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Amy VanTassel, EdM
amyveetee@gmail.com
Amy VT’s
college visit tips
•
before you go
• Make a date. If you are certain of when you’ll be on a campus, it is vital to pre-register for a visit.
There are many online options, but I recommend calling. While I typically encourage students to
make the contact in other instances, it is appropriate for parents to call for a tour, information
session, and/or interview.
• Ask what else! When you call to arrange your tour, the administrative employee may not be
proactive in suggesting what else your visit could include. Ask if they offer interviews, information
sessions, class visits, coach or professor meetings, lunch for visitors, or anything else. If you
have time, prearrange any and all of the above that intrigue you. Nota bene: if a coach or
professor meeting is possible, the student, not the parent, should make the contact.
• Research your regional rep. You may not meet the admission officer who covers your high
school, who will read your application and advocate for you. It’s good to know who your regional
rep is, though, in case you bump into her/him while you’re on campus.
• Determine parents’ role(s)! See below.
•
when you’re there
• Fill out every form. Even if you’re doing a casual self-guided tour and do not meet with anyone in
admissions, it’s vital that you formally register your visit that day. This will illustrate your interest;
admission officers are rarely fond of “phantom visitors.”
• Eat lunch. Even if the school doesn’t offer free lunch for visitors, you should inquire about the
most popular dining option and eat there! This will provide an hour of good student-watching and
an opportunity to sample being an everyday member of the community.
• Meet your fellow visitors. You might have idle time filling out forms, waiting for tours, etc.
Chatting it up with fellow visitors could lend ideas or inspiration based on their college searches.
719/440-5189
Amy VanTassel, EdM
amyveetee@gmail.com
719/440-5189
Amy VanTassel, EdM
amyveetee@gmail.com
• Stalk your regional rep. Again, you will not likely meet your rep while you’re on campus, but you
may see her/him in passing. If the opportunity presents, introduce yourself with the disclaimer
that you do not want to take up her/his time other than a quick “hello.” (Imagine admission
officers taking circuitous routes to and from their offices to avoid getting trapped by eager
visitors.)
• Grab a paper. What better way to explore a school’s culture than grabbing a student newspaper,
literary magazine, flyers, etc? These publications lend more juicy insight than the glossy
literature. In fact, student papers are often forbidden from admission offices, as they are often
too explicit or controversial.
• Take pictures and notes. Use your phone to document what you saw and learned. After a ton of
visits, some similar schools may run together in your mind.
• But don’t bog yourself down with numbers. It’s most important to get the feel or vibe while you’re
on campus, so don’t bother memorizing student body population or professor ratios. You can
always look it up later. When taking notes, don’t worry about details like “40% of families receive
institutional aid” or “thirty team sports and fifteen club sports. Go for “kids seemed outgoing and
active” or “dorms were like palaces” or “diversity was evident just walking around.”
• Grab a student. Your tour guide will be one of the most engaging and impressive students the
school boasts. If the opportunity presents and you can muster the courage, grab a student and
ask her/him how they like their school. (Parents, let your student take the reins unless they ask
you to do so.) A good line: “Hey, I’m a prospie from Portland; do you think my tour guide gave
me a realistic impression of life here?”
• NB: If you’re pressed for time and cannot do it all, I recommend at least taking the tour. A tour will
be the best bang for your buck in terms of gleaning the vibe of a campus and hearing the
school’s spiel directly from a current student.
•
interview
• Prep an awesome fun subject. Your interviewer doesn’t need to hear about your classes and
grades…they will see that information soon enough. This is your opportunity to show character.
Pick something you’re passionate about, e.g. travel, rock climbing, cooking, volunteering, guitar…
Rehearse some mature, collegiate, insightful details about this topic. For instance:
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Amy VanTassel, EdM
amyveetee@gmail.com
719/440-5189
•
Amy VanTassel, EdM
amyveetee@gmail.com
“What I loved about my trip to Haiti was seeing other cultures and political situations firsthand, and then bringing back that knowledge...like when poverty came up in my AP US
History class the other day…”
•
“Community Service began as something to just earn school credits, but when I started
volunteering for Rails to Trails, I realized that there are real politics in town that I can affect.
Now I’m pretty sure I’ll always be involved in some environmental group no matter where I
end up. I’m actually considering green engineering as a possible career.”
•
“Choir was just something I did for church since I was little. But now I revel in the fact that
my singing groups are my community and a necessary balance with homework. I can’t wait
to check out a’cappella groups in college.”
• Prep an awesome academic subject. You will be asked about your predicted course of study. For
liberal arts colleges, express passion for one or two subjects and a few dream careers, in
addition to eagerness to be introduced to new disciplines in college and “study across the
curriculum.” Use that phrase! Repeat after me: “study across the curriculum.” For larger
universities, you should sound a bit more focused. If you’re not certain, make it up for now, as it’s
better to sound focused than wishy-washy.
