College Visits
It is very important to visit colleges during your high school career, so that you can make important decisions about what type of an educational environment works best for you. When you are actually on campus you can see the dorm rooms, observe the students, visit classes, make contact with coaches, and talk with students and professors to get a sense of whether or not that university is the right place for you.
Riverdale College Visit Packet
Riverdale College Visit Permission Slip
This document must be used in order to be excused from attendance for a college visit.
Following are some hints about how to have a successful college visit:
Together with Mrs. Troxel or on your own, call and find out what kind of tours/programs the campus may have for visits. These are some of the things you may want to ask about:
Overnight accommodations
Campus tours
Information sessions and/or interview
Directions and parking
Students on campus
Visiting a class
Meeting faculty and students in your major, support staff, coaches, etc.
Some questions you may want to ask during your visit are as follows:
College life:
How many students will be in your freshman class this year?
What are your smallest class sizes? The largest?
Do graduate students teach undergraduates?
What percentage of tenured faculty members teach freshman courses?
Do faculty maintain office hours?
Do professors have any policy on class attendance?
Are certain courses hard to get into? What percentage?
What percentage of students graduate in 4 years? 5 years?
What percentage of students go on to graduate school?
What companies visit the campus to recruit?
Where do your students get their jobs?
How far are you from the nearest airport? Train station? Bus?
Dorm life:
What percentage of your students are housed on campus?
What percentage live off campus? Commute from home?
Do students tend to stay on campus on the weekends?
How many students are assigned to a room?
Are the bathrooms public or private?
Are there coed dorms? By floor? By wing?
What services are provided in dorms (kitchens, laundry service, linen, air conditioning, etc.?
How are roommates chosen? Can I room with a friend?
What if my roommate and I do not get along?
Food Service:
Must I purchase a meal ticket? How many meals per week?
Are special diets available (vegetarian, kosher, salad bar)?
What about between meals and evening snacks?
Where are the cafeterias located?
Financial Aid:
Will applying for financial aid have any impact on admissions decisions? What about students placed on the waiting list?
What costs does the college budget cover? Are transportation and personal expenses included?
Are all students' needs met completely? If not, whose need is met?
What are the institution's policies regarding evaluating financial need for divorced/separated families?
What are the financial aid application procedures and deadlines? What forms must be submitted? What are the procedures for early decision applicants?
What employment opportunities are available for students not receiving financial aid?
What scholarships are available?
Does the institution have an installment plan? What about other financing options?
Other:
What differentiates your school from all of the other similar institutions?
What kinds of personal qualities do students here tend to have?
What are the key issues on campus?
How easy/difficult is it to be involved in clubs and activities on campus?
If you could change something about the university, what would you change?
It is very important to visit colleges during your high school career, so that you can make important decisions about what type of an educational environment works best for you. When you are actually on campus you can see the dorm rooms, observe the students, visit classes, make contact with coaches, and talk with students and professors to get a sense of whether or not that university is the right place for you.
Riverdale College Visit Packet
Riverdale College Visit Permission Slip
This document must be used in order to be excused from attendance for a college visit.
Following are some hints about how to have a successful college visit:
Together with Mrs. Troxel or on your own, call and find out what kind of tours/programs the campus may have for visits. These are some of the things you may want to ask about:
Overnight accommodations
Campus tours
Information sessions and/or interview
Directions and parking
Students on campus
Visiting a class
Meeting faculty and students in your major, support staff, coaches, etc.
Some questions you may want to ask during your visit are as follows:
College life:
How many students will be in your freshman class this year?
What are your smallest class sizes? The largest?
Do graduate students teach undergraduates?
What percentage of tenured faculty members teach freshman courses?
Do faculty maintain office hours?
Do professors have any policy on class attendance?
Are certain courses hard to get into? What percentage?
What percentage of students graduate in 4 years? 5 years?
What percentage of students go on to graduate school?
What companies visit the campus to recruit?
Where do your students get their jobs?
How far are you from the nearest airport? Train station? Bus?
Dorm life:
What percentage of your students are housed on campus?
What percentage live off campus? Commute from home?
Do students tend to stay on campus on the weekends?
How many students are assigned to a room?
Are the bathrooms public or private?
Are there coed dorms? By floor? By wing?
What services are provided in dorms (kitchens, laundry service, linen, air conditioning, etc.?
How are roommates chosen? Can I room with a friend?
What if my roommate and I do not get along?
Food Service:
Must I purchase a meal ticket? How many meals per week?
Are special diets available (vegetarian, kosher, salad bar)?
What about between meals and evening snacks?
Where are the cafeterias located?
Financial Aid:
Will applying for financial aid have any impact on admissions decisions? What about students placed on the waiting list?
What costs does the college budget cover? Are transportation and personal expenses included?
Are all students' needs met completely? If not, whose need is met?
What are the institution's policies regarding evaluating financial need for divorced/separated families?
What are the financial aid application procedures and deadlines? What forms must be submitted? What are the procedures for early decision applicants?
What employment opportunities are available for students not receiving financial aid?
What scholarships are available?
Does the institution have an installment plan? What about other financing options?
Other:
What differentiates your school from all of the other similar institutions?
What kinds of personal qualities do students here tend to have?
What are the key issues on campus?
How easy/difficult is it to be involved in clubs and activities on campus?
If you could change something about the university, what would you change?
