College Visit and Interview Tips

• Know something substantive about the school before you visit it.
• Contact the campus well in advance to arrange a visit. Know tour times, driving directions and distances, and the particular parking challenges of each campus. Avoid arriving at awkward periods - exam week, spring break, etc. (The school's website will be a tremendous help.)
• Arrive early.
• Be open to meeting new and different sorts of people.
• Try to avoid forming judgments based on the quality of the weather or the hip eloquence of your tour guide. Whether good or bad, these are not critical elements of an undergraduate education.
• Find the campus newspaper and read it.
• Sit in on a class.
• Sons and daughters should not be embarrassed by their parents' mature and thoughtful questions. (Expressing that embarrassment may reflect poorly on the student.)
• Parents should not be overly concerned with whatever superficial elements appear most attractive to their children — state-of-the-art weight room, the glamour of fraternity houses, an abundance of physical education options — provided that some rational evaluation occurs at some point.
• Talk to people and ask questions. Try to arrange discussions with coaches, teachers in your prospective departments, music faculty, etc., if it will be helpful.
• Try to limit your visits to two campuses per day.
• If your interests are not addressed on the tour, ask to see the appropriate facilities (science labs, athletic facilities, etc.).

This may be an integral part of the college visit, and it is best to prepare for the variety of types you may encounter during your college search. It is most important to be informed. Do some research in order to ask thoughtful questions. Remember that the interview may or may not be a factor in the college's decision-making process, but you should always conduct yourself in a manner that will reflect positively upon you. All interviews do not occur on campus. Some institutions offer the applicant an opportunity to interview with an alumnus located close to the applicant's home.

Keep the following tips in mind:

• Be on time. Allow time for finding parking, the admissions building, and the office.
• Be yourself. Do not act the way you think the admission officer wants or expects of all applicants. State frankly your interests, thoughts on schooling, hopes for a college experience, and concerns so that the interviewer can see you as an individual. This is the only way he or she can get to know you.
• The interview is a 50-50 proposition. On the one hand, the interviewer wants to learn more about you than is gleaned from a batch of papers. On the other hand, you should want to learn all that you can about the college; be prepared to ask specific questions.
• Almost any question is legitimate if it helps you to gain a deeper knowledge of the college and if it is not answered in the school's literature. You should not waste time by asking questions that can easily be answered by reading the catalog. Do your homework. Please avoid questions that reveal a lack of preparation — "Tell me about your engineering program" (They have none.) "Tell me about your Greek life." (There are no fraternities or sororities.) "I really want to major in business or pre-med." (They do not have a business major and pre-med is NOT a major.)
• Be prepared for a variety of interview techniques. You may be bombarded with questions (Why do you want to come here? What books have you read recently? What is your favorite course and why? What are your professional aspirations?) You may be made to feel very relaxed and comfortable. Do not dismiss the college just because you do not happen to like the interviewer; he or she is only one of many people you will encounter at the college.
• There are four basic types of interviews. Determine what the college's policy is about the session.
  1. Evaluative: This rare form of interview becomes part of the admission folder.
  2. Informative: Each party should come out with more knowledge and understanding. The interviewer's impressions may or may not go into the admission folder.
  3. Group Sessions: The college gives a presentation and then welcomes questions from the group. No records are kept beyond your attendance.
  4. Alumni/ae: A local alumnus or alumna contacts the candidate, usually after the application has been filed. The influence of this interview in the admissions decision differs from school to school.
• Dress comfortably (weather, style) to reflect who you are. Neat and clean is more important than any particular look. Comfortable shoes make the campus tour more enjoyable.
• Take time to write a short thank you note to the person who interviews you. It is courteous and is a way to reinforce a positive impression. Keep a record of the person's name for follow-up telephone calls and visits.
• Thank your interviewer. If someone from the admission office takes the time to interview or guide you, it is appropriate to send along a note of appreciation.

• So what can I do for you today?
• Tell me about yourself.
• What makes you interested in our college/university?
• Our school has an honor code; what does that mean to you?
• We do a great deal of reading and writing here.
  
