8 answers
Laney
Student
Chesapeake, Virginia
2
Questions
Asked
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What questions should I ask when visiting a college?
I am touring colleges this week and 2 of them are being led by students.#college
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8 answers
Sheila Jordan
Lead Network Proj/Prog Manager
712
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Sheila’s Answer
Hi Laney:
Kudos to you for achieving the next step in your life. Going to college is a great experience; one that will last with you for a lifetime. Touring your prospective colleges is a great opportunity to learn from the people who study, work, and teach on campus. By keeping your eyes and ears open, you can gain a strong sense of a school and its culture. To help you get off the ground, here are some questions you could ask during a college tour.
ACADEMIC
• Are some majors or departments considered stronger or more popular than others?
• How large are the classes?
• Are the classes more lecture-based or discussion-based?
• Would you describe any classes as especially innovative or project-based?
• How many of the classes are taught by a professor, and how many are taught by a teaching assistant?
• Are the professors accessible outside of class?
• What kind of classes have smaller section meetings? What are they like?
• Are there any especially popular classes or must-have professors?
• How much freedom do freshmen have in choosing courses?
• Are students usually able to take their first choice courses?
• How's the Wi-Fi?
• How are freshman advisors assigned?
• Is it easy to change your major?
• How would you describe the freshman experience, in terms of advising or any classes that everyone has to take?
• Do the professors hold office hours? How often can students interact with professors outside of class?
• Can undergraduates work with professors on research?
• Are there honors programs or capstone classes? If so, what are they like?
• How many hours of class do students typically have each week? How much homework outside of class?
• Are finals more exam-based or project / essay-based?
• Where are the best places to study on campus?
• What are the hours for the library? Do these change during reading periods or exam weeks?
• Are there any research methods or databases I should learn about for my classes?
• Do any majors require seniors to write a thesis or complete a senior project?
As mentioned above, you might alter some of these questions to refer to a specific major or class. An intro science lecture, for instance, might contain hundreds of students, while a literature class could be discussion-based and limited to twelve students.
RESIDENCE LIFE
• What are the dorms like? Are there lounges, laundry, and kitchens? Shared or private restrooms?
• Do certain dorms appeal to students with different interests, like a "healthy living" dorm?
• Do most students live in the dorms? What about after sophomore or junior year? If they move off campus, do they live in apartments or shared houses?
• Are any students placed in triples?
• How are the resident counselors? Do they plan social events for freshmen to get to know one another?
• Do most students get along with their randomly assigned roommates?
• What would I do in case of a conflict or need for a room switch? Is that possible?
• What kind of food does the dining hall serve? Are there different options? How is it, really?
• Does the dining hall accommodate special dietary restrictions?
• Are there any aspiring chefs on campus who host occasional exclusive gourmet pop-up dinners?
CAMPUS CULTURE AND SURROUNDING AREA
• Where do students tend to hang out on and off campus?
• Are there movie theaters and concert venues? What about good cafes for getting work done or finding the perfect pumpkin spice latte?
• How would you describe the presence of Greek life? Do a lot of students belong to fraternities or sororities?
• How ethnically diverse is the campus?
• How many international students are there? What countries do they come from?
• Do students stick around or go home on weekends?
• Have there been any recent student protests? What were they protesting, and how did staff and faculty respond?
• What are some big campus events, like homecoming or alumni weekend?
• Is it easy to get around campus or get off campus without a car?
• What transportation options are there around campus?
• Is it a safe area to walk around at night? What kind of safety measures are in place?
• Do many students work on or off campus? How easy is it to find a part-time job?
PERSONAL QUESTIONS
Tour Guides are typically current students who went through the same college application process just a few years earlier. Most tour guides are also, presumably, happy about their choice to attend. I wouldn't recommend prying into their high school grades and test scores, but there are other personal questions that are fair game, like the following:
• What's your favorite class and why?
• What's it like to study in your major?
• How helpful did you find your freshman year advisor?
• What do you wish you had known going into freshman year?
• What do you wish you had asked on a campus tour when you were in my place?
• What's a typical weekday like for you?
• What surprised you about campus life here?
• Is there anything you wish you had done differently to improve your experience here?
• Are there any things you'd like to change about the school?
• What would be your most important advice for freshman?
• What's your favorite spot you've discovered on campus since arriving?
I hope you have lots of fun on your tour. Make sure to wear comfortable clothing and shoes as you may be walking all over campus. Keep the hairstyle simple in case of rain or high humidity; take a backpack with writing pad (composition notebook is great) and pen, snacks, water bottle, wipes/sanitizer, etc. Take lots of photos of the dorm and other places because as you're deciding to attend you'll want to reference that material. I wish you much success on your journey and best of luck to you!
