?
    2. Do you require standardized tests?
    3. What are the average GPA and SAT scores used for admissions?
    4. Do you give credit for college courses taken in high school? Are there any limitations?
    5. What are your acceptance rates?

    G. Academics

      A. How is the school calendar organized? (semester, trimester, 4-1-4)

    1. Are summer programs available or required?
    2. Is there a special winter or January program?
    3. How many courses do students usually take during each term?

      B. Alternative study programs

    1. Are there exchange programs with other colleges for a term or for a year?
    2. Are foreign study programs available?
    3. Is Pass-Fail a grading option?

    C. Academic policies (These are usually found in the school catalog)

    1. How many courses are needed to graduate?
    2. How soon does a student have to declare a major7
    3. Are there distribution requirements in different subject areas?
    4. Are then any interdisciplinary majors available?
    5. What unusual undergraduate majors are available?
    6. Am I eligible for the honors program?

    D. Academic Issues

    1. What are class sizes? (Don't use averages.) What differences exist between introductory and advanced classes in terms of size?
    2. Are tutors available?
    3. What departments are particularly distinguished?
    4. Are large classes broken down into discussion sections? Who leads these discussion sections?
    5. Do the "academic stars" of the faculty teach undergraduates?
    6. How competitive is the department in which I am interested?
    7. Can I enter my major immediately, or do I have to wait one or two years? Am I guaranteed entrance to my major field?

    E. Attrition Rate

    1. For freshmen?
    2. By the end of the senior year?

    F. Placement Office

    1. Is there an active placement service here?
    2. What is the placement percentage for students in my major?
    3. Will the Placement Office help me find an internship during school?

    G. Student Health Center

    1. Are good hospital or clinic facilities available?
    2. Is there a strong counseling service?

    Extracurricular Facilities
    A. Computers

    1. What specialized computers and software are available?
    2. Is there high-speed access to the Internet from all dorm rooms?
    3. During which hours are the on-campus computer labs open?

    B. Libraries

    1. How extensive are the hours?
    2. Do many students use the library to study?

    C. Laboratories

    1. Are there foreign language labs?
    2. Are the science labs available outside of scheduled lab time?
    3. What is the access policy to computer labs throughout campus?

    D. Athletics

    1. What are the facilities for men? For women?
    2. What opportunities exist for the non-athletic but interested student?

    E. Theater

    1. Are the programs open to non-theatre majors?
    2. Are there student directors?

    Questions to Ask Students

    1. Why did you choose this school?
    2. Where else did you apply?
    3. What do you like about this school?
    4. What don't you like about this school?
    5. What is the social life like here?
    6. Are the classes challenging?