Seeing is Believing: How to Maximize College Visits
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This document discusses effective campus visit strategies for first-generation and underrepresented students. It provides tips for arranging meaningful visits beyond standard tours, including catered dinners with admission staff and students, faculty panels, overnight stays, and visiting classes. Special visit programs called "fly-ins" funded by colleges are highlighted, and students are encouraged to take advantage of financial aid and interview opportunities during open house weekends. Resources for learning about these programs include college websites and the Center for Student Opportunity's monthly newsletter.
Seeing is Believing: How to Maximize College Visits
- 1. • Chelsea Jones, Outreach and Student Support Associate, Center for Student Opportunity (CSO) • Amy Lareau, Admission Counselor, Colorado College • Irma J. Navarro, Assistant Director of Multicultural Admission, Davidson College • Keith Wilkerson, Senior Program Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Region, A Better Chance (ABC)
- 2. 1. Learn how colleges are effectively collaborating with organizations to bring first-generation and traditionally underserved students to campus. 2. Gain advice on how your organization can arrange campus visits for your students beyond the standard tour and info session. 3. Receive tips on how to effectively coordinate trip logistics. 4. Discover where to learn about special campus visit programs, open houses, and fly-in opportunities offered by colleges and universities across the country.
- 3. a) held on set times on weekdays (morning and afternoon).* b) include a guided tour and information session led by an admission counselor. c) scheduled by contacting the Visit Coordinator or by completing a Group Visit Request on a timely fashion (at least 2-4 weeks in advance). d) most comprehensive when the Director of Multicultural Admission, or equivalent, is aware that a CBO is visiting!
- 4. a) Catered dinner (with Admission Office staff and current students) b) Faculty/Staff/Student Panel c) Explore Campus on own/Scavenger Hunt (with prizes) d) Overnight Host e) Breakfast at Commons f) Campus Tour g) Visit Classes h) Box Lunches prior to departure i) Opportunity to meet with CBO alumni currently enrolled j) During open house programs: Multicultural Hospitality Suite and/or transportation (for local groups)
- 5. a) Research institution prior to your visit b) Schedule your visit in advance c) Inquire about special visitation programs ("Fly-ins") d) Schedule elements outside the "official visit events" a) Meet with a professor b) Meet with a student from your HS/CBO c) Try the food at the Commons d) Sit in a class e) Read bulletin boards f) Walk around the neighborhood g) Overnight visit (usually for seniors, at select colleges) e) Even if you drop-in, make sure the Admission Office knows you visited f) Take pictures/notes by the end of the day to record your thoughts and impressions (may help you write effective essays in your Common Application Supplement)
- 6. Source: NACAC Guiding the Way to Higher Education Step-By-Step to College Workshops For Students Late High School Curriculum Grades 11 and 12
- 7. Housing/Facilities Percentage of students living on campus Types of housing (double, triple, single, suite, apartment, co-ed, within walking distance) Percent of students with car on-campus, parking facilities/restrictions, and parking fees Meal plans, options for those with dietary restrictions Local dining options (walking & driving distance) Public Transit Campus Calendar & Social Calendar/Newsletter (i.e. "The Crier" at Davidson) Recreational facilities, local resources Quality of buildings (LEED, new construction/renovation, expansion) Activities Clubs/Organizations Greek Life Only 956 colleges/universities have sororities/fraternities (according to College Board) Percentage of "Greek" students Pan-Hellenic Organizations Events open to all students? Athletics (Division I, II, III), Club, Intramural Support Programs Pre-Orientation Programs (.i.e. S.T.R.I.D.E. (Students Together Reaching Individual Development and Education) at Davidson College Counseling Tutoring Post Graduation Placement 4 year graduation rate (vs. "graduation rate") Employment rates Graduate school rates Senior Class Survey (good way to see how alumni leverage degrees) Career Services, Networking, Internships, Recruitment Random Quirky campus traits Long standing campus traditions What stood out the most (good and bad)? Contact Information Is a regional admission counselor assigned to you? Is a financial aid counselor assigned to you? Email/Phone/Fax/Mailing Address Location Nearest city/town (average flight costs) Distance from home School setting (urban, suburban, rural) Size Enrollment (Graduate & Undergraduate) Physical size of campus Environment Co-ed, Male, Female HBCU, Liberal Arts, Research University Residential, Non-traditional Students Admission Profile (Target, Reach) Admit Rate (Reg., ED, EA) Middle 50% SAT/ACT Percentage of students in top 10% Class Top 5 Admission Criteria (rigor, performance, extracurricular involvement, writing, letters of recommendation, testing, demonstrated interest) Application Deadlines Academics Majors of interest offered Average Class Size (and largest class size available to freshmen) Student faculty ration (does ratio include graduate school professors?) How do students select classes Special programs (research, interdisciplinary, 3-2, exchange, partnerships) Total Cost of Attendance Tuition, Room, Board, Student Fees Estimated personal/travel expenses Methodology (Federal vs. Institutional) Meet 100% Calculated Need? How is Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) met? Percentage of families who qualify for need-based financial aid & average financial aid award Merit Based Scholarship & Deadlines & Required Materials Required forms/supporting materials & Deadlines
- 8. They may be funded by the colleges for prospective students to attend. (Some may also fund parents and/or a CBO program director and pay for overnight lodging!) If an academically eligible student is unable to attend the Multicultural Open House weekend, colleges may still fund travel for this student at a later date. Encourage your students to take FULL advantage of these visits days. They may be tempted to skip admission programming to socialize with new friends (current students/overnight hosts) who have other plans in mind. But they will not want to miss out on opportunities to: o Complete important financial aid paperwork o Visit a class and experience what it feels like to be a student at that particular college o Interview with an Admission Director o Meet with faculty, staff, and current students at Open House events Students can learn of these fly-in programs directly through a college’s website or through messaging from outreach and social media sites such as Cappex, Zinch, CSO, and NPEA. If students inquire about the college early in their search and sign up to be put on an admissions mailing list –via online or at a college fair - they will likely be notified of such opportunities to engage further and visit.