Questions to Ask on a College Tour • https://blog.prepscholar.com/good-questions-to-ask-on-a-college-tour
Write down names of people you meet and jot down notes about the encounter. This could be the start of your network
Take pics of the surrounding area/neighborhood/community
Kudos to you for achieving the next step in your life. Going to college is a great experience; one that will last with you for a lifetime. Touring your prospective colleges is a great opportunity to learn from the people who study, work, and teach on campus. By keeping your eyes and ears open, you can gain a strong sense of a school and its culture. To help you get off the ground, here are some questions you could ask during a college tour.
ACADEMIC
• Are some majors or departments considered stronger or more popular than others?
• How large are the classes?
• Are the classes more lecture-based or discussion-based?
• Would you describe any classes as especially innovative or project-based?
• How many of the classes are taught by a professor, and how many are taught by a teaching assistant?
• Are the professors accessible outside of class?
• What kind of classes have smaller section meetings? What are they like?
• Are there any especially popular classes or must-have professors?
• How much freedom do freshmen have in choosing courses?
• Are students usually able to take their first choice courses?
• How's the Wi-Fi?
• How are freshman advisors assigned?
• Is it easy to change your major?
• How would you describe the freshman experience, in terms of advising or any classes that everyone has to take?
• Do the professors hold office hours? How often can students interact with professors outside of class?
• Can undergraduates work with professors on research?
• Are there honors programs or capstone classes? If so, what are they like?
• How many hours of class do students typically have each week? How much homework outside of class?
• Are finals more exam-based or project / essay-based?
• Where are the best places to study on campus?
• What are the hours for the library? Do these change during reading periods or exam weeks?
• Are there any research methods or databases I should learn about for my classes?
• Do any majors require seniors to write a thesis or complete a senior project?
As mentioned above, you might alter some of these questions to refer to a specific major or class. An intro science lecture, for instance, might contain hundreds of students, while a literature class could be discussion-based and limited to twelve students.
RESIDENCE LIFE
• What are the dorms like? Are there lounges, laundry, and kitchens? Shared or private restrooms?
• Do certain dorms appeal to students with different interests, like a "healthy living" dorm?
• Do most students live in the dorms? What about after sophomore or junior year? If they move off campus, do they live in apartments or shared houses?
• Are any students placed in triples?
• How are the resident counselors? Do they plan social events for freshmen to get to know one another?
• Do most students get along with their randomly assigned roommates?
• What would I do in case of a conflict or need for a room switch? Is that possible?
• What kind of food does the dining hall serve? Are there different options? How is it, really?
• Does the dining hall accommodate special dietary restrictions?
• Are there any aspiring chefs on campus who host occasional exclusive gourmet pop-up dinners?
CAMPUS CULTURE AND SURROUNDING AREA
• Where do students tend to hang out on and off campus?
• Are there movie theaters and concert venues? What about good cafes for getting work done or finding the perfect pumpkin spice latte?
• How would you describe the presence of Greek life? Do a lot of students belong to fraternities or sororities?
• How ethnically diverse is the campus?
• How many international students are there? What countries do they come from?
• Do students stick around or go home on weekends?
• Have there been any recent student protests? What were they protesting, and how did staff and faculty respond?
• What are some big campus events, like homecoming or alumni weekend?
• Is it easy to get around campus or get off campus without a car?
• What transportation options are there around campus?
• Is it a safe area to walk around at night? What kind of safety measures are in place?
• Do many students work on or off campus? How easy is it to find a part-time job?
PERSONAL QUESTIONS
Tour Guides are typically current students who went through the same college application process just a few years earlier. Most tour guides are also, presumably, happy about their choice to attend. I wouldn't recommend prying into their high school grades and test scores, but there are other personal questions that are fair game, like the following:
• What's your favorite class and why?
• What's it like to study in your major?
• How helpful did you find your freshman year advisor?
• What do you wish you had known going into freshman year?
• What do you wish you had asked on a campus tour when you were in my place?
• What's a typical weekday like for you?
• What surprised you about campus life here?
• Is there anything you wish you had done differently to improve your experience here?
• Are there any things you'd like to change about the school?
• What would be your most important advice for freshman?
• What's your favorite spot you've discovered on campus since arriving?
