It’s time to tour that school that so far seems perfect for you. You might have mentally committed and feel like this is just a chance to get a lay of the land.
But, let’s take a step back for a moment. Your college campus tour is also a valuable opportunity to see if your top choice really is the right school for you. After all, this will be where you spend the next four years with career implications for many years after. To help you make better use of your upcoming college tour, we’ve thought about the full range of questions you might want to ask. However, since the list is so comprehensive, we wouldn’t advise you to ask all of these during a short 1-2 hour tour especially since other attendees will have their own questions. Instead, go through this list for things you might not have thought about before and highlight top picks to ask of your tour guide.
Preparing for Your College Tour
A bit of online preparation can help you make the best use of your college tour and the limited time during which you can ask questions. Look at the school’s website, social media, and other aspects of its online presence to see what answers you can find beforehand.
Let’s take a look at our list here which we’ve divided up into a few categories which include
- Basic Questions
- Admissions
- Academics
- Student Life
- Safety
- Career Services Internships and Graduate School
Basic Questions
- How did you choose this school?
- What do you like best about the school?
- Is there anything you dislike about the school?
- How diverse is the student body as well as the faculty?
- How accessible are administrators, registrars, financial aid officers, etc.?
- How many graduate students attend the school?
[READ: College Calendar Checklist: Make a Plan]
Questions about Admissions
- Do admissions interviews, if offered, play a role in the process?
- What does the school look for in students?
- (If there is one) Do you have any tips for the admissions essay? How did you go about yours?
- Does demonstrated interest play a part in the admissions process?
- Are there any exceptions to your test-optional policy?
- Does legacy play a part in admissions and, if so, who is considered legacy?
- Are interviews conducted by alumni, students or admissions officers?
- Are there any majors for which enrollment is capped?
FLS College Services helps students prepare for all major tests as well as advising students on admissions essays. Contact us for a free consultation.
[READ: How to Write a Common App Activities List]
Questions about Academics
- What are the most important majors here?
- What are the average class sizes for introductory courses?
- What are the average classes like?
- Is the major I’m interested in popular or even an overcrowded one?
- What is the breakdown of requirements for most majors?
- Is it difficult to switch majors?
- Is it easy to transfer credits from other schools to this one and vice versa?
- Are classes taught by professors or teaching assistants?
- How easy is it to get help from professors outside of class?
- How/when do incoming freshmen get course selection advising for their first-semester classes?
- How is a priority for registration determined? – is it by grade level, honors programs, etc.?
- How many classes do students take a semester?
- What percentage of students choose to study abroad?
- What is the four-year graduation rate?
- Are there any reasons why students don’t graduate on time?
- What tutoring services are available?
- If available, are there extra costs for the tutoring services?
- Is there a writing center?
- How often do students meet with academic advisers?
Questions about Student Life
- How is the campus social scene?
- How would you describe the culture on campus? (friendly, hard-working, ambitious)
- Do you find most students around campus to be approachable?
- What are the popular clubs and organizations?
- Do many students join fraternities or sororities here?
- What do you like to do outside of class?
- What kind of things are there to do in the town(s) surrounding the school?
- What do you do on the weekends?
- What kind of food options are there on campus and nearby?
- Do most students live on-campus or commute?
- How are the dorms?
- What are the facilities like (science labs, libraries, theatres, gyms, etc.)?
- Where do you like to study?
- Are there enough computer labs?
- How is the WiFi on campus?
- Are sports popular, if so, which ones?
[READ: What Colleges Look for on Successful Applications]
Questions about Campus Safety
- Where do you refer students when they’re experiencing a medical issue?
- Is there an on-campus health clinic?
- Do you feel like the campus and surrounding areas are generally safe?
- What safety measures does the school have in place?
Questions about Career Services, Internships and Graduate School
- How do students find out about internship opportunities?
- Is Career Services helpful?
- Do you have a mentor?
- Does the school have a co-op program?
- What percentage of students go on to graduate schools?
- Are there opportunities to build leadership skills on campus?
- What options exist for service learning in the community?
- Other than career fairs, do employers do any on-campus recruiting?
- Can one find summer jobs or other work through the school?
- Are there any notable graduates?
[READ: SAT vs ACT: Which Test is Best for You]
Wrap Up
And with that, you have 82 possible questions to ask on a college tour. As we said before, to get the most out of your college tour, we suggest finding out what you can ahead of time, whether it’s by talking to any current students you know, going to the school’s website, checking out their social media channels, or other aspects of their online presence. Is there something you feel like we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below! We’d love to add it to our list. Do you need help with any aspect of the college admissions process? From school selection to essay writing, test prep and more FLS College Services has you covered. Contact us today for a free consultation.
