Visit checklists for students, parents and athletes

Free checklists to take on a college visit. Each question says who to ask.

Student

You lead. Ask the right person, and score each school before you leave.

Write your top 5 must-haves and 3 nice-to-haves. Bring the list.
Confirm your intended major is offered, and name a backup major.
Look up graduation and first-year retention rates so you can ask about any gap.
Book more than the tour: a class sit-in, a department meeting, a meal in a regular dining hall (where offered).
Write one question you are afraid to ask.
Agree with your parents who asks what.

TOUR GUIDE: What does the tour not show? Where do students go on a weeknight and a weekend?
CURRENT STUDENTS: What surprised you? How hard is it to get the classes you need? Who struggles or leaves? Where do you go when you are stressed?
ADMISSIONS: What share of first-years come back, and why do others leave? If I change majors, what happens to my credits?
FINANCIAL AID / CAREER OFFICE: What do students in my major do after graduating, and where does that number come from?
NOTICE: Do students talk to each other? Is campus busy on a Friday afternoon? Could you study here in the evening?
Before you leave: score the school 1 to 5 (see the scorecard below).

Within 2 hours: write 5 things you liked, 3 you didn’t, 1 you still don’t know.
Within 48 hours: email admissions your unanswered questions. Thank anyone who gave you time.
Finish your scores alone, then compare them with your parents’.
Check what you were told against public data.
Test it: can you picture an ordinary bad Tuesday here, and who you would go to?
Pick a next step: apply, visit again, ask more, or drop it.

Score 1 to 5

These are questions to ask, not facts about any school. Rules and deadlines change, so confirm with the school.