A few weeks ago a parent asked me when I recommend touring colleges. Her daughter is a senior, so it pretty much came down to choosing between times this fall and this spring. But I know many families like to visit colleges throughout high school (or earlier), so I’d like to talk about all the different times you may want to visit a campus. There are no right or wrong times, but there are reasons to be deliberate about which colleges you tour and when.
Before the end of 11th grade. Start as early as you like, and visit as many colleges as you like. There’s no rule that says you have to wait until later in high school. The advantage to visiting colleges before the end of 11th grade: you have lots of time. It gives you a chance to visit more schools and an opportunity to get to know different types of schools. Don’t just pay attention to what makes each school unique, but also to all the things they may have in common. A feature or tradition that seems really cool at one school becomes less fascinating when you realize that many colleges have essentially the same feature or tradition. The drawback to visiting colleges before the end of 11th grade: your early tours may not correspond whatsoever to colleges you will actually apply to when you’re a senior. Most students’ college plans evolve a lot between 9th and 12th grade. By the time you actually apply to schools, you may be wondering why you ever bothered to visit that college. Tip: especially in 9th and 10th grade, go on “practice” tours at universities close to home, whether or not you eventually want to apply there. Get a feel for different types and sizes of universities without as much travel or expense.
The summer before 12th grade. This is a really popular time to visit colleges, which makes sense. The advantage to visiting colleges the summer before 12th grade: you’ve got time away from school. I don’t like to assume that high school students and their families have nothing going on in the summer and have unlimited time and resources to tour colleges. Still, it’s a few months without high school, and that makes a high difference for a lot of people. Also, by the summer before your senior year you’re probably a lot closer to your final college list. There’s more urgency to these visits, because these are schools you’re more likely to actually apply to. The drawback to visiting colleges the summer before 12th grade: if “vibe” is something you’re looking for, summer is a difficult time to feel it. There are a lot fewer students on campus. Plus, lots of schools earn revenue by renting out their facilities to summer camps and other non-college events. I’ve been on a college campus in the summer when it was full of middle school cheerleaders. I’ve been on a college campus in the summer when it was full of 6th grade science nerds. I’ve been on a college campus in the summer when it was full of Army soldiers in fatigues. It’s hard to get “the feel” of a campus during a time when it doesn’t have its normal feel. Tip: don’t let this visit be your first contact. If this is a school you’re interested in applying to, you should already be on their mailing list and have spent some time doing online research about them. Already have some sort of relationship with the college before showing up to visit.
The fall of 12th grade. This is also a popular time to visit colleges. By this point, things are getting quite real. You’ve got to send off applications by the end of this semester. The advantage to visiting colleges the summer in the fall of 12th grade: lots of high schools give excused absences for college visits. It’s expected and allowed for you to miss (a little bit of) school for these days away. And by this time, you can focus on schools that are definitely on your list. The drawback to visiting colleges in the fall of 12th grade: senior year is busy, and there’s not always much time. And you're realistically only talking about the first half of the fall of 12th grade, since you need to save time to actually complete applications. Tip: if you’re sure you’re going to apply to a particular college, you don’t need to visit in the fall. Use this limited time to focus on your undecided schools to help you decide if you really want to apply. You may completely fall in love with a school and decide it’s your new top choice. You may also really hate a campus and wonder what you ever saw in that college.
As I write that, I can already hear people objecting. If you’re sure you want to apply to a school and have time to visit, you should tour there so you get the Demonstrated Interest “points.” They’re not wrong; if a university takes Demonstrated Interest into account, then a campus visit is a big deal. Still, I would say two things to that objection. One, you should spend your time and resources, if you’re even able to go on fall visits, getting what you need to make a wise choice, not gaming the system to try to convince them you’re worthy. You’re a person, not just a resume. Prioritize getting information and experiences that will help you, as a person, make better decisions. Second, there are plenty of other ways to demonstrate interest, and you should certainly do those things. Make sure you’re on the school’s mailing list, and check their website often. Email the admission officer for your area and tell them exactly what’s up: you’re not going to tour in the fall, because you already know you’ll definitely apply. Instead, ask about dates and formats for accepted student visits in the spring. Apply Early Action if it’s available, or even Early Decision. You can let them know you’re interested without feeling like you absolutely have to go on campus. Going to visit a college just so you can write your name on the attendance list and “get credit” is not a wise use of your time.
The spring of 12th grade. Don’t forget about this! Most colleges host accepted student weekends and other events for students trying to make a decision. The advantage to visiting colleges the summer in the spring of 12th grade: you’re super-focused on finding the right fit, and you’re only visiting places you’ve been accepted. Also, by this point students who need financial help have usually already made their case, and there are often opportunities for some travel costs to get reimbursed. You can’t count on financial aid for spring visits, but you can ask about it. The drawback to visiting colleges in the spring of 12th grade: if you’re accepted to too many schools, this can be really overwhelming. Getting lots of acceptances and having lots of options is good…until you have to choose just one or two to visit in the spring. The most stressed-out seniors I ever taught were the ones trying to cram a lot of college visits in their last semester of high school. Tip: before going on any spring visits, review and update your college mission statement. They’re doing everything they can to dazzle you and get you to send in that deposit, so make sure you have what you want top of mind, not what they can wow you with.
Bonus tip: Every parent wants their children to be safe, but I have a friend who is extremely security focused. (He was a Marine sniper.) When his family went on college visits, his wife would go along on the official tour with their children. Then he would go out on his own. He would walk into buildings to see if anyone noticed there was a stranger there. He would strike up conversations with the security guards, maintenance workers, and landscapers. He would try to get a sense of how safe people outside the admission department felt the school was. While I don’t recommend this approach to most people (I can just picture myself getting arrested for walking into the wrong building and ruining my children’s chances of admission), it is a reminder that everyone should be watching not only what the tour guides show them, but also looking for hints beyond the official program. Just don’t get in trouble.
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