Along with increased opportunities for advanced classes, clubs, activities and sports, a student’s junior and senior years of high school typically rolls around with the discussions of college visits. For some students, thinking about the next four or more years of their education can be daunting and anxiety-driven, if they so choose to follow a post-secondary education path.

There are several different types of colleges that students should visit, according to Chrissy Johns, one of three counselors at De Soto High School.

“The number of colleges you visit really depends on the student,” Johns said. “We have some kids who know exactly that they want to go to K-State and that’s the only visit they take because they have fallen in love with it and know that’s the place for them. But sometimes kids get to the campus and it’s not what they were expecting. I would say, on average, [a student should go on] two to three visits, and most of our kids have an idea of where they want to go. My advice is to look at a small school, like Pitt State and Emporia, then go to a big school, like KU or K-State, and then pick a private school just to see what is out there, because the financial award packages can be very different at all three types of schools. There’s a big misconception that private schools are expensive, but what students don’t understand is that private schools often have large endowments, which is basically their scholarships. Alumni give back, so they can sometimes match what KU or K-State [or other public colleges] can give. But I would absolutely recommend them to pick a small school, a large school, and then a private school, and even a community college, because you just never know if a community college will fit you right.”

Johns shared some tips for students looking to schedule plans for college tours in the near future.

“I recommend students to look at dates that you possibly wouldn’t be missing a lot of school on. Specifically days that we’re out [of school] are days to go, like on long weekends,” Johns said. “Also, I would try to go when the college is in session. Visiting a college when no students are on campus does not give you the feel that you need to determine if that’s the place for you.With individualized visits, you have to give them notice. Most colleges recommend seven to ten days [in advance], but it’s always wise to plan ahead if you can. The group visits usually have designated days, and Fridays are very common group day visits.”

Another thing that students should consider is what type of tour to go on when they schedule a visit.

“I would recommend that, when students go on visits, that they do an individual visit versus a group day visit,” Johns said. “The group day visits are good to give you a general idea about the college, but it’s a very generalized visit. It includes a basic tour of the campus, where they might highlight a couple of their new buildings, they’ll definitely show you a residents’ hall, they usually show you the student union. It’s a walking tour of campus. The individualized visits can be a little bit more personalized. For instance, you can ask to set a meeting up with the adviser of the department that you’re interested in. You can oftentimes request to meet with a financial aid adviser or somebody in housing, and sometimes you can sit in the back of a class. [On group visits], you’re going to be in a group of 15 to 20 students and parents combined, whereas the individualized one is just you.”

Senior Cody Moose has already visited 11 different colleges, including Stanford, MIT and Yale, and he shared what students should focus on during a visit.

“Definitely get an idea of what degree programs and fields are the colleges’ strengths and what areas may need a little more work at that school,” Moose said. “Know what you may be interested in and then look into those fields and see if it is an environment that you can succeed in. You might be invested in one degree, but later on you might find that you want a different degree, so make sure that the school that you end up at has multiple options.”

Similar to Johns, Moose also urges students to try to schedule individual tours.

“I did primarily individual tours, and they’ll usually have group campus tours, but I made sure to try and schedule a private tour,” Moose said. “That way, I would have the presenters main focus if there were any questions that I wanted to make sure got answered. Then they weren’t busy trying to appeal to fifteen interests, but rather my own. I got the best results out of those visits.”

Johns highlighted several other things that students should look out for on visits.

“I think [students should look at] the overall feel and the atmosphere of the school. Do they feel comfortable there? Is it a welcoming community?” Johns said. “It’s so different from high school, because you’re not in these set areas all day with a lot of the same kids. You could be on campus one minute for a math class and then on the other side of campus for P.E., and you’ll never see those kids again. The other thing is that they probably need to find out how big some of the general ed classes are. A psychology class at KU can probably have 200-300 kids in the lecture room, but if that’s not the type of environment you want, then don’t go to those schools. Now granted, you’re only going to have that size for a few of your intro classes, but it’s not going to be like that for all of them as you work towards your degree. Also, just look for how the people make you feel. Are the admissions people nice? Are they friendly, because you’re going to be working with those people for the next several years and if you don’t feel like they’re welcoming or they don’t answer your questions, [then find somewhere else]. Do you like the feel of the college campus? Do you like the idea of traveling from one side of the campus to the other? Or do you want a campus that’s small and you can walk within five minutes to every building?”

If you plan on pursuing a post-secondary education, make sure to schedule college visits – depending on your financial ability to travel – in order to get final questions answered and to learn more about the college through experience. Underclassmen would also be at an advantage to start their college search early and learn about multiple schools and funding opportunities before narrowing down on one decision in their upperclassmen years.