Description of tip for starting the college search:
Visiting schools can be time intensive, but it is an excellent way for your child to get a sense of the reality and personality of a school. From the time you arrive on campus, you begin to form impressions (positive and negative) about the school: the physical plant, the friendliness of students and staff, and the overall ôfeel.ö Help your child to compare the ôfeelö with their needs and comfort zone. When visiting schools, your child should ask, ôCan I see myself here?ö

Your first trips may be to help your child get a sense of the size and type of school they are interested in. Try to look at different size schools as well as an urban, suburban, and rural school. This is easier if you live in an area that has colleges nearby. Most colleges give morning and afternoon tours: check their website or viewbook for tour information. Keep notes, or develop a rating system to record your impressions of each school. This system should include factors that are important to you, such as: campus layout, cleanliness, distance from home, dorm size, programs available, security, and/or overall feel. Take a camera and take pictures to help refresh your memory û after a few visits, it will become harder to remember the details of each school.

Once your child has developed a sense of the type of school he or she is interested in, you can fine tune your list and then schedule visits. Limit yourself to two visits per day to avoid information overload. Try to visit when school is in session, making an appointment and scheduling an interview if required or recommended. In addition to taking the tour, you may want to visit the Placement Office, the Financial Aid office, and the Security office for additional information in each of these areas.

Other comments or suggestions:
Visiting schools can be time intensive, but it is an excellent way for your child to get a sense of the reality and personality of a school. From the time you arrive on campus, you begin to form impressions (positive and negative) about the school: the physical plant, the friendliness of students and staff, and the overall ôfeel.ö Help your child to compare the ôfeelö with their needs and comfort zone. When visiting schools, your child should ask, ôCan I see myself here?ö

Your first trips may be to help your child get a sense of the size and type of school they are interested in. Try to look at different size schools as well as an urban, suburban, and rural school. This is easier if you live in an area that has colleges nearby. Most colleges give morning and afternoon tours: check their website or viewbook for tour information. Keep notes, or develop a rating system to record your impressions of each school. This system should include factors that are important to you, such as: campus layout, cleanliness, distance from home, dorm size, programs available, security, and/or overall feel. Take a camera and take pictures to help refresh your memory û after a few visits, it will become harder to remember the details of each school.

Once your child has developed a sense of the type of school he or she is interested in, you can fine tune your list and then schedule visits. Limit yourself to two visits per day to avoid information overload. Try to visit when school is in session, making an appointment and scheduling an interview if required or recommended. In addition to taking the tour, you may want to visit the Placement Office, the Financial Aid office, and the Security office for additional information in each of these areas.