By Features Editor Shreya Narayan

As the school year starts, many colleges open their doors to incoming students and continue to invite prospective high school students as well. The early application deadline, November 1, is quickly approaching, and many families are planning to spend weekends visiting various colleges.

According to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign admissions officer April Ponte, visiting colleges is a great way to figure out which one will be the best place for you to succeed. However, keeping track of college features can easily become a hassle, and many students say that, after the fourth college, there seems to be little difference between schools.

“Figuring out where to spend the next four years of your life is extremely difficult,” Ponte said. “Each college is unique, and the secret to discovering whether a college is the right choice is asking the right questions.”

Ponte provided a list of various tips that she feels would help students choose the right universities.

1. “There is something for everyone.”

Most colleges will boast their ranking, campus, and student life, claiming that there is “something for everyone.” However, if there was truly a feature suited to fit every single student, there would be only one college. As a prospective student visiting a college for less than a day, it is often difficult to figure out if there is a feature of the school that suits your needs.

Ponte said that sometimes the best way to see if a college appeals to you is to ask a staff member what he or she thinks is single best feature of the school. According to the Nation Center of Education Statistics, only 2.5 million of the 21 million students enrolled in college decide to transfer. Since the majority of students stay at the same college for four years, it is important to assure that your college has a feature that you genuinely enjoy.

2. “Take Notes.”

Ponte has observed that many prospective students visit a college without taking notes. What’s the point of visiting a college if you don’t have anything to take home with you?

Take notes on everything that you feel would be a deciding factor when applying to colleges. For example, these factors may include tuition rates, acceptance rates, distance from home, campus size, decision policies, job placement rates, etc. Make a table when you get home so that you can easily compare colleges at a later time.

3. “Talk to current students.”

Admission officers want you to apply to their college, and they usually avoid mentioning any negative aspects. In order to receive the most accurate description of a college, try talking to a current student. Ask them about the classes they are taking, what activities they are involved in, and their overall experience. Ponte suggests that the most important question to ask a current student is why they decided to attend a specific college. Specific questions usually yield better results than general questions do.

Northwestern University admissions officer Christopher Watson believes that when visiting a more competitive college, it is important to ask a current student about the amount of free time they have. This can be a major factor when deciding what college to attend; it can determine your extra-curricular activities and recreation time.

4. Understand your learning style.

Most schools have their own approach to teaching students. Some are application based, theory based, discussion based, etc. Depending on your learning style and the difficulty of your classes, it’s also important to know whether some classes will be taught by a teaching assistant in addition to a professor, or whether they will be taught by a professor alone.

Many schools will also offer specific days for overnight visits to sit in on classes and be a “student” for a day. Most colleges will also allow prospective students to sit in on a lecture during the day.

5. Keep your interests in mind.

According to Ponte, some students assume that a college will offer a certain club or activity, and the opposite ends up the case. You should have the opportunity to participate in what you enjoy. Ponte suggests asking faculty about the specific majors are offered and the ways a student can combine interests to a create their own, unique experience.

“If [a student] is looking to participate in a specific activity in college, such as a sport or a competing club, they should ask whether the college offers it,” Ponte said. “There have been many times where students have assumed a college has a specific club, only to be disappointed when they don’t offer it.”