College; many seniors are thinking about it. It might seem very far away but it’s a lot closer than you think. Many universities have early deadlines for grants and scholarships; the sooner one applies, the greater chance he/she has at scholarships. One of the hardest parts about the college application process is deciding which to apply to. There are so many options to choose from and the only way to find your fit is to visit colleges.
College visits are very useful and help you understand many things. Before making visits, you must narrow your list based on location, majors offered and public/private. Once a list has been made, you can start visiting schools. The process is simple; each school has a different system but all the resources are on the website. You can sign up for a campus through the website and many colleges also offer school specific campus tours such as engineering, business, or sciences.
Visiting colleges help you understand many things. You will be at college for about four years so it’s important to make sure your top school is the right fit for you. Is the college a separate campus like Iowa State or is it integrated within the city like Iowa? How large is the student body? What are the dorms like? How is the campus life?
All these questions can easily be answered by making a visit. College is one of the greatest investments in your future and not everyone wants or needs to have a similar experience. A key factor many people look over is the travel. Senior Keshav Wagle is looking at different schools and he encountered this problem: “You don’t really realize how far you’re going to be from home until you visit,” says Wagle, “You experience traveling back and forth between the school, and it gives you perspective on how often you can come home.” You aren’t going to be at college forever since you come home during breaks. Is the school a driving distance away? Do you need to fly and are there any airports near the school? By visiting the school, you can experience on first hand, the travel times to the place.
Overall, college visits bring lots of insight. They answer many of our questions and most importantly, your parents’ questions.
