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During a college visit, you will most likely be meeting with a member of the admissions team or even an alumnus that will help you and your group view the school. While you probably have a ton of questions for them, you should also be designing questions for other people. These are just a few people you should aim to meet during your upcoming college visit.
Current Students
The current students at the school can give you a better picture into the college and campus life. Interactions with them allow you get a feel for the mood of the school, what type of students it attracts, and what they actually think of the college as they’re attending. You can ask them what they do or don’t like about the school, campus, classes, majors, dining, or something else and you’re more likely to get an honest answer from this source. Your tour guide will often only be showing you things the school wants you to see.
Professors
During your college tour, you may not meet a lot of teachers at the school, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take the opportunity. It’s especially important to meet one of the professors in your intended major. If it’s not part of the campus tour or offered by your college, try reaching out to one of the teachers online to see if you can schedule a time to meet them. Ask them questions about their class, the other teachers in the program, and the overall major.
Department Head
In the same vein, you should absolutely try to meet your intended major’s department head. This professor can give you insight into their courses, but also talk about the major as a whole. Ask them about the success rate of other students in the program as well as careers after graduation or their thoughts on which courses are the most helpful to a potential career you have in mind.
Alumni
It’s a great idea to talk to alumni in the college search process. Like current students, they can give a more truthful opinion of the college. Try particularly to aim for alumni that were previously part of your intended major. Ask them about the program, the courses they took, and what they feel helped them the most after graduation. You’ll also want to ask about their particular career and what role the major and school had in it.
On most college visits, your potential new school and tour guide will only show you specific things about the college and may not give you the opportunity to see everything you want to. It’s especially important to talk to a few key people on campus and off to get a true picture of the college. Start with current students, but make sure to talk to graduates and professionals as well to get a full idea of the college, campus, and major you’re interested in.
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