9 Steps to Choosing a College:
Step 6 - Visiting Your College and University Choices

This is Step 6 of the 9 Steps to Choosing a College. Go back to the main page, or return to Step 5 or move on to Step 7.

Step 6: Visit the colleges on your list from Step 5.

The best way to really get a feel for a college is by visiting the campus, taking a tour, meeting with students, attending a class, reading the campus newspaper, eating in the cafeteria, and spending the night in a dorm (if possible).

You have to feel "at home" at the place where you will spend the next four (or more) years of your life, so visiting is important.

For more information and strategies on making the most of your campus visits, read this article published on Quintessential Careers, How to Make the Most of Your Campus Visit.

If some schools on your list are just too far away to make a trip, then at least take a virtual tour of the campus and try to talk to people who have attended the school to get a feel for it. You may even be able to read blogs written by current students and read the college newspaper online simply by exploring each school's Website.

Move on to the next step!

Step 7: Apply to the schools that make the cut. (Each person is different, but typically apply to no more than 10 schools.)

Have questions about some of the terms used here? Find some answers in the High School College-Bound and College Planning Glossary -- the definitive source for learning about high school, college-bound, and college planning terms -- from the team at Quintessential Careers.