What Not to Miss When Looking for Colleges

Don’t Miss This… on a college visit!

After recently touring most of the schools in Oregon, it is interesting to see what schools focus on during tours.  Being that I was on a counselor tour, I saw things a little differently than the average college visit.  However, there are some “don’t miss” aspects of every school, especially where the school appears to be the prospective student’s top choice.

• Freshman retention rate.  This is the percent of students returning after the first year. Generally, I like to see this number above 75%. This number tells a prospective student the chance of a successful college experience.

• Housing requirements.  Some schools have no housing requirement and some will have a two year or until the student is 21 requirement. Studies show the freshman retention rate will be higher when students live on campus at least the first year. [ask why]  Also, ask how many students live on campus after freshman year and is housing guaranteed. What types of housing are available? What is the campus like on the weekend?

• Food.  How does the meal plan work? Are there various locations on campus and in the community? What are the hours? What is the variety? Food Court or food line? Made to order?

• Support.  This can take on a variety of issues: learning support and career support. What does the career center do? Is it up to the student to pursue or are opportunities widely available for job/career fairs, resume review, interview practice? Are there professional student clubs? How does the staff, including professors, support the students in finding internships and research opportunities? What is the after graduation data? How many go on to grad school or have jobs and how soon?