Have you ever walked through a long array and collection of colleges, including the ‘prestigious’ colleges and yet had no idea where to start, what to do and what questions to ask? It happened to the best of us. Let me tell you what – you are at the right doorpost of getting ahead of the game!
First, be prepared for the fair. Know the schools that would be present even if you know nothing about them. Don’t be scared to walk to any table even if you have nothing to ask – it may be the beginning of a great future for you. The college representatives are there for you, and they are basically ‘bragging’ so you like them. It’s a large buffet to pick from!
Now what questions do you ask? Here are a few:
1. What makes your college unique?
I like this question because it can be the basis of me liking or disliking a school. It’s the basic summary of what sets the college apart from all others and it can tell you how much you might be a fit.
2. What do students like most about your school? What are their biggest complaints?
The first of these two questions is just like asking how unique the school is. This second question, though, I feel we are always scared to ask. But hey, it’s not trolling, you’re only doing the necessary scrolling to find your choice. Ask them about the complaints and see if you would criticize the same issue.
3. What is the average class size?
Do you want to go to a big school or a small school with intimate classes? Try asking this question. It always helps to filter them out.
4. Campus life? What is there to do on campus?
When I was choosing colleges, my hook was to leave home and go to a place with spice otherwise I would terribly miss my home. Do you want a bland or buzzing campus? Ask them what students do during the day and at night. Any events? Tell them you want to know. On that note we had Scamfest in Claremont a few weeks back and I got to hear our wonderful a cappella groups sing. Want more? Don’t hesitate to ask!
5. What are your popular majors? Tell me more about …. Major.
Of course we’re going to school to study. Don’t forget about that!
6. What are your financial aid programs? Do you offer scholarships?
Affordability is a great area to consider once you plan to go to college. Don’t forget to ask for the deadlines to submit all the necessary materials regarding them.
7. What are housing options like?
Don’t forget that you need a place to chill, rest and sleep. Also ask about the design of dorms if you have the opportunity, or you could check their instagram pages. Will it be on-campus or off campus? Colleges like to show their dorms!
8. Do admission officers use only numbers and stats for decisions? How do you decide on students to admit?
9. Are there jobs on campus? What about internships? Do you have a career planning office that supports students?
Being an adult has got to be one of the most difficult things I’m doing in life but with the right resources I’m going strong. It’s good to have a mental image of all that a school can help you do so that you are not stranded once you find yourself in it.
10. Are there any big changes happening in your school?
I’ll tell you what – we got a new natural sciences building called the nucleus in Scripps. There may be other things happening for a school like new programs being introduced, changing academic requirements (like how our core curriculum has been remodeled from 3 semesters to a 2 semester curriculum) or even random stories of student life.
11. How do you describe the academic pressure and workload?
12. What study abroad opportunities do you have?
13. What is the local area like?
14. Where do students hang out?
15. Is your campus safe?
These are some great questions to ask to get to know schools. You might be walking away with a bag of information after these questions but don’t be overwhelmed. It’s where you want to be that matters most.