- 9. Preparing for the visit: • Researching the school before the visit to gain general knowledge about the university • Research majors of interest, as well as on-campus organizations that may be of interest • Based on research, come up with questions to ask the tour guide during the visit During the Visit: • A warm and welcoming tour guide! (makes the students feel special!) • A specialized tour specific to the group of students on the visit • Having a tour guide that can relate to the specific group of students (ethnicity, geographically, academic interests, etc.) • Free SWAG: Students love free stuff! Collegiate apparel, information packets, pens, stickers, small school flags, etc. • Being able to interact with current students on the campus and get a sense of their experiences (current first-generation students, current students of color, etc.)
- 10. Center for Student Opportunity provides colleges, CBOs, and high school counselors with a monthly newsletter called Opportunity Knocks, which highlights fly-in programs, mentoring programs, academic support services, and retention programs from a variety of CSO’s College Partners. CSO Opportunity Knocks
- 11. Chelsea Jones - cjones@csopportunity.org Amy Lareau - Amy.Lareau@ColoradoCollege.edu Cara Martin - cmartin@csopportunity.org Irma J. Navarro – irnavarro@davidson.edu Keith Wilkerson - KWilkerson@abetterchance.org
Editor's Notes
- #2: Format : Self-moderated Panel Discussion10 min – Introduction of panelists and statistical and anecdotal overview of why college visits are so important, especially for first-generation students 35 min – Panel discussion to optimize college visits from both the college and community-based organization perspectives 30 min – Q&A – participants will be encouraged to ask questions of the panelists and share their own examples and best practices in college visits
- #3: Takeaways Takeaway examples: learn about special programs and group visit opportunities on college campuses; discover how relationships between access organizations and colleges have formed and prospered; receive tips on managing student expectations.2. Takeaway examples: learn the do’s and don’ts of what to request and when to request it of the admissions office; hear ways to engage alumni of access programs on their campuses.3. Takeaway examples: hear how a deck of playing cards can increase accountability amongst students; receive tips on how to best prepare your students in advance; garner ideas to develop a budget and stick to it.4. Takeawayexamples: learn about CSO’s Opportunity Knocks eNews and how to navigate college sites and CSOCollegeCenter.org.
- #4: Some schools are unable to accommodate group visits during peak visit times (holidays, academic breaks (for colleges and high schools), in April - after admission decisions are released, when open house programs are being held).Most schools will try to keep tours relatively small, but may be unable to accommodate groups if they arrive late. Plan ahead and expect delays!Know who your contact person is, you may need to alert him/her if you encounter problems or are running late. If the Director of Multicultural Admission does not know you are coming, he/she cannot design a more comprehensive/welcoming visit for your group!
- #5: Davidson College Group visits since Jan. 1: 26. (30%+ were CBO’s).
- #9: · A good handful of schools will fund travel for prospective students from underrepresented backgrounds to attend a Multicultural Open House weekend. · Some of these schools will fund parents and/or a CBO program director to accompany the student to campus; they will often pay for overnight lodging as well. · If an academically eligible student is unable to attend the Multicultural Open House weekend, colleges may still fund travel for this student at a later date.· Encourage your students to take full advantage of these visits days. They may face the temptation to skip admission programming to socialize with new friends (current students/overnight hosts) who have other plans in mind. But they will not want to miss out on opportunities to:o Complete important financial aid paperwork o Visit a class and experience what it feels like to be a student at that particular collegeo Interview with an Admission Directoro Meet with faculty, staff, and current students at Open House events· Students can learn of these fly-in programs directly through a college’s website or through messaging from outreach and social media sites such as Cappex, Zinch, CSOpportunity, and NPEA.· If students inquire about the college early in their search and sign up to be put on an admissions mailing list –via online or at a college fair - they will likely be notified of such opportunities to engage further and visit.