{"id":713,"date":"2022-09-07T08:51:56","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T12:51:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emsblog.clayshowalter.com\/?p=713"},"modified":"2022-09-16T09:32:09","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T13:32:09","slug":"youve-gotta-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/onward\/2022\/09\/07\/youve-gotta-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"You’ve Gotta Visit!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Consistently, when I ask seniors what they wish they\u2019d done differently when it comes to college application season, they say they wish they\u2019d visited more colleges.<\/span><\/p>\n

A college visit is hands down the best way to get an accurate feel of the place. Look at enough websites and college brochures, and they all start to look the same, but step foot on campus and it may take only 15 minutes to know whether this is a school you can imagine yourself attending.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When I was in high school (we won\u2019t think about how long ago that was!), visiting a college was intimidating\u2013we had to call the admissions office and coordinate a time, and shy young Jodi did <\/span>not <\/i><\/b>feel comfortable doing so. I was essentially a first-gen student and my parents had no idea how to help me. They didn\u2019t know college visits were even a thing. So did I do any? No, I did not. I listened to my friends talk about college visits in envy as I applied to the two schools I was only remotely familiar with. Hooray for the internet and electronic bookings! No human-to-human contact necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

A typical college visit generally consists of an information session hosted by the admissions office and a tour of the campus given by a student tour guide. Depending on the size of the college, this tour can range from just your family and the guide to a large group driving around campus on a bus as the guide talks through a microphone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even better than a simple visit is attending an open house. These are usually held on Saturdays in the fall and spring, and, as larger, more heavily attended events, you\u2019ll find increased opportunities for gathering information. Info sessions are usually more extensive, and you\u2019ll have the opportunity to talk to professors in the areas you\u2019re considering, attend a class or go to department presentations, and eat lunch on campus.<\/span><\/p>\n

To schedule a visit or attend an open house, find the admissions page on a college website\u2013there\u2019s usually a \u201cvisit\u201d tab or button, and this will take you to the sign-up.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few tips:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n