{"id":57776,"date":"2023-05-15T12:00:33","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T19:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2023\/05\/questions-to-ask-colleges-on-tours\/"},"modified":"2023-05-15T12:00:33","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T19:00:33","slug":"questions-to-ask-colleges-on-tours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/questions-to-ask-colleges-on-tours\/","title":{"rendered":"Questions to Ask Colleges on Tours"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Campus<\/a><\/figure>\n

First off, if you\u2019re a parent and reading this, we have one important piece of advice for you when you start touring colleges with your student\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be \u201cthat parent\u201d…<\/b><\/p>\n

Once the tour begins, do <\/span>NOT<\/b> be \u201cthat parent\u201d who asks a million questions. Here\u2019s the painful, counterintuitive truth: none of the answers to your questions (however smart they may <\/span>SEEM<\/b> to you) are ultimately all that meaningful. The only thing that should <\/span>TRULY<\/b> be a needle-mover after college visits is the <\/span>KINSHIP<\/b> your child feels with a particular school over the rest. The \u201csoul-mate\u201d thing. That feeling that can\u2019t be traced to a stat, or to logic. It\u2019s the feeling that\u2019s more like \u201cI have <\/span>NO IDEA WHY<\/b>, but\u2026 this is the place.\u201d That\u2019s the compass that your child (and you) should use to help guide the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your job is to encourage your student to ask the right questions to lead them to this feeling. Let\u2019s go over on how you can do this:<\/span><\/p>\n

Questions to Ask On A College Tour<\/span><\/h2>\n

Here’s the deal: encouraging your kids to ask questions themselves will make the whole process a lot more exciting for them. We all know that teenagers are experts at pretending they don’t care about what we say. So, let’s flip the script and let them take the reins during those campus visits. By encouraging them to ask their own questions, we’re giving them the power to shape their own destiny (cue dramatic music).<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, we’ve got a wealth of knowledge and experience to share, but let’s face it, they’re the ones who will be living and studying at the college. So, it’s time to step back, loosen our grip, and let them discover what they want to know. It’s like giving them the keys to their own college future. If they need some help on figuring out what to ask to assess whether the school is a fit for them, we have some suggestions for campus tour questions here:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What initially attracted you to this college\/university?<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. What resources are available for academic support, such as tutoring or study groups?<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. How would you describe the relationship between students and professors on campus?<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Are there opportunities for undergraduate research or internships in my field of interest?<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. How would you describe the overall campus culture or atmosphere? What types of schools thrive here?<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Are there any specific student support services, such as counseling or health services, that you would utilize?<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. What is the academic workload like for students in my intended major?<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. How diverse and inclusive is the campus community?<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. What is the housing situation like for students, and what options are available?<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. What is the campus safety like, and what measures are in place to ensure student security?<\/span><\/li>\n
  11. What opportunities are there for personal and leadership development?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How can you, as the parent, help your student?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Once you\u2019re on the tour, let your child engage, and ask all the questions. It may even be a decent idea to hang at the back of the crowd while your son\/daughter is up in the front. It\u2019s a small gesture, but can go a long way toward helping your child feel empowered (this feeling of empowerment can have powerful implications on how they ultimately engage with \u201ccollege\u201d itself, and yes, it can start to develop in this otherwise unremarkable gesture). That doesn\u2019t mean you aren\u2019t an active participant,…it just means you are helping them in a different (and better, trust us) way. Here are some ways you can help your student during these tours.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Embracing the \u201cthis is going to be the school\u2026\u201d mentality<\/span><\/h3>\n

    As much as you can, at the start of each campus tour, your child should embrace the idea that <\/span>THIS<\/b> is gonna be the school. Another way to think about it, start out rooting <\/span>FOR<\/b> the program. As opposed to\u2026 the opposite. Which is to walk <\/span>IN<\/b> with a negative perception. Because the <\/span>ONLY<\/b> thing that is likely to happen at that point is \u201cconfirmation bias.\u201d With a positive attitude, however, the mind has a neat way of \u201cgiving negative events a <\/span>PASS<\/b>\u201d and your ability to feel a stronger magnetic pull toward one school above the rest will be \u201ctruer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    Keep a record or log of reactions to the campus and tour<\/span><\/h3>\n

    After the tour, make sure your child keeps some kind of record of reactions. Evernote, Google Doc, whatever the preferred medium, have them <\/span>LOG<\/b> it somehow. What we want is pure, unadulterated <\/span>INSTINCTS<\/b>. How did it all \u2026 feel? What was the vibe? Did it feel right? Way wrong? Meh? You may not even need to discuss this\u2026 yet. There may be a moment when you can offer your opinion of the school, but it\u2019s generally in your best interest to let them <\/span>GUIDE<\/b> this. And for you to support them if they feel a strong magnetic pull somewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Using campus tours to max out your student\u2019s echelon<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Long and short, your student\u2019s decision on where to attend <\/span>BEGINS<\/b> with maxing out their <\/span>echelon<\/span><\/a> (choosing the best school that they can get into). And then, if there are still multiple choices, to then decide based on <\/span>GUT INSTINCT<\/b>. That elusive \u201cfeeling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    A campus tour\/visit can help toward getting this \u201cvibe.\u201d But it\u2019s only a part of the picture, not the whole thing. You may get a lackluster tour guide. It may be raining on the day you visit. There are all sorts of things that can cast the school in an unfair light. This is where \u201crooting <\/span>FOR<\/b> the program\u201d can be a helpful tool in allowing your heart and soul to look <\/span>PAST<\/b> those things, to get a truer sense of the overall vibe. At the end of all the visits and tours\u2026 your child\u2019s gut will automatically lean toward <\/span>ONE<\/b> place. If they\u2019re stuck, and they need help and solicit your opinion, then you can and should offer it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    So, parents, let’s resist the urge to dominate the college tour like it’s a trivia game we have to win. Instead, let’s encourage our teenagers to unleash their curiosity and enthusiasm. Trust me, when they’re in the driver’s seat, they’ll be more engaged and excited about finding their perfect fit. This is the (often difficult) first step for YOU, to learn to let go of the steering wheel, and help your child begin his\/her ascension into adulthood\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Need some help with a college application? That’s what we’re here for!<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n\t\tTALK TO AN EXPERT NOW<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n

    The post Questions to Ask Colleges on Tours<\/a> appeared first on Admissionado<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    First off, if you\u2019re a parent and reading this, we have one important piece of advice for you when you start touring colleges with your student\u2026 Don\u2019t be \u201cthat parent\u201d……<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,817,775],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-admissionado","category-admission-consultants","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57776\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}