  • Tell me about the English program at your school.
  • Tell me about a book you've recently read.
  • If for class, what did you write about?
  • If out of class, would you recommend it to a friend?
• Do you keep up with national political issues?
  • International affairs?
  • How do you find out information other than from your parents?
• What is your favorite book?
• Where is your favorite place?
• Who is your favorite teacher?
• Who is your favorite actor or music artist?
• What is your favorite thing to do?
• What is your favorite class/subject?
• What is your worst fault?
  • How do you deal with it?
• Why do you want to go to college?
• What do you bring to a community that will make you a good addition to our college?
• How did you get here today?
• Discuss summer; free time.
• Other Topics: Travel, siblings, grandparents, parents, friends, sense of direction, goals.
• Any questions? (There should be.)

The following are suggestions of questions you may want to ask in your interview; the answers should help you understand the school. Some of these questions may be answered in the school's literature, but many need to be asked in an interview and followed up by a careful inspection of the campus.

Academic Concerns

• Explain your curriculum.
  • When must I choose a major?
  • What is available beyond the courses listed in your fields of interest?
• How much opportunity is there for self-selection of courses
  • Is it possible to move across departmental lines into other related fields to build your own concentration?
• Are there opportunities for independent study or honors programs?
  • How important is independent work?
  • Is there a study abroad plan?
  • What is your AP college credit policy?
• What is the student-faculty ratio? (Your concern might be with faculty availability.)
• How does advising work?
• What teaching methods are used?
• How many students are in a typical course?
• Are faculty available beyond the classroom?
• Is the faculty diverse (gender, race, educational background, etc.)?
• Who teaches the introductory courses — professors of all ranks or graduate assistants?
• Are opportunities available to do research with faculty?
• What kind of counseling services are available if you run into problems academically?
  • Are tutorial services available?
  • What assistance is available for students with special needs?
  • Is there a cost?
• What percent of each entering class graduates four/five years later?
• What do graduates of the college do?
• What graduate schools do graduates attend?

Social Concerns

• What types of housing are available?
• What are the procedures for choosing roommates?
• Is off-campus housing available, and is it a popular option?
• If a school has fraternities and sororities: What percentage of the student body belongs, and what percentage lives in special houses?
  • When is rush?
  • What is the college's official attitude toward rush?
  • Is there a stated policy on discrimination?
  • What are the social opportunities if you choose not to join a fraternity or sorority?
• What facilities are available for intramural athletics?
• What activities (dances, concerts, speakers, informal athletics) does the college sponsor?
• Do students remain on campus on weekends?
• What types of students are found in the student body?
  • Does any one group or type dominate the campus atmosphere?
  • How tolerant is the student body to issues of diversity such as political attitudes, gender concerns, distinctions in socio-economic background, ethnic backgrounds, differences in religious preference, variance in sexual orientation, attitudes toward drug and alcohol use, etc.?
• How much freedom is there in social rules and dormitory regulations?
  • What is the alcohol policy?
  • Is there pressure to use alcohol or drugs?
• What role do students play in the college's social and academic life?
  • Do they sit on judicial committees or help influence policies at any level?
• Are religious facilities available?
  • If the school is church-related, how much emphasis is there on religion?
• Are counseling services available to get on-campus jobs, summer employment, or to assist with graduation/career plans?
  • Are counseling and medical facilities available for health needs?
  • Is there a cost?
• If coeducational, what is the ratio of women to men?
• If not coeducational, what colleges are nearby, and what programs are offered to provide social interaction?

When the pandemic closed down many schools and college campuses, college admissions offices developed robust virtual programming. While all campuses are now open to the public, many schools are still offering virtual visit options. Please check admissions' websites to access that programming.

In addition to Naviance, College Guides, and your College Counselor, here are some other means to research colleges from afar:

• Talk to students who attend the college. Contact the admissions office and ask them to help you connect with a student to ask them about their experience. There are students who work in the admissions office who are happy to do this. The Gilman CCO can help you connect to Gilman graduates as well.
• Read student blogs. Here is an example from Trinity College.
• Use colleges' websites. Explore widely those things that matter to you. The "About the College" is always a good place to start, as is the "Academics" section.
• Read college-sponsored and student-sponsored newspapers. To learn about issues and happenings on campus, go on the websites for the school's newspaper.
• Look for virtual information sessions. Colleges know that it is a challenge not to be able to visit, so they are adding extra details on their admissions pages.
• Take a virtual tour of a college at youvisit.com or Campus Reel.
• Look at social media sites. Colleges have a presence on Instagram and other sites which can offer you interesting insights into campus life (even during these times), events, and/or resources and outreach efforts.