I hope you have lots of fun on your tour. Make sure to wear comfortable clothing and shoes as you may be walking all over campus. Keep the hairstyle simple in case of rain or high humidity; take a backpack with writing pad (composition notebook is great) and pen, snacks, water bottle, wipes/sanitizer, etc. Take lots of photos of the dorm and other places because as you're deciding to attend you'll want to reference that material. I wish you much success on your journey and best of luck to you!
Sheila recommends the following next steps:
Wayne Archibald
Cybersecurity Associate Director here to share knowledge!
221
Answers
Annapolis Junction, Maryland
Updated
Wayne’s Answer
Hi Laney ,
Congratulations on preparing for the next chapter of your life. My undergraduate college program were 4 of the best year of my life!
Here are some great questions to ask:
1.) Why interested you in this college?
2.) What is the average class size?
3.) What is the student-to-professor ratio?
4.) What kind of programs are here for the majors? (internships, summer work, etc.)
5.) May I speak with the professor in charge of the _______ major? (If you are interested in one)
6.) What is the graduation rate?
7.) May I visit the offices? (Student Life, Study Abroad, Registrar, etc.)
8.) Can I see a dorm? (From my experience, tours usually include a dorm showing, but keep this question in mind in case your tour does not!)
9.) What are some typical on-campus jobs?
10.) What activities, on and off-campus, can I get involved in? (Other colleges may host things that students from your college can go to)
11.) How is on-campus security, and how are emergencies handled?
12.) Is there transportation for students? (Especially important for those of us who do not have a car on campus!)
13.) How accessible are study spaces? (Any 24-hour areas?)
14.) How do I inquire about tutoring?
15.) What kinds of jobs do students go into after graduation?
16.) Do students usually get into a job related to what they studied?
17.) How quickly do students find jobs after graduation?
18.) Are there resources on campus to help me find internships?
19.) Are there resources on campus to help with résumés and preparing for jobs?
20.) How prevalent is the alumni involvement?
Just remember that you are growing into an adult. As scary as that is, the journey can be made a little less frightening with the right support. And finding the right support for you often starts with asking questions!
Good luck!
Congratulations on preparing for the next chapter of your life. My undergraduate college program were 4 of the best year of my life!
Here are some great questions to ask:
1.) Why interested you in this college?
2.) What is the average class size?
3.) What is the student-to-professor ratio?
4.) What kind of programs are here for the majors? (internships, summer work, etc.)
5.) May I speak with the professor in charge of the _______ major? (If you are interested in one)
6.) What is the graduation rate?
7.) May I visit the offices? (Student Life, Study Abroad, Registrar, etc.)
8.) Can I see a dorm? (From my experience, tours usually include a dorm showing, but keep this question in mind in case your tour does not!)
9.) What are some typical on-campus jobs?
10.) What activities, on and off-campus, can I get involved in? (Other colleges may host things that students from your college can go to)
11.) How is on-campus security, and how are emergencies handled?
12.) Is there transportation for students? (Especially important for those of us who do not have a car on campus!)
13.) How accessible are study spaces? (Any 24-hour areas?)
14.) How do I inquire about tutoring?
15.) What kinds of jobs do students go into after graduation?
16.) Do students usually get into a job related to what they studied?
17.) How quickly do students find jobs after graduation?
18.) Are there resources on campus to help me find internships?
19.) Are there resources on campus to help with résumés and preparing for jobs?
20.) How prevalent is the alumni involvement?
Just remember that you are growing into an adult. As scary as that is, the journey can be made a little less frightening with the right support. And finding the right support for you often starts with asking questions!
Good luck!
Thank you so much for the advice!
Gina Ringer
National Account Manager
114
Answers
Wheaton, Illinois
Updated
Gina’s Answer
Hello!
Maybe some of these will help??
How much time do students typically spend on homework?
How much writing and reading are expected?
What is the average class size of introductory classes?
How widely used are teaching assistants on your campus?
What is the average class size of upper-division courses?
What opportunities are there for undergraduate research?
How many students participate in undergraduate research?
Is there a culminating senior year experience?
Do you have an honors college?
Do you have a learning community or other freshman experience?
What is your average financial aid package?
What is the typical breakdown of loans versus grants?
What percentage of financial need does the school typically meet?
What is the average merit award?
What percentage of students receive college grants?
What is the average college debt that students leave with?
What work-study opportunities are there?
What is your four-year graduation rate?
What does it take to graduate in four years?
What percentage of freshmen return for sophomore year?
What type of tutoring program do you have?
How do you provide academic advice to students?
Do you have a writing center and how do I access it?
What kind of learning disability resources do you have?
