making a final decision: visiting campuses post-acceptance

Because the campus visit is so crucial to choosing a college, you should try to visit the schools on your list before applications are due so that you will have some knowledge about your options. (If you wait until you have already been accepted to make the visits, you may find that you are not satisfied with your options.)
 

Once those college acceptance letters start coming in, you have a big decision to make: which college should you choose? If you have trouble making that decision, you may need to revisit your top schools of interest. Here's what you should do when visiting campuses post-acceptance.
 

Weigh the pros and cons.

Weighing the pros and cons of each school will help you make a decision. Since you have already been accepted to the schools, you really need to pay attention to the details you might have missed during your first visit. Making a list for each school will help you keep details organized. Compare and contrast the following for each school that you revisit:

• Academic programs
• Athletic facilities
• Campus atmosphere
• Campus grounds
• Classrooms
• Clubs
• Coaches
• Dining hall food
• Dorm rooms
• Professors
• Safety
• Student body

Stay the night.

Since you may not have had time to stay overnight at all the schools on your pre-acceptance list, now is a good time to make those overnight visits. You can't really know whether or not a school is for you until you spend the night on campus. You need to know what it's like to stay in a dorm. Do you like the dorm rooms? What about the bathrooms? You also need to know what the campus is like at night. Do you feel safe walking on campus after dark? How many students are out and about? What is the social scene like at night? Overnight visits are a fun way to get an inside perspective from current students too. If the school is in session during your visit, walk around your dorm during the evening and ask the students any questions you may have.
 

Decide where you feel most comfortable.

When you revisit the schools, which one just feels right? It may not be the most prestigious or the most expensive, but that's okay. If you aren't comfortable at the school, chances are you won't stay. Choose the one that has the academic and extracurricular programs that you want and the one where you feel at ease.
 

Visiting colleges post-acceptance is a little different than visiting pre-acceptance. During the first visits, you don't know for sure where you will be accepted, so you are just gathering information about different colleges that interest you. During the post-acceptance visits, you know that you can attend the schools, so you are trying to pick the one that accommodates your needs the best. For more information about campus visits, read Making the Most of the Campus Visit.