The college tour is an incredible opportunity for students and their families. A campus tour lets you see a college or university up close.
College tours give you the ability to engage with the space where you will study. It’s a chance to see classrooms, playing fields, social spaces, and dining halls. It’s the best way to sense how you might fit in.
It’s also the ideal time to get answers. You may not have all the answers from looking at websites and checking out message boards. When you’re on campus, you can get direct answers to your questions.
Don’t be shy about asking questions during your college campus tours. You can even keep your questions on a college tour checklist to make sure you get answers to those burning questions. Having questions ready will help you sort through the many colleges you’ll likely visit.
Here are 16 questions to ask during your college campus tour.
1. What Do You Like Most About Your College?
You will meet many students during college campus visits. They are the best source of information that shares how they feel.
College students usually are very willing to talk about their experiences. Knowing what excites them the most about their college life is important information for you to learn.
2. What Is Your Favorite Class?
Academics are obviously an important part of the college experience. It doesn’t matter whether the person you speak with is in the same program you are. It doesn’t matter if they have the same major.
What does matter is what they say excites them academically. It’s important to be at a campus that lets students explore what is most important to them. College is a great opportunity to explore an academic passion.
During university tours, don’t be afraid to learn more about how students experience academic life.
You can also ask this question of any faculty members you meet. You want to learn from instructors who are passionate about what they teach. You want them to have an infectious enthusiasm for learning, discovery and curiosity.
3. Why Did You Choose This School?
Every student has a reason for choosing the campus. Some of them are deeply personal. Others are attracted to a particular major or program. Others love the beauty of the campus. Find out by asking students why they opted for this school over others. The answers can be illuminating.
4. What Is School Spirit Like?
There’s often an intangible “vibe” to a college campus. Are there lots of students wearing school clothing? Are students enthusiastic about events – speakers, panels and discussions? Do students cheer on the athletic teams?
School spirit can be hard to define, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask students about it. Let them define school spirit. If they love their school, they’ll be able to identify it in their own words. If the answers you get are lukewarm, that’s a sign, too.
5. What’s Your Biggest Complaint About the School?
This may seem like an uncomfortable question to ask, but it’s an important one. No campus is perfect. Finding out what college students dislike about a campus can be eye-opening. It can be just as important as finding out what a student loves the most.
6. How Accessible are Faculty and Staff?
You may have a burning question about a lecture or have trouble with a homework assignment. Maybe you just want to continue a compelling conversation about a topic raised in class.
No matter the reason, having access to faculty and staff is important. Faculty should be engaged in the life of the campus, available for office hours or informal conversations. They are there to help you learn. Find out from students about how they engage with faculty and how they feel about those interactions.
7. How Is the Food on Campus?
Does campus food matter? Absolutely! This question is especially important if you’re a picky eater or you have dietary or religious restrictions. If you are allergic to gluten, dairy, or tree nuts, for example, you want to be sure
Obviously, you’ll want to ask about the quality of the food, the variety, and how it tastes.
There’s another factor with food to explore. Think about how important gathering around a table is for conversation about the day and life. In college, meal times are an incredible chance to catch up with friends, laugh, decompress and share. If the food is great, these times will linger and deepen relationships.
8. What Is the Social Life Like?
You spend a fair bit of time in classes and labs. You will have to find a study space to work on homework and reading assignments. But that still leaves lots of room for enjoying the campus.
Find out how students have fun on campus. What are the parties like? Are students hosting those parties? Do they occur in dorm rooms or off campus?
Ask about concerts by student performance groups and outside acts. Are there student music performances or theater groups that put on plays and musicals? These parts of the campus life are a part of the fabric of the college experience.
What else do students do for fun, either on campus or off? Finding out how students spend their free time is an important consideration.
9. What Do Students Do Outside the Classroom?
Students often participate in clubs and other activities while not studying. Some clubs are related to academics – mock trials, Model United Nations are two active examples. Others are related to identity, such as organizations for students of a particular race, ethnicity, religion, or culture. Publications, such as a student newspaper, magazines, or radio stations, are also a popular segment. A cappella groups, improv comedy troupes, theater companies, and choruses and orchestras also are frequent on a college campus.
Find out by asking questions about activities you might want to participate in. Learn if these groups are run by students or have a faculty advisor. Are there leadership opportunities for students who participate in clubs and organizations?
You may even find that the student you ask participates in that activity or knows someone they can connect you to.
10. What Is a Typical Day Like?
Find out how frequently students you meet are in class or labs, studying, and hanging out with friends. If they are athletes, ask about how much time is spent in practices and away from campus for competitions.
Getting a sense of a typical day can help you see yourself in a similar situation.
11. What Is Dorm Life Like?
Dorms are vibrant, exciting places, with people from across the country and the world living together. Dorms can be great opportunities to make friends and learn about each other.
Ask about the size and configuration of a dorm room. Be sure you know what storage space is available. Are the rooms air conditioned?
Students can tell you how noisy dorms are and when. They can also share whether people usually study in their dorm rooms, the library, or other locations.
12. What Makes the Student Body Unique?
Each student body, each class at a university, has a collective personality. Some college campuses tend to attract certain types of students.
By asking students to describe their fellow students and what sets them apart, you’ll get a better sense as to whether the college or university is a good fit for you.
13. Are There Volunteer Opportunities?
Finding ways to help the community is an important component of many college experiences. Some colleges even have offices that help connect students with local volunteer opportunities. If volunteering is an important part of who you are, ask about these changes to give back.
14. How Effective is Career Support?
Colleges are experiences that include preparing you for a career. Whether you’re planning to go on to graduate school or into the workforce, you will need guidance. Career centers include trained staff who are experts in helping students navigate career exploration.
Career centers can help you apply for internships, fellowships, and summer jobs. They may even have access to funds to support your career exploration with alumni, employers, and experiences.
15. What Are the Best Campus Traditions?
15. What Are the Best Campus Traditions?Each campus has its unique traditions. Learn what those special moments are by asking what they are. Discover how people participate in these traditions and whether they are valued and why.
16. What Advice Would You Have for an Incoming Freshman?
This question may give you some of the best insights of any during college campus visits. And you don’t need to limit the question to students. Ask admissions officers, faculty members, and others you meet. You are likely to get a variety of answers. Like with many things in college, you will need to assess these different ideas to form your own conclusions.
A college visit is such an incredible time for you to learn about a campus and how it lives and breathes. Having a good set of questions ready will help add new dimensions to your college visit.
