College tours are a great opportunity for parents and their children to explore and learn more about colleges in which they are interested. Since your college visits will probably be on the shorter end, it’s important to be thorough and efficient with whatever time you are able to spend there. Here are five tips to help you and your student get the most out of your campus visit!
Pay attention to the campus vibes
While you may know about a school from websites and pamphlets, visiting will give you a much more vibrant picture of what life is like is like on campus. Look around to get a sense of the general attitude and mood:
- Do students seem happy?
- Is the campus buzzing with activity?
- Are there flyers advertising social outings, club meetings, study sessions, and other opportunities?
- When you walk into the buildings, are they well-kept and clean?
- How do the university’s staff and students treat you?
- What do your student’s interests (i.e., intramural sports, volunteering, sustainability) look like on the campus you’re visiting?
All of this information will help you find the campus that matches your child’s needs, and they might consider their own personal passions and see how they’re reflected as you walk around the school.
Visit the student housing
Though not all college tours may include a visit to a dorm room, check one out if you can. While a school’s housing website may provide further details on accommodations or even offer virtual tours, stepping in to see one in real life is always helpful and fun! For example, consider the following questions:
- Do all freshmen live on campus?
- How are roommates assigned?
- What are the restrooms like, and who expected to do the cleaning in the rooms and bathrooms?
- How close is the nearest dining hall or workout facility?
- Will there be a resident advisor living in the hall?
- How easily can living accommodations be made?
Your student’s dorm will be their home base, so it’s important that students feel safe and comfortable wherever it is they’ll be living. Remember to also ask specialized questions about accommodations should your child need any. For more information, read our articles on housing on Grounds.
Check out dining halls, libraries, and classrooms
It’s important to understand how your child will be able to access food while in college. Visit at least one dining hall to understand their hours, accessibility, and what options are provided, especially options for dietary restrictions. Are students able to take food to go? How do meal swipes or dining dollars work, and how are meal plans packaged? Bonus points if your child comes with you and you are both able to eat a meal there and decide if you enjoy the cooking style (outside of the pizza and ice cream!). If you’d like to learn more about food options on Grounds, read our article on UVA dining.
Libraries, study spaces, and classrooms are other helpful areas to check out. Find out what these spaces look like and if they are conducive to the studying spaces your child will need to focus and learn. These spaces will often help you understand how much the university values the student learning experience. Take time to understand how students can access books in the library, talk with library scientists for research aid, and utilize standard printers, public computers, and specialty products such as 3D printers and more.
Talk to actual students
Talking to students is one of the best things you can do. When you take your campus tour, the tour guide is often trained to highlight the very best of the university. Find a student or two who seems friendly and willing to talk, introduce yourselves, and ask them a few questions about their perspective. Here are some sample questions to get you started:
- What do you love the most about being a student here?
- What is one thing you would change if you could about your student experience?
- What’s the most challenging thing you’ve encountered thus far?
- What sorts of things are you involved in either within the school or the broader community?
- How would you say your courseload is in comparison to your high school senior year?
- How have you been able to balance academics with extracurriculars?
- What advice might you have for a prospective student?
For a perspective on student life on Grounds, take a look at our article on what it’s really like to be a UVA student.
Ask the hard questions
Let’s be honest: it isn’t always easy to ask deep or potentially challenging questions during campus tours. However, these are typically the make-or-break questions that help you determine if a school is the best fit for your child. Depending on the specific identity and needs of your child, here are some sample questions you may need to ask either the college tour guide or a specialty person on the campus:
- What safety measures are present? How are security breaches dealt with?
- Are there emergency numbers, safe ride options, or other resources available?
- What mental health resources are present at your school should my child need support?
- What disability resources are available to help my child thrive at this school?
- What support and resources are present for identity-based groups? (These might include ethnic, racial, religious, sexual orientation and/or gender groups).
- Are there designated safe spaces available?
- How does your school administration deal with violations? (These might include hate crimes, sexual assault, or other actions).
We hope these tips will enable you to maximize your time on a university campus and help your student become one step closer to finding the school that might be the right fit for them!
College Tour Checklist
Maximize your time touring a university campus with this handy checklist! Refer to it during your tour, use it to inform your questions, or fill it out after your time exploring.