Courtesy Dylan Steinberg

Senior Dylan Steinberg at the Washington University in St. Louis campus on a guided tour. Dylan has two brothers who went to school there and is applying this fall.

As this cycle of college applications comes to a close, many seniors question whether or not they have made the right decisions about college visits. Many students go on tours before applying, being accepted or having any idea of what they are looking for. But for some, they see it better fit to wait until after they apply and have ideas of where they want to go. Some seniors see college visits as the final step, to finally choose that place that feels like a good future home and not just as a means of weeding out the bottom of the barrel.

In the daunting college process, college visits may seem relatively unimportant, but many students disagree with this. It is a time when students decide if they can see themselves spending the next four important years of their lives somewhere and possibly longer. They need to feel a deep connection to a place to be happy and content while they spend their first years away from home.

“College visits are very crucial to the college process if you don’t go to the school you don’t know what it’s going to be… they highlight the better things but it gives you a feel and the atmosphere of the school,” senior Jr DuBose said.

Although college visits are important, these tours should be primarily done after college applications and acceptance. Most people know what type of school they want, whether it be big, small, rural or urban. The importance of college visits then is mainly held when narrowing down to the last few options. There is no need to spend money and time to go to a college that you may see no interest in. If you can’t fall in love with the idea of going there then, it may not be the best possible fit. Why not wait until you find the university that you first love the idea of going to and then after visiting and being accepted truly fall in love? This makes your final choice much more exciting as well.

On the other hand, you can’t take away students’ personal experiences with college visits.

“I changed my mind about the University of Michigan after a college visit. Initially, I thought the school would be way too big for me but on the visit, the campus didn’t feel overwhelmingly big. This changed my mind about the school and made it one of my top choices. I would not have realized this if I wasn’t able to visit,” senior Dylan Steinberg said.

College visits in my eyes are essential to making that final decision. I have gone on two tours before college applications and although they were nice, it would have been better suited knowing I was accepted. It would have made the tour feel much more important and special but besides that, it would have made it much worthwhile. Going before college acceptances were sent out, made it feel much more like a distant goal and far less achievable. Many students, despite having already gone on tours, feel the same about college visits after acceptance.

“I might go visit more colleges but it depends where I get in. If I end up getting into multiple places and I have trouble deciding, a visit might be worth it to help me make up my mind,” Steinberg said.