11/10/97 ONLINE ORIGINAL: WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON A CAMPUS VISIT

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WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON A CAMPUS VISIT

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it certainly doesn't tell the whole story when it comes to colleges. Only an on-site visit will do the trick. "Once you're down to your serious schools, I wouldn't make a choice without a visit," says Duke University freshman David Miller.
Miller should know: He visited almost 30 colleges during his junior and senior years of high school. "My parents wanted to make sure I didn't just choose Duke just because it was their alma mater, so we sort of swung the pendulum a little too far the other way," he explains.
While few families will have the persistence--or the patience--of the Millers, every college search should include at least some college visits. Not only are they a great way to get detailed information about a school's academic programs, but--if done correctly--they also give the student an up-close view of campus life that no glossy brochure can provide.
It's surprisingly easy to engineer a typical college visit. All but the smallest colleges give daily tours and information sessions. Check a school's Web site or call the admissions office for current hours. They also can suggest nearby restaurants and lodging, often with student-visit rates (check to make sure you can't get a lower rate on your own). Remember that some schools don't welcome visitors during the first few weeks of a semester, holiday or academic breaks, or final exams. And tour times often change during heavy visitation periods like October or April.
To ease your student into the process, begin visiting campuses in the fall of the junior year. Sure, most of the other high schoolers in your tour groups will be seniors, but that's the point: You want your son or daughter to realize early that many older students are just as confused by the college search as they are. If your child is nervous about going to a campus where he or she will stick out as a high schooler, invite a school friend along to provide strength in numbers.
Low-pressure junior-year visits also allow you to spend time visiting schools that don't seem a natural fit for your student--a luxury many students can't afford during their event-filled senior year. At this point, it's only window shopping, so sample everything from Ivys to Your State U. But don't expect admissions officers to spend a lot of time with your junior just yet, especially at large schools: Seniors typically get first priority until after the January application deadline. So be content to attend information sessions and the obligatory campus tour to simply gain a feel for college life.
While you're on campus, be sure to attend a class. The admissions office usually keeps a list of those that welcome visitors. Select one that attracts freshmen, so that you can see firsthand the level of academic rigor that your student will be facing. Or, if class size is an issue, pick a large lecture to see how your student would fit in.
Also, "make sure you eat in a dorm; you could be surprised," advises Irene Tan, a freshman at Carnegie-Mellon. In fact, Tan says that the typical high school senior is a lot more interested in such campus life issues rather than in, say, the number of volumes in the school library. "Those are parents' questions," she says.
It's amazing how quickly colleges begin to look alike. So never do more than two schools in a single day. (Miller, in fact, suggests students "spend an entire day if it's a school that you're seriously considering.") Keep a notebook, and after each visit both student and parents should jot down their impressions of the campus and the names, phone numbers, and E-mail addresses of any admissions staff or students you meet. You may have questions later, and it always helps to have a real person to contact. And take plenty of pictures, both to help you distinguish one school from another and to tweak your memory about events of the day.
Although many families enjoy spending weekends exploring colleges, it's better to visit during the week--when classes are in session and you can really gauge a school's activity level. One exception: Make sure you revisit your state university on a Saturday, too, just to make sure that the campus doesn't empty out on weekends as students flee for homes nearby.
Spring break of the junior year is the traditional time for families to make their first big college trek, but the crowds of visitors at popular schools can be hellish then. And visiting during the summer between junior and senior years yields eerily empty campuses at many schools. So save your serious looking for the fall of the senior year. That's when your student is more focused on college selection, and when many schools sponsor sleeping bag weekends allowing prospective applicants to bunk overnight with an existing student. Even if a college doesn't offer a formal overnight program, it's wise to arrange a sleepover through relatives or alumni of your high school who currently attend the college you'll be visiting. Ethnic or religious groups on campus like Hillel often can also help find a host.
Although a college visit can be a family affair, the parents' views shouldn't take precedence over those of the student, who may have to spend the next four years there. Parents should guide--not control--the process. Sometimes that's hard, especially for those with younger, less-mature sons or daughters. But it's something that every parent sending a child off to college must get used to: letting the student take charge.
James E. Ellis

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