Must do: Campus Visits
Lots of high school juniors (and some sophomores) take advantage of spring vacation to visit schools. I have some friends who drove all over the northeast to visit as many schools as they could in one week. Fortunately for us my son was only interested in in-state schools, but I foresee some serious travel when his brother starts looking.
Many schools have open houses or some other type of special programs for high school students this time of year. If the schools you're interested in don't, call the admissions office and set up an appointment- that's what they're there for!
Some people like to arrange interviews at this time, but I don't really see the point, unless your student is pretty sure he or she wants to attend that school. It's true, though, that it certainly couldn't hurt to make the admissions folks familiar with your kid's name!
While on campus, collect as much information in the form of old-fashioned paper as you can. I found that having a large file box with individual folders for each school we visited helped quite a bit. When we got home we'd dump all the paperwork we'd gathered into the appropriate file, then my son would go through it all at his leisure. And don't forget to grab a copy of the student newspaper. It can give you a great idea of the general pulse of the campus.
When you tour the campus you'll meet students who have lots of school spirit. You'll marvel at their ability to walk backwards while spouting trivia. You'll probably visit the new arts building but be told you can't see the classrooms because classes are in session. Don't be afraid to ditch the tour briefly and peek around a bit on your own, though. Are students taking advantage of the WiFi access in common areas, or the state of the art gym? Ask if you can visit the freshman dorms, which are always more old and run-down that the upperclass dorms typically shown on campus tours. Don't be discouraged by construction noises, but don't be misled when they say that construction will be done by next year. There's always something else ready to begin when one project ends.
Here are a few sources for information on how to plan campus visits to get the best results, and how to keep track so you remember which school is which! It's easier to confuse campuses than you might think.
Campus Visit Planner
College Visits from CollegeBoard.com
Questions to Ask During a College Visit
The Ins and Outs of a College Visit
Maximizing the College Tour
Guide to Visiting Colleges
CampusVisit.com (northeastern schools)
Check your newstand for magazines such as the Newsweek-Kaplan College Guide or US News and World Report's America's Best Colleges. They often have convenient checklists or pull-out sections that can be helpful when keeping track of all the information. And use that camera phone!
Getting familiar with the academic offerings and general information about colleges can be easily done over the internet, but as far as finding The School, nothing beats an in-person visit. More than one student has found that the school that looked perfect felt absolutely horrible once seen, and more than one has found that school that didn't seem all that interesting online was an absolutely perfect fit.
