At what age should I start visiting colleges?

Hi Alina. First of all, kudos to your ability to handle 4 sports, that is amazing and quite the testament to your athletic ability and time management skills . Although there is no hard cutoff date for when you absolutely need to start visiting colleges; visiting colleges during early high school years would be the most beneficial. If you are interested in colleges that are closer/local, you can probably knock out these tours without too much planning.

For colleges that are out of town, try to plan visits during long weekends, spring/winter/summer breaks, whenever your schedule will allow for it. Since college applications are usually completed by the end of your senior year, you want to have a good idea on which schools you want to attend. Ideally, you can finish your visits during the summer break leading into your senior year. Most colleges have programs where you may be able to stay overnight and get a better feel of the campus.

Narrowing down which schools to visit is a tough, but rewarding task. You may not know which field you want to major in, but it’s never too early to start considering possibilities. Research colleges that have fields/majors that of interest, sports programs that are relevant, and in locations you want to attend college. The better informed you are about colleges, the better idea you will have come application time. It is not necessary to visit every college you apply to, it may not be feasible with time constraints, but there is no harm in doing as much research as possible. Hope this helps. Amit

Alina,

First, do you plan on picking one of the sports to play in college? Or were you thinking of continuing to play all four via intramural? If you choose to pick one sport, then you'll want to start coming up with a list of potential colleges. I recommend researching the colleges on what Majors & Programs they offer, if you have an idea on what you would like to study. For example you may want to be a teacher and although teh college doesn't offer teaching, they could have a major in Mathematics or History that you could take, if that's what you want to teach; however you would still need to go somewhere else to get accredited to be a teacher, since that college doesn't offer teaching. You will also want to check out the NCAA Eligibility Center and fill out the appropriate information if you are going to play a sport for the college.

However due to new NCAA rules, Division I schools are not allowed to talk to you until September of your Junior year in HS. Check out more on DI to DIII recruitment here: https://www.ncsasports.org/ncaa-eligibility-center/recruiting-rules

If you are just going to college for your degree, then it doesn't hurt to look now. You aren't going to apply this early, but if you start looking at close colleges (Univ. of Oregon, Oregon State, Portland Univ., etc) to see if it has a campus you like, dorms appear to be in good shape, the classrooms & buildings are what you are looking for. If you are going on vacation, take a look at schools around there. Make sure it has the atmosphere you are looking for on campus, as well as things to do around the campus when you are not studying, etc. Unfortunately now is not the best time since most college students are back at home and not roaming around the student center, quad, classrooms, dorms, etc.

You'll want to start making your final decisions (Top 5-10 colleges) in your Junior year and ensure you tour the campus during school session (ie: Spring Break or other times when your school is going on.