The best time to visit a college campus is before you send out applications or after you receive acceptance letters. Your choice depends on a few factors including how many schools you need to visit and travel expenses. You might also want to plan your visit around college semesters, official tours, and weather. Here’s a quick guide to help you determine the best time to visit a college on your list.
When is the Best Time to Visit a College Campus?
The “best” time to visit a college campus can be up for debate, but it really depends on your personal preference. We recommend either visiting a college before you send out applications or after you’ve received acceptance letters.
1. Before You Send Out Applications
It can be beneficial to visit a college before you apply OR after you receive acceptance letters.
A popular time to visit colleges is before you have even sent out a single college application. Many students and their families plan trips to campuses starting in their junior year of high school and continue visits into the summer and fall of senior year. Many colleges are offering official campus tours during this time, too.
This approach to college visits can help students save time, effort, and money on their college applications as they weed out schools. It’s also a necessity for those applying under Early Decision as you don’t want to commit to a school you discover you dislike upon a visit.
2. After You Receive Acceptance letters
Visiting all the colleges on your list before you send out applications, however, can get expensive, especially if you’re looking at schools outside of your immediate area. Even though you’ll save money on application fees by visiting these schools ahead of time, you might be spending too much on travel. And if you are applying to a lot of colleges, you probably won’t have the chance to visit them all.
For many students, therefore, visiting colleges after they receive their acceptance letters but before they announce their decision can prove beneficial.
3. A Mix of Both
Of course, you don’t have to do one or the other. You can absolutely choose to visit some colleges before you submit applications and others only after you’ve received acceptance letters. You could also opt to visit campuses twice if you’re debating between two colleges and can’t decide.
When deciding on the best time to visit college campuses, always consider your personal goals as well as the financial side of things.
READ MORE >> Why You Should Consider College Visits For Juniors
Questions to Consider Before Your Visit to a College Campus
Whether you choose to visit colleges before you apply, after you’ve received letters, or a mix of both, it’s still important to find the right time of year. Here are some questions that can help you plan your trip.
1. Is the College in Session?
Visiting a college means more than just walking around the grounds and looking at the buildings.
It is the people that give the college its personality. A beautiful campus may lose some of its appeal if the atmosphere is not as friendly as you’d like, and an architecturally-mediocre campus may seem much more palatable if the people really give the place some pizzazz.
While it’s not always possible to visit a college with students on campus, make every effort to meet the people with whom you might spend the next four years. You do, however, always have your tour guide as a student.
Keep in mind, too, that many colleges do have summer sessions. The campus may not be as populated compared to spring and fall semesters, but if you have no choice but to visit in summer, it’s not the worst choice. You should avoid visiting over holidays, though.
2. How’s the Weather Out There?
Depending on where you are and where you want to visit, weather might just play a factor. If you’re planning a trip to upstate New York, January might not be the best option to see the campus at its best. It’s going to be cold and likely snowy, and current students aren’t going to want to stop to chat in 10 degree weather. But January might be the perfect time to visit a college in Florida.
By visiting when the weather is ideal, you give yourself more of an opportunity to talk to students on campus and explore what the college offers.
Whenever you decide to visit, keep in mind that the weather is not just a factor for your visit. You’re going to be experiencing that area’s weather year-round. So if you visit an upstate NY college in April, remember that it’s going to be cold, snowy, and slushy come winter. And if you visit a campus in Florida in January, know that come April, it’s going to be sweltering.
3. Are College Tours Available?
Official college tours are only offered so many days out of the year. These tours may dictate when you can visit the campus. And if you hope to have a guided tour of campus, you need to reserve a spot in advance.
Most colleges allow you to sign up for a campus visit online, and this is particularly important if you’re going to visit on a high school holiday like Presidents Day or Veterans Day when spots fill up fast.
Of course, if the campus is close to home, you could swing by and walk around on your own any time, but, the full tour experience generally gives you a lot more access to areas and events that you won’t be able to check out if you just show up.
You shouldn’t only rely on the official college tour, though. Your guides are showing you only the areas the school wants you to see. Take some time to explore a bit on your own. Just don’t wander into any restricted areas, such as dining halls and dorms.
4. Do You Want to Meet Any Faculty or Staff?
If you want to meet a coach or a faculty member, or sit in on a class, you’ll need to plan ahead and work around the school’s schedule. You will likely have to talk with your campus representative to schedule the opportune time. Don’t just show up hoping to attend a class or talk to a professor in your intended major. Doing so could land you in trouble.
5. What About Saturdays?
Many colleges offer campus tours on Saturday, and even though there are no classes in session, it can still be a great opportunity to explore a school. Students will still be out and about, whether they’re relaxing in the quad, heading to town, or working in the library, and you could get the opportunity to see how others spend their free time on campus.
Deciding when to visit a college is a personal decision. There are several factors that could influence your decision from the weather to whether or not you want to speak with a faculty member. However, no matter when you visit, we recommend planning ahead so you can get a solid idea of what you want to see on campus and can ask current students the right questions about their own experiences.
READ MORE >> The Most Common Questions About College Campus Visits
Before you can plan your visit to a college, you need to know which schools you’re interested in. By using our College Match tool, you can match with colleges and universities that meet your needs ahead of time! Get started for free.
