Planning Your College Visit
Visiting colleges is a crucial step in the college planning process. It provides first hand insight into the campus environment, facilities, and culture, helping you decide where to apply and eventually enroll. Here’s how you can make the most of your college visits with PhillyGoes2College.
- Start local! Check out the PG2C calendar for upcoming college open houses. Even if a local college is not at the top of your list, seeing a campus in person will give you a better idea of what it is you’re looking for in a college environment. Remember that it’s just as important to find out what you don’t like as it is to find out what you do!
- If you can, schedule visits when colleges are in session so you can get a sense of campus life.
- Review this college visit Q&A and college visit checklist to make the most of your time on campus.
- Make sure you are registering for a visit type that suits your needs. Most colleges offer daily campus tours and some offer daily campus tours paired with information sessions led by admissions counselors. There are also special events like open houses and major-specific information sessions.
- Contact the school’s admissions office if the college is far away and requires extensive travel. In some instances, colleges can help applicants pay for travel to their campus.
College Fairs
College fairs are a great way to learn about colleges and speak to admission counselors. Some college fairs even offer on-site acceptance!
- You can find a list of college and career fairs offered by the School District of Philadelphia here.
- Ask your guidance counselor about upcoming college rep visits to your high school.
- Visit the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) for details on upcoming college fairs.
- Visit Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC) for Pennsylvania specific college fairs
Virtual College Tours
If you can’t make it to a college’s campus, Campus Tours and YouVisit offer video tours of every major college in the US. In many instances, the college website will also offer photo and video tours of campus, and many even offer live virtual tours and information sessions.
Visit a school in the Philadelphia area
There are nearly 100 colleges and universities in the Greater Philadelphia area. And, the state of Pennsylvania has some of the best colleges in the country. Have we mentioned that PG2C keeps a calendar of upcoming local college admissions events?
