Congratulations, you are headed to college, and this weekend you will be attending your first college tour to decide what school you want to attend this fall. Your tour guide will probably tell you that you have a green light to ask whatever question you would like. That is nice of them, but they will likely spin negative aspects of campus life into minor inconveniences. If you want to get the inside scoop on what life is at the college, make sure you spend at least 30 minutes talking to students who will give you honest answers. And when you do, be sure to ask the questions below.
- Why did you choose this school?
- Do you like it here?
- What are your college’s strengths?
- What’s your biggest complaint about your college?
- What else could stand to be improved?
- How accessible are administrators, staff, and professors.?
- What majors are student favorites?
- What departments or programs have the best and worst reputations?
- What’s your favorite class?
- Are your professors good instructors?
- Do your professors hold office hours and are they helpful?
- Are most of your courses taught by teaching assistants?
- Can you gain admission into most of your first-choice courses?
- Are your courses lecture-based or discussion-focused?
- How much reading and writing is needed for an average course?
- How often are group assignments required?
- Are you happy with academic advising?
- Do students have access to any tutoring programs or writing centers?
- How big are your courses?
- Does your major require a capstone project?
- Are professors available for research with students?
- Is it popular to study abroad?
- What’s it like to be a student here?
- What’s an ordinary day like?
- How much time does the average spend studying per week?
- What do you do on the weekend?
- What do you when you are not in class?
- What social activities does your college host?
- What types of things are there to do in your college’s hometown?
- How’s the food?
- Do most students live on-campus?
- How are the dorms?
- Which clubs and student organizations are student favorites?
- Do lots of students belong to fraternal organizations?
- What’s your favorite place on your campus and why?
- Where do you like to study for exams?
- What are the campus facilities like?
- How many computer labs does the college have? Is that enough?
- How is the WiFi on campus?
- Is it easy to get around campus?
- Are sports popular?
- Is there a lot of college spirit?
- How would you describe your fellow students?
- Are the students here friendly?
- What makes the student body unique?
- Is there diversity on campus?
- Are there many students from other countries?
- Do students of different races and courses interact easily?
- Are students cliquish?
- Are internships available? How do you find them?
- Is Career Services helpful?
- Do you have a mentor?
- Does your college have a co-op program?
- Does your college provide opportunities to build leadership
- What options exist for service-learning?
- Do employers recruit students from your college?
- How hard is it to find summer jobs and other kinds of work through your school?
- Who are some of the famous alumni from your college?
- How active is your school’s alumni association on campus?
- What kinds of hands-on or experiences have you had in and outside of the classroom?
