Dear Joyce Ivy Blog Readers,
It’s been a couple weeks since the last Symposium Sunday, and a lot has been happening at the Joyce Ivy Foundation! On February 18, we officially opened up registration for JCAS and we have already seen many students register. Make sure to grab your spot by registering here. As always, continue to monitor our blog for features of the colleges and universities who will be present at JCAS – we have a great line-up!
Today, I want to share with you tips and ideas for visiting and finding out information about colleges and universities. In order to make informed decisions about what schools are the best fit for you, information is key and they only way you can get that information is with proper research. From my experience in admissions, here are my tips for visiting and finding out information about colleges:
- Get all your questions answered Before visiting any school, take some time to brainstorm all the information you want to find out and formulate a series of questions. These questions might be about financial aid, campus safety, social life, majors, study abroad, etc. Make an action plan for how you intend to get these questions answered – asking current students, emailing professors or administrators beforehand, etc. By setting out your goals beforehand, you will get more out of the visit in the end.
- Visit local colleges Even if you are pretty convinced that you do not want to stay close to home or you know that you do no want to attend the local and regional colleges in your state, still visiting these places can be a powerful experience in figuring what you do like and what you do not like. This will give you a better sense of your ultimate goals and aspirations, and will give you an opportunity to visit colleges even if you cannot travel far.
- Talk to students on campus While a bit intimidating at first, speaking first-hand with current students is the best way to get authentic, real, and up to date information about what their college experience is like. College students are happy to speak about their experience as they can certainly remember being in your shoes just a couple years ago. Good questions to start the conversation include: why did you choose to come to _____ college/university? What is your favorite part about the school? Least favorite part?
- Visit dining halls and student centers Typically, dining halls and student centers are the hub of social activity on college campuses. Going to these places on your visit can give you insider look into campus life. I would encourage you to look at the types of flyers that are posted in the student center or try to overhear conversations that students are having. Again, this will give you a sense of the pulse and vibe of the campus community.
- Pick up a student newspaper Like visiting the dining hall or student center, picking up a student newspaper will give you a lens into current hot topics on campus. The student newspaper can be a wonderful means to distill the values and culture of a school, while also getting a sense of what happens day-to-day on campus. Reading through the newspaper in its entirety and seeing if you get excited by it is a good measure of how you might acclimate and adjust to campus.
- Explore academic departments While the social life at college is no doubt important to your college experience, you are ultimately going to college to major in a certain discipline and get a degree. As such, make sure you devote a large portion of your visit to going to the academic departments you are most interested in. Seeing what’s posted on the walls in these offices is, again, a good indicator of the life of the department on campus, and oftentimes, you might bump into a professor or two. If you know you have specific questions for a professor on campus, it might also be a good idea to email that person beforehand to set up a time to chat. Professors are usually happy to meet with prospective students and share their passion for their work.
- Document your visit It’s important to take some time to write down your observations, feelings, thoughts, and emotions directly after you visit a school. Even though you might think you’ll remember all the details, the reality is you won’t, and as you continue to learn about many different schools, having your experience in writing will be helpful. Making columns for pros and cons can be a good way to compare and contrast across different schools.
For the most part, the above recommendations apply only if you have the opportunity to actually visit a campus. But what if you don’t have that opportunity? Will you be at a loss for getting information? The answer is NO! In the age of technology, there are many ways you can still access information about colleges and universities:
- Utilize college and university websites There is SO much information you can find out about college and universities online. Take time to look through all this information. You can often find virtual tours of campuses, recorded information sessions or admissions workshops, a variety of pictures and visuals, and campus publications. Take advantage of all these tools to recreate the experience you would have if you were actually on campus.
- Send emails Just because you can’t visit a campus, doesn’t mean you can’t be in touch with people on campus. Find your admissions counselor and send them an email with questions or ask to set up a phone call. If you’re interested in speaking with a current student or a professor, utilize the admissions office as your touch point for connecting with other individuals on campus. Also be aware of funded opportunities to come to campus that admissions offices sometimes provide.
Above all, remember yourself in the process and be honest about what you do or do not like. Again, this is YOUR process, and do not be afraid to eliminate schools you previously thought you would like. A combination of an open mind and a sense of self will lead you to the right place ☺
Until next Sunday,
Brittany
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