OK–this is a shopping experience. Really! This is all about finding a place to study that, in and out of the classroom, fits your needs. Keep in mind that there are plenty of schools to choose from–the hard part is ending up with one choice. Go from a big list to a small list–that will help. When you are on campus or doing your research, be a first-class detective. You are going to live here 24/7. Don’t just aimlessly wander around campus “oohing” and “aahing” at the pretty buildings.
• Whenever possible, visit when classes are in session. I’m not saying you can never go during a college break time, but realize that the feel of campus is very different when students are not present. Summer visits can be screening visits–providing ways to determine if you might like to come back to this campus when classes are in session.
• Plan ahead! Colleges want notice that you are coming. They want your visit to be good.
• Go to class. In fact, go to several classes, if possible. This allows you to size up the professors and the students and see how you feel about working with both groups. (I like art—so visiting this class was a natural for me.)
• Eat the food–in the dining hall. Investigate meal plan options. Mom isn’t going to be there to cook for you. While you will indeed eat out now and then–pizza is, after all, a requirement for many college diets–eating out costs money and money is hard to come by for most college students. There are tons of places to spend it and never enough of it to go around.
• If the college permits it, spend the night in the residence hall. Leave the hotels to the parental types. Life styles in residence halls can vary dramatically from college to college. When you check out the options for housing, remember to ask to see a typical first-year room–not the not-a-thing-out-of-place model unit that many colleges have. Seeing where real students who are currently enrolled live is the best option–you see how rooms are arranged and how real students use the space assigned to them. Remember that residence hall options can arrange from the palatial why-would-anyone-ever-want-to-leave places to that variety that has you asking: isn’t this a broom closet?
• Check out the laundry facilities. Yep . . . you’ll have to do your own laundry in most cases. If you aren’t sure why, you better ask someone at home why you don’t wash everything in hot water and why you don’t wash the navy blues with the stark white items!
All this talk about laundry makes me tired. I need a nap in a nice comfy chair!
TTYL8R,
Clyde
