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How a campus tour can be critical to your college success

By Catherine Mueller

May 03, 2022

A key to a successful college experience for some students is being in the right environment.

A campus tour, whether in-person or virtual, can help you choose the right college environment to accomplish your educational goals. However, you need to know what you are looking for in a postsecondary school or college. By planning for campus tours, you can avoid getting overwhelmed with all the information or confused about what college offers which features.

Prior to taking any tours, you should have already narrowed down the list of potential colleges by selecting only those that offer the educational program you want to pursue.

With that factor considered, the first step is to make a list of what you want in a postsecondary institution. list all the features you want in your dream college. As you take the tour, take notes about that feature or amenity. For example, do you want a fitness center on campus? If so, did the tour provide a view of the fitness center and what were the pros and cons of that amenity?

Other features or amenities that you may want to include on your list could include:

• Campus setting. Is the campus an urban, suburban, or rural setting? What type of campus setting do you want and what were the pros and cons of the campus settings for each college you toured?
• Campus buildings and classrooms. Hopefully, the campus tour will offer a view of the building where you will spend most of your time based on your major. If not, check to see if there any specific tours of the building housing your program of study.
• Dorms. If you plan to live on campus, did the tour give you an idea of what the dorm rooms look like? Depending on the size of the campus, the college could have a variety of types of dorms, some older and some newer.
• Facilities. If you plan to spend most of your time on campus, what type of facilities will you want or need? In addition to a fitness facility, is there shopping or post office on campus or nearby. Are there restaurants and entertainment options on campus?

It's also a good idea to supplement the college tour by reading the college newspaper, the local community newspaper, and visiting the social media sites for the college. Those print or online publications may give you some additional insights about what the college has to offer incoming students.