As you wrap up your junior year and head into senior year of high school, college is likely on your mind. While there are debates on when is the best time to visit college campuses, it is something you’re going to have to plan to do over the next year. But with so much going on, how can you possibly keep track? College visit worksheets are a great way to get a handle on the schools you want to visit, why you’re visiting them, and your experiences. Here’s how to create college visit worksheets for yourself.
Decide Where You Want to Visit
Flickr user Chris Tolworthy
Before anything else, you need to decide where you want to visit. There are thousands of colleges in the United States. It’s important to narrow down these schools to a handful. But are students supposed to thoroughly investigate every single one of these colleges and universities?
No, thankfully, you don’t have to (and shouldn’t! – it would likely take you years in any case, if not decades).
First, you should think about your goals, areas of study that interest you, and wants out of a college. Asking the right questions here is key. From location to school size preference, there’s a lot to think of, but this will help you create a foundation to work from.
Next, you’ll have to do your research. One simple way to do this? College Raptor’s College Match. You can simply input information about yourself, achievements, and goals, and we’ll do the legwork for you. We’ll return with a list of colleges that match your unique needs and give you valuable insight into acceptance chances, costs, and more.
Other ways you can research colleges include:
- Talking to guidance counselors and college advisors
- Asking your parents
- Talking to teachers
- Attending college fairs
DOWNLOAD >> College Comparison Worksheet
After you have a list of schools in hand, you will have to narrow down your options. You will need a good mix of safety, match, and reach colleges in order to increase your chances of getting an acceptance letter in the next year.
Create Your College Visit Worksheet
Now it’s time to start designing your college visit worksheet. Here are a few tips:
Decide on a Format
Creating a college visit worksheet can be a do it yourself project or you can simply use a worksheet you find online! Some of these will cost a couple of dollars, but they can be a great way to save time. You might want to also do a mix where you use an existing format plus one of your own design.
Generally, students use a spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice, or Google Sheets can work), individual pages for each college, a chart, or a mix of the three.
- Spreadsheet. Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice, or Google Sheets allows you to list all colleges either in one column on a single page or you can add pages at the bottom of the spreadsheet for each individual college.
- Individual pages. You can use a document tool to create individual worksheets for every college that interests you. This can be a lot of work, but can give you more room to work with.
- A chart. You might just want to create simple printed charts with questions, pros, and cons for individual schools
- A mix. You’re not restricted! You can use a mix of all three if you’d like. For example, many charts would work perfectly on a spreadsheet format. You can also opt to use a spreadsheet for basic information and individual pages for more in-depth research.
Compare Colleges on Paper
Your college visit worksheet should have space for you to compare and contrast your different schools. You will want columns or spaces for pros and cons, as well as information about how each aspect is important to you or affects you.
For example, some factors you might want to include on your college visit worksheet are:
- Distance from home
- Size of the school
- Campus facilities
- Major program
- Statistics (student-to-faculty ratio, grad rate, etc)
- Acceptance rate
Create a List of Questions, To See, and Must Do
Each college should also have a list of questions and information about what you want to see during your tour. This will allow you to keep track of what you need to ask during your visit and also the places you want to see on campus and off. It’s easy to confuse one college for another during your research, so this will help you keep track of what’s important to you at each of the schools on your list.
Visit the Schools and Take Notes
Your worksheet will need a spot for you to add notes. How did your visit go? What impressed you? What disappointed you? How important were those factors on your overall impression? Were there any follow up questions that occurred to you after you left?
If you find a school just wasn’t a good fit for you after your visit, you can, of course, just cross it off your list!
Compare Your Results
Once you’ve visited all of the colleges on your list, you should compare the results. Upon reflection, you might have had a good feeling about the school you visited first, but found it was lacking after visiting another five colleges that caught your eye. It’s okay to cross colleges off your list. Many students find that a school isn’t what they imagined after they visit.
College visits are essential to determining whether or not a college is right for you. They help you gain a sense of the atmosphere and environment. You’re going to be spending four years there, so getting as much information at this point in the game will help you save time, money, and headaches. College visit worksheets are a great resource to keep track of your trips and impressions!
Before you create these worksheets, you need to narrow down the playing field. College Match can help you do just that. Discover the schools that match you here – for free!
