So, what ARE important questions to ask?

[justkeepswimming]

As a senior visiting a school and as the parent tagging along? DD#1 has a couple important visits coming up very soon and we have our own list... but we are all (parents included) brand-spanking-new to this adventure.

 

I've asked before about the parent's role in a college visit... DD went on one short visit last week and the people there seemed to be expecting her (and me! I was trying to hang back and not nose in constantly... but they seemed to really expect me to be asking dozens of questions!) to have more questions, so now we are both a little perplexed. There is SO MUCH we don't know... we don't really know where to begin, I think! lol!

 

So - is there a "College Questions to Ask for Dummies" list here? :) Both questions to ask during a tour/visit and questions to ask/find out from administration or the registrars or someone else I am not even aware of at this point?

 

Assume I know nothing. :) Because it's very possible that I don't know half of what I think I know about this process. ;)

[bettyandbob]

Most of the questions get asked if you are in a group of 10 or more. Here are my extras.

My dc have celiac, so on a tour we always ask about gluten free food and how other food allergies are handled. Most schools seem to be doing something. some schools have a great variety of options. There are some where food is actually limited for persons with diet restrictions. If you can't get something eat, how are you going to live.

Take notice of accessibility if possible. If you can get in the tour group with the person in the wheel chair, even if your dc doesn't use one. This is interesting. There are campuses that are barely ADA compliant and there are truly accessible campuses. You don't need to ask questions. I got the strong feeling that the schools that were fully accessible were more friendly environments and more flexible dealing with individual students.

Ask about online classes. Some schools require some online classes now. We visited one school where all math outside of engineering is taught online. They turned a department store in a strip mall into a "math center" , filled it with computer stations and staffed it with grad students. Students can work anywhere, but if they want help in an online math they go to the math center with its grad students. There are other schools that are simply requiring X number of credits taken online.

[Sunshine State Sue]

My ds did not really have an idea about what he wanted to major in.  So, I always asked how the school would help him figure that out.  How easy is it to transfer from the college of engineering into the college of arts & sciences or vice versa?  Since many students who start out with one major switch to another, it's good to determine how easy it will be to switch.

[gingersmom]

Campus safety

How far are dorms from main campus/library

Clubs/sports/fraternity/sororities

Transportation to train/airport/off campus

Class size? Lecture hall classes? Do teaching assistants teach any classes?

[katilac]

I'd ask about internships, career counseling, and job fairs. 

 

For internships. I think it's important to ask how much variety there is. Does the school have anything in place for humanities majors, or strictly STEM or business? 

[justkeepswimming]

Wonderful, thank you guys! Some of the questions were on our list, but quite a few were not. I'll have dd look over this later today so she can see which she wants to add to her list.

(Most of these visits will be pretty much one-on-one. We'd have to make another trip for the group tour, and that won't be possible in most of these situations due to time & distance constraints. So it's just dd, myself, and college representative and/or coach wandering around looking at things, listening, and talking. :p We NEED a list to keep us talking!! lol DD will be going back in the fall to some of the schools to visit as an athlete, and she'll possibly be 100% on her own on those visits... so these current visits, I need to get in anything I'm needing to ask in person!)

[amy58103]

What do students do for fun? (eg. movies, sporting events, theater productions)

How big is the party scene?  How big/active is Greek life?

Are there nearby stores to pick up miscellaneous supplies (eg. toothpaste, feminine products, paper products)

What is the food like?  Do students typically stick to the dinning halls or are there other options?

Since she's an athlete, where do they workout/practice?  How far from freshman dorms / classroom buildings?

Do they offer anything thematic/special community housing? (eg. honors, alcohol free, international house)  Do they group the athletes together?

Do students typically live on campus all four years or do upperclassman move off-campus?

Where do they buy their books?  (Back in my day, there were several off-campus used book stores that were much cheaper than the campus bookstore, but this might be a thing of the past because of amazon, alibris, etc.)

Is class registration first come first serve, or are you assigned a lottery number? As an athlete, would she be eligible for early enrollment?

Are there study-abroad programs?

If she has a car, can she have it on campus?

What are the most popular majors?

Where would a student go for a medical emergency (and non-emergency illness)?

[Nan in Mass]

What are the requirements for keeping a scholarship. What are the requirements for staying on an athletic team? What sort of tutoring is available? Are the professors accessible? This varies widely and often is the difference between doing ok in a class and flunking. Are there waiting lists for required classes? All of these can make the difference between whether you pay for four years of college or five years. Are the students happy? Do they call to tours, "Come here!"? Where do they play? On campus or off, in their friend's apartments? Who do they play with? Other students or their high school friends? Is the campus deAd on weekends? Who do they study with and where? These can all make the difference between a student being happy enough to finish their education or being miserable and quitting. Are there job fairs, internships, undergraduate research opportunities, speakers, field trips, and student chapters of professional societies? Do they have practice interviews and resume writing help, and grant writing seminars? These can make the difference between getting a job after graduation and unemployment.

 

Nan

I think you want to try to avoid questions that are easily found on the college's web page, and avoid questions that are on your tour guide's "script".

 

So, don't ask questions that they may have a prepared answer for, like "Does this school offer REUs".  Ask a more direct, personal question, like "Tell me about the students in my major who have done an REU, and what did they study"?

 

I might ask questions like:

 

"Who is your favorite professor so far, and why"?  This question might get at how much interaction there is between professors and students.  

"What are the seniors in your major doing after graduation"

"How often do you go to your advisor, and how have they helped you"?

"How many of your friends are graduating in four years?  How often are the classes they want filled up before they register"?