Lakeside School

Midwinter and spring break are on the horizon. Whether they’re staying in Seattle or traveling out of town, students and families who have yet to start the college process often ask the college counseling office whether they should block out half a day to visit college and university campuses. Campus visits can be productive for students in 9th or 10th grade, and keeping these considerations in mind can help you make the most of the experience: 

Visit in-person only if it makes sense for your family — it is not necessary to the college application process at any point! 

Colleges and universities do not expect students to engage with them prior to 11th grade, and they understand that there are many barriers preventing families from traveling to campus. The goal of any student’s college visits should be to experience the wide range of institutions out there, rather than identifying specific fits too early. There are also many ways to learn about colleges without visiting in-person. After 2020, many colleges and universities have embraced virtual resources in an effort to reach students and families with an internet connection but without the opportunity to visit campus. 

Explore campuses even if they’re unfamiliar to you, or your student is skeptical they’d apply.

Don’t only check out highly selective campuses! It’s too easy to view name-brand schools through rose-colored glasses by only seeing the positives. Early on, try sampling a few schools that you’re more likely to evaluate with a level head. (For further reading: In 2020, Director of College Counseling Ari Worthman wrote this great blog post about exploring the unknown when researching colleges.) In Seattle, we’re lucky to have several campuses nearby — from the University of Washington to Seattle University to Cornish College of the Arts — that students and families can visit in-person without leaving town. 

Plan ahead if you can. 

For campus tours, information sessions, student panels, or financial aid Q&As, each college or university will have a visit webpage where students and families can register. Depending on the institution and their capacity for in-person visitors at certain times of year, they may prioritize 11th or 12th grade students and families — April, for example, will likely be busy with spring break visitors as well as admitted students events. Additionally, contact the admissions office beforehand if anyone in your party has accessibility needs so that they can accommodate accordingly. If spots fill up, many schools also offer self-guided tours via audio recordings, pamphlets, or even smartphone apps. (Students can also reach out to Lakeside alumni or acquaintances they know for informal meet-ups!)

Encourage your student to ask good questions — to the college, and to themselves.

Learn what information is easily found online — statistics about campus demographics, most popular majors, and career outcomes; recent speakers or events; or specific application deadlines — and instead ask open-ended questions tailored towards the person with whom your student is speaking. Meeting with an admissions staff-person? Ask about recent college-wide initiatives, optional but recommended parts of the application process, or where the college has room to improve. Chatting with a current student? Ask about the student experience, how they chose their major(s), how they spend their weekends, or favorite conversations they’ve had with a classmate or professor. (For more sample questions and tips, visit the College Counseling Resources Page and navigate to the “Visiting Colleges” section of the FAQs!)

After each visit, encourage your student to reflect on their observations: did anything surprise them? Often, the college search process is iterative: as students learn more about each campus, they start to solidify what is important to them. Perhaps on their first college campus visit, a student hears their tour guide describe first-year traditions and community-building, and realizes how important that is to them. At their next campus, then, the student might ask how that school creates connections between new students, hoping to draw comparisons with the previous campus. As students learn about more schools, they can start to sift through schools based on their own genuine priorities.

Suggest your student jot down their observations before they all blur together.

What does your student notice college students doing around campus between classes? What does your student notice about the layout of the campus or its architectural styles? How far are the dormitories from the cafeteria(s) or academic buildings? How do most students get around campus? And most importantly: how strongly do each of these observations factor into your student’s like or dislike of a college? Whether in their Notes app, a notebook specifically for college-related notes, or otherwise, your student can write down fun facts and reflections while they’re still fresh in their mind. Students might also need to record contact information from any admissions staff or current college students they want to follow-up with!

Reserve some time for the unexpected.

Tours or information sessions can be informative — but so can wandering around campus, shadowing classes (if available), or sitting at a bustling coffee shop in town. Strike up conversations with friendly students or staff as you go. Years ago, I had a prospective student who made it a point to chat with available groundskeeping and cafeteria staff — for their insightful perspectives on what it was like working at the school and what they noticed about campus culture and student life.

Engaging with campus visits is not necessary before a student’s 11th grade year. Before then, students and families should prioritize low-stakes conversations and exploration of all the different colleges and universities out there, in order to better understand what might be a fit. For those who do go on college visits early in the process, we hope that these guidelines help your student to expand their sense of their many options and identify what priorities will inform their unique college process. 

Frances Nan (they/she) is a college counselor at Lakeside School, building on admissions and application-reading experience from Pomona College, QuestBridge, the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship, Stanford University, and Barnard College. Reach them and other members of the team at info@lakesideschool.site.