Maybe some of these will help??
How much time do students typically spend on homework?
How much writing and reading are expected?
What is the average class size of introductory classes?
How widely used are teaching assistants on your campus?
What is the average class size of upper-division courses?
What opportunities are there for undergraduate research?
How many students participate in undergraduate research?
Is there a culminating senior year experience?
Do you have an honors college?
Do you have a learning community or other freshman experience?
What is your average financial aid package?
What is the typical breakdown of loans versus grants?
What percentage of financial need does the school typically meet?
What is the average merit award?
What percentage of students receive college grants?
What is the average college debt that students leave with?
What work-study opportunities are there?
What is your four-year graduation rate?
What does it take to graduate in four years?
What percentage of freshmen return for sophomore year?
What type of tutoring program do you have?
How do you provide academic advice to students?
Do you have a writing center and how do I access it?
What kind of learning disability resources do you have?
Aneree Mehta
Cyber Security Analyst
23
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Aneree’s Answer
Hi Laney,
That's a great question! Here is link to a resource you might find helpful: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/questions-to-ask-on-a-college-tour.
Hope this helps!
That's a great question! Here is link to a resource you might find helpful: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/questions-to-ask-on-a-college-tour.
Hope this helps!
Gloria Ortiz
Instructional Designer
845
Answers
Irving, Texas
Updated
Gloria’s Answer
Hi Laney,
You have gotten a lot of good questions here. I would say that you need to think about what you will need to know in your daily life at the school. I am assuming that since you are visiting schools that they are in cities or states far from home. You are not going to just need to know about the campus, but about the area outside of campus. Are you going to have a car or will you need to depend on public transit? Are you going to need to work and are there a lot of places you can travel to for work? If you are going to school in a different region, ask about the weather. I moved from a hot climate to a cold climate and I was not ready for the change in temperatures that meant by new clothes. Also you need to consider how easy it is for you to get home. I went to college in a small town with a very small airport which made it harder to get home when I needed to.
Gloria
You have gotten a lot of good questions here. I would say that you need to think about what you will need to know in your daily life at the school. I am assuming that since you are visiting schools that they are in cities or states far from home. You are not going to just need to know about the campus, but about the area outside of campus. Are you going to have a car or will you need to depend on public transit? Are you going to need to work and are there a lot of places you can travel to for work? If you are going to school in a different region, ask about the weather. I moved from a hot climate to a cold climate and I was not ready for the change in temperatures that meant by new clothes. Also you need to consider how easy it is for you to get home. I went to college in a small town with a very small airport which made it harder to get home when I needed to.
Gloria
Michael Malloy
Workforce Planning and Analysis
5
Answers
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Asking about class size will help you to find out the kind of attention you may get as a student. The smaller the class size, the more time the instructor can spend with each student in answering questions.
Asking about local business affiliations can help you find out if there are local companies that use the school to help fill internships which are very worthwhile learning experiences that can assist you with a career search once you finish school.
Find out the graduation employment rate for the school. What percent of graduates get a position in their field within 3 months of graduation ?
Asking about local business affiliations can help you find out if there are local companies that use the school to help fill internships which are very worthwhile learning experiences that can assist you with a career search once you finish school.
Find out the graduation employment rate for the school. What percent of graduates get a position in their field within 3 months of graduation ?
Simeon Snow
Risk Assurance
1790
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Simeon’s Answer
I would look at the affordability of the programs as well as which ones offer the career opportunities you are looking for. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to look for a college that a lot of people with your desired career path are graduating from. You want to go somewhere where you can network with the people that will help you get into the companies that you're interested in.
Terence Cheung
Business Operations
78
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Terence’s Answer
Since the tours are being lead by students, it'd be great to get their direct opinions on their experiences. Personal stories about their most confusing interactions when they first got to school, or a frustrating situation they had with the school policies, or their most stressful time in their first year. How difficult were class registrations and why were they difficult?
Hearing firsthand about someone's most memorable times in that first year of college will shed some light on what you might come across that first year at that college. Those stories may shed light on issues that you could run into and where some issues may lie at the college - maybe it's administration or the college's tools/systems. They could also highlight some of the strengths of school.
Take advantage of it, use the opportunity to pick their brain!
Hearing firsthand about someone's most memorable times in that first year of college will shed some light on what you might come across that first year at that college. Those stories may shed light on issues that you could run into and where some issues may lie at the college - maybe it's administration or the college's tools/systems. They could also highlight some of the strengths of school.
Take advantage of it, use the opportunity to pick their brain!