You found the campus, and you’re ready to take that guided tour! Oops, the one you were scheduled for left an hour ago. Try to be on time, because there may be other families taking the scheduled tour with you.
After the guided campus tour, strike out on your own. Look at areas of the campus the tour guide didn’t show you as well as the surrounding area. Is this a college town you can live with?
Eat in the dining hall to check out the food, and ask the students how they like it. Word to the wise: most students have something negative to say about “dorm food,” no matter how good it may be. If there’s lots of variety, even that can get boring after a while.
Notice how well the buildings and grounds are maintained. That can say a lot about the school’s financial health.
Check out the campus computing facilities. How current are they? Is there wireless access everywhere? Is there a good “Helpdesk” to answer questions about viruses and crashed hard drives?
Talk to the right people: a professor in your chosen major or interest area, a coach in your chosen sport, a counselor in the career center, students everywhere. Ask for directions to break the ice. Get business cards and/or names of these folks for future contacts and follow-up questions.
Sit in on a class of a subject that interests you. Do the students seem engaged or bored out of their skulls?
Check the facilities for the study areas that interest you… labs if you’re into science or engineering; performing arts facilities if you want to either major in that area or participate as an extracurricular activity; athletic facilities if you want to play sports; the library if you are going to need research materials… or just like a selection of good books with a cup of coffee to relax with.
Spend the night in a residence hall with a current student. The Admissions Office will set this up for you.
Get a sense of student life on campus…Scan the bulletin boards to see what the student organizations are up to, what concerts and films are upcoming, what the politics are like. Browse the bookstore, listen to the college radio station. Hang out in the campus center coffee place and ask questions!