When you’re with a big group exploring a giant campus, it can be easy to miss out on a lot of the important details. While learning the basics is important, it’s also important to get a feel for the campus and its students. According to Robinovitz, one of the best things you can do is gauge your tour guide’s enthusiasm for the university. Summer did exactly this by staying behind and talking to the tour guides afterwards. Additionally, she got their contact information, so she could ask more questions later on. “Making that connection with the guide can just help give you that inside scoop on the school from a student that actually attends the university,” she says. “You can look at them as being more than just a tour guide. They can be a personal connection at your potential school.” Take advantage of these people who are already willing to help in the first place!
It’s also important to determine the overall feel for the campus. “Admissions at every college will claim that their campus is friendly, but you have to see and observe it yourself,” she says. Ask yourself the following: are kids walking alone or in groups? When you pass students, do they say hello or smile? Does everyone generally look happy? How is your tour guide interacting with students you pass by? Another suggestion is to find the campus newspaper office and pick up multiple editions. This way, you can get a better idea of what’s going on, rather than just reading the current day’s paper. Robinovitz says these are just some of the factors to determine whether or not you can see yourself fitting in at the school.