1. Attend an open house program sponsored by the college. Colleges all across the country offer open house sessions throughout the year. During the open house you can attend information sessions, meet the admission and financial aid staff, as well as faculty and students. There are also tours of the campus during which you can see campus academic departments, classrooms, residence halls and other facilities like the library, computer labs, gyms and other athletic facilities. Don't forget to stop by the book store and get a great deal on a t-shirt or other campus "swag". See the open house list below.
2. Whether or not the college is offering a formal open house day, you can still schedule a visit through the office of Admission. You can call or go to the college's website and schedule a date and time that may be more convenient for you and your family. Request a meeting with an admission representative if you have questions and also ask for a campus tour.
3. Are you going to be in the area, maybe for vacation, but don't have a lot of time to schedule something formal with the college? Take a stroll onto a college campus and take in the buildings and environment. You may not have an opportunity to get a formal tour or get specific questions answered but, you can get a general feel for a college by walking the campus. There will be sections of the campus or buildings that will be off limits for security purposes, so walk will you are allowed and soak up the atmosphere. Stop by the office of admission and grab some brochures to learn more about the college. Getting some campus swag, even as souvenirs, will still be fun.
Keep in mind that summer on some campuses can be very slow while at others the campus will be bustling. If you request an appointment, ask if there will be students on campus if you want to see the campus at its busy time. Try not to form a negative opinion of a campus if the students aren't there and it feels very quiet. You may have picked an inactive period on the campus that is unusual. If you are concerned, ask campus representatives and students you encounter about the inactivity to find out if it's standard. However you do it, it's important to visit and it can be fun too!
Here is the part 1 list of events:
Pennsylvania
Cheyney University
Admission Information Session
July 17, 2010 11:00am
East Stroudsburg University
Weekday Campus Tours and Presentation: Week of July 12, 19, & 26 and the week of August 26
Johnson College
Open House - July 28, 2010 6:00pm
Keystone College
"Sneak a Peek" session for students entering senior year
July 12 and August 9, 2010
Penn State - Wilkes-Barre
Open Houses - July 13 and 21, 2010
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
July 29th - Open House for majors in Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Occupational Therapy
All other majors - July 22, august 5 & 12, 2010
Delaware
University of Delaware
Open Houses - "Discovery Days"
Saturdays in July
Maryland
St Mary's College of Maryland
Open Houses
July 10 and August 21, 2010