• Any Cs? If you had a less-than perfect report card at any point, thou shall not leave without
discussing it with your interviewer! Prepare and rehearse a mature explanation of why you
struggled. Avoid blaming teachers, accept responsibility, and sound eager about your
improvement.
• Other special circumstances? If you have or have experienced health issues, prolonged absences,
learning disabilities, or family circumstances, thou shall not leave without discussing!
• Show off school-specific knowledge. It is essential to research how the school considers itself
different from others. If you do research ahead of time, this will become clear to your interviewer.
If you didn’t prep, grab a viewbook in the lobby and cram!
• Show off super impressive school-specific knowledge. If you have time to pre-research, memorize
some class titles and professors that intrigue you. If you can slip this intel into your interview, you
will shine.
• Flatter. If you do nothing else, evince that you are tremendously impressed with the school and
suggest that it is your top choice. Even better, tell your interviewer that she/he validated your
fondness of the school, á la "This (interview) was really helpful. You really articulated the
strengths of Worthington College, which is definitely at the top of my list after today."
Interviewers love to sense "perceived interest," and flattery always helps.
719/440-5189
Amy VanTassel, EdM
amyveetee@gmail.com
719/440-5189
Amy VanTassel, EdM
amyveetee@gmail.com
• Ask ask ask. If you don’t have sincere inquiries, make a few up and rehearse them. Some
suggestions:
•
“Is the faculty accessible to students outside of class? Are many classes taught by TAs?”
•
“Are there any curricular changes on the horizon? Any additions or subtractions from the
course catalog?”
•
“Are there research possibilities with the faculty? Any examples?”
•
“What are the strengths of the advising system?”
•
“I sense that Worthington College is unique because you emphasize real-world/experiential
learning like your practicum program. Do I have it right? Is there anything you would add to
what is distinctive about education here?”
•
“What would you say makes Worthington College students different from others?”
•
for parents
• Amy VT’s top six ways NOT to devastate your child:
1. Lay out your clothes. Settle on what she/he will wear well before you pack, and you
will thwart the classic argument in the hotel or car before your visit. See above for
guidelines and note that un-ripped jeans are always appropriate. Whether or not
they admit it, one of your student’s chief concerns of the visit is how she/he
appears to college kids. Let it be.
2.
3. Bite your tongue—in moderation. Indeed, information sessions and tours are
designed to answer parents’ questions, as well. It’s best, however, to keep your
questions to a minimum and focus on the clarifying kind. Perhaps you could
choose a few priority questions and ask your student in advance how comfortable
she/he is with your inquiry.
4.
5. No challenging in groups. Speaking of your questions, keep the case-specific,
sensitive, and challenging questions away from group sessions. I’ve witnessed
countless parents broach some challenging questions in group information
presentations, only to make their kid blush and resolve to pout the rest of the day.
Until you’re one-on-one with an admission representative, steer clear of your own
specific financial situation, drug and alcohol culture, racial dynamics, safety (kids
hate “how safe will my daughter be?”), complex statistics, and so on.
4. Don’t speak to her/his “mojo.” Unless directly asked, always defer to your student
regarding her/his interests or academic achievements. This. Will. Be. Hard.
719/440-5189
Amy VanTassel, EdM
amyveetee@gmail.com
719/440-5189
Amy VanTassel, EdM
amyveetee@gmail.com
Especially if you are so proud of your student you want to shout it to the universe, it
will be difficult to refrain from “Suzy can’t wait to play soccer in college,” or
“Suzy gets straight As,” or “Suzy thinks she’ll major in psychology” or “well, Suzy
has ADHD so the smaller class sizes will be good for her.” It’s time for even the
shiest students to speak for themselves. Your student might have recently altered
her/his preferences beyond your awareness. Moreover, admission representatives
are leery of bragging parents as they will see the students’ achievement soon
enough.
5. Leave your other kids home? I frequently promote younger siblings’ attendance at
college visits as an early way to demystify the college search and application
process. Unfortunately, I have fielded numerous accounts of a younger sibling
spoiling an older sibling’s college visit, for numerous reasons. Ask your visiting
child how she/he honestly feels about accompaniment. Ensure them that they’re
not a bad sister or brother if they’d rather fly solo.
6. No lunch plans on the fly. You might meet another visiting family and talk about
dinner, you might have a coach invite you to practice, a professor might invite you
to lunch… These are liable to be positive experiences, but check in with your
student first. For who-knows-what reason, it could be the last thing that she/he
wants to do. I always recommend going to the school’s largest dining hall for
lunch, and dropping in on any class or activity to which you’re invited, but stay
flexible and take a minute, i.e. “That sounds great, let me have a quick family
check-in before we decide.”
719/440-5189
Amy VanTassel, EdM
amyveetee@gmail.com