Learn More about Colleges

Investigating your options for college

When deciding on a college, it’s important to do your homework about your top choices. Some of the best ways to do this is to schedule a campus visit, meet with an admissions representative, talk with your guidance counselor and look at the school’s website.

Make a college visit

Visiting college campuses is one of the most important things you can do to find the perfect school. It’s never too early to visit campuses, but we recommend at least starting during your junior year of high school.

Prepare questions before you come to help you remember the important things you want to learn. To get you started, here are a few things you might want to ask when visiting a college:

• What are the admission requirements?
• When should I apply for admission and what do you need from me when I apply?
• What is the average yearly cost for tuition, room and board?
• What types of financial aid are available, and when are the deadlines?
• What majors are available for students to study?
• How many students are enrolled on campus?
• What types of housing are available for students?
• What is the average student-to-faculty ratio?
• Do you have an Honors College, and what are the requirements for admission?
• How do AP classes, dual credit classes and IB credits transfer?
• What do students do for fun on campus?
• What can students do in the community?
• What types of services are offered to students?
• What types of athletic programs does your college offer, and what is the charge for student admission?

Attend a college fair

At a college fair, you can visit different college booths to gather informational materials, request more information from schools, and to ask questions about admissions, financial aid, on-campus housing, college life and more. Talk to your high school counselor to see if there will be a college fair in your area and how you can best prepare.

Meet an admissions representative at your school

During your junior and senior years, you will notice that college representatives will visit your high school. Pay attention to your daily announcements and to the posters your high school counselors use to advertise these visits.

Take advantage of the time you have with college representatives – listen attentively to their presentations and come prepared with your list of questions about their college or university.

Talk with your guidance counselor

As you start your college search and selection process, your high school counselor will be one of your most valuable resources. If you don’t know where to begin, start by setting up a meeting to talk with your counselor. Counselors are available to help answer questions about your colleges of choice and to help you find the information you want to know.

Search college websites

If you are looking for basic college or university facts, then check out college websites. You’ll be amazed at the number of questions you can get answered by surfing the web.