June 3, 1987, Portland Observer, Page 5
"Test Drive, Look Under the Hood
Before Selecting Your College—The
College Visit"
If you are a high school student thinking about going on to college,
you're approaching an important decision-making time. What college will
you attend? Where will you invest the next four years of your life—and a
substantial number of dollars?
Your chances of making the right decision will increase with the amount
of time and effort you put into the selection process. Just as you test drive
a car and look under its hood before making a decision on whether to buy
it, you should "test drive" any college or university you are considering and
look under its "hood."
This means visiting the campus and spending enough time there to see
how it rates in the categories that are important to you as a student and as
a person. After you visit, you need to ask yourself how you felt on the cam
pus. Were you comfortable or did you feel out of place? Does the college
seem to have a strong program in the areas of interest to you? Is it a place
Where you can develop as a person? If you can give positive responses to
those questions, chances are that you're looking at a good match.
Many students start visiting campuses during the junior year of high
sfchool, often through special programs sponsored by the college, such as
open houses, conferences or athletic, cultural or other activities. Such
visits can give valuable first impressions.
Quite often, families plan a vacation between the junior and senior year
of high school to enable the student to visit a number of colleges that might
be under consideration. Summer visits allow prospective students to see
the campus and buildings and to meet with the admissions staff. The op
portunity to talk with faculty members and students and to attend a class or
two is limited, however, by the extent of that college or university's summer
program. Quite often, what is going on during the summer doesn't accu
rately reflect what occurs during the rest of the year at a particular college.
For example, at many colleges the student body is older during the sum
mer, because a number of teachers and other professionals have returned
to work on advanced degrees. And the other people you'll see on the cam
pus are likely to include youngsters participating in various activity camps
and people attending conferences the college is merely providing facilities
for.
Since a college really is people rather than buildings, it's valuable to visit
when those who teach, learn and work there during the academic year are
present.
If possible, then, plan your visit during the normal school year when the
college is in session. It is best to schedule your visit during the week rather
than on Saturday and Sunday. Weekends tend to have the same disadvan
tages as summers. It is also a good idea to avoid the last week of a seme
ster when students and faculty are likely to be tied up with final exams.
Now that you know when to visit, you may be wondering how to go
about it. If possible, make an appointment in advance. If there is no oppor
tunity to do this, be flexible with the arrangements that can be made at
the last minute. Don't be too demanding. Remember that staff, faculty
and students have time commitments they have to meet.
Try to allow more than a couple of hours for your visit. Schedule at least
a full morning or afternoon. Remembei, this is your test drive. You want
to know what kind of performance you can expect when you make your
college choice.
i
Plan to schedule your appointment by phone or letter at least a week in
advance. That will give the admissions office sufficient time to make the
best arrangements for you, particularly it you would like to stay overnight
on campus.
All of the Pacific Northwest Independent Colleges welcome the oppor
tunity to host students. Some colleges have guest rooms, while others
will arrange to have students share their rooms with visitors. There is usual
ly no charge to the student guest, except perhaps for meals in the dining
hall and admission for special events the visitor may want to attend.
If you are interested in activities, such as music, theatre or athletics,
indicate, when making your arrangement, that you would like to meet with
an activity director or coach. Ask if it would be possible to visit with a facul
ty member and to attend a class or two.
Find out in advance how to get to the campus. If you will be traveling
by public transportation, ask whether the college provides a service of
meeting students at airports, train stations and bus depots.
If you are driving, either alone or with your famly, you might want to
arrive about an hour before your appointment with the office of admissions.
This will give you an opportunity to wander around campus on your own,
examine the bookstore, have a soft drink in the student center and maybe
strike up a conversation with students and get their impressions of the
college.
Take the time to examine bulletin boards around the campus. The pulse
of the college or university often is reflected in the announcements and
posters on those bulletin boards. Also, spend a little time in the library to
see how the students make use of it.
When you meet with the admissions staff, faculty and students, ask
questions. If you want some information, don't hesitate to ask. It s in the
college's best interest, as well as in yours, that you are well informed when
you make your decision.
Be observant while you are on the campus. Look at how the students
are dressed and what they have in their dormitory rooms. Notice how the
students get from place to place. Do they walk? Drive? Bicycle? Does
this lifestyle fit in with yours?
,
After you've seen it all and talked to the right people, it s time for you to
consider your reaction to the college as a whole. Is it the place you want
to spend the next four years?
That's still a tough question, but if you've given careful attention to your
tes*t drive and looked closely under the hood, you're in a good position to
come up with the right answer.
(For additional information about how to visit a campus, ask your coun
selor for the new College Board publication, "Campus Visits and College
Interviews" by Zola Dir.cin Schneider.)
Thomas Meicho
Dean of Admissions
Linfield College
McMinnville, Oregon 97128
Judge Loretta Biggs, 30, exemplifies the success level of EBONY'S
selection of 30 Leaders of the Future.
30 Black Leaders
of the Future
Black Americans under age 30 show that age is no barrier as they make
impressive marks in their careers and communities to become tomorrow's
Black leaders, according to the June EBONY.
Among the doctors, lawyers, attorneys, company founders and govern
ment officials profiled are: Loretta Biggs, 30, North Carolina's first Black
female judge appointed to the U.S. District Court; 29-year-old Graham C.
Grady, an attorney named by Chicago Mayor Harold Washington to head
the Private Industry Council of Chicago; Newark, New Jersey's Lorna K.
Johnson, 28, who is an attorney and the only woman heading one of the
111 affiliates of the Urban League; and 26-year-old William L. Walker Jr.,
the youngest member elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives.
*
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