A pile of glossy college brochures has just arrived in your mailbox. As you flip through the pages, you soon discover something: Every college has the greenest trees and the bluest skies you've ever seen. Every college is filled with happy students and attentive professors. Every college looks like the most perfect place on earth.

It would be fun if you could spend a year just visiting every college that caught your eye. But since you can't put high school on hold for that long, try instead to shorten your list of potential colleges to about five to seven (for help see "College Choice Checklist," page 18). Then, once you've narrowed your choices, it's time to plan your campus visits.

A brochure and "virtual" visit to the college's website will give you a good idea of what the place looks like. Your goal now is to get the most complete idea of what a campus is like: Is the campus quiet and peaceful, or jumping with activity? Are the students generally super outgoing, or pretty laid back?

Visiting colleges gives you the opportunity to talk to students and professors, to see a school's classrooms and activities up close, and to observe how everyone interacts.

If you're able to visit several of the schools you've selected as "finalists," that's great! Those visits can help you figure out which qualities are most important to you. But if you don't have the time or money to visit all your picks, you'll need to think about your priorities again. On that short list of schools, are there two or three that really stand out as your top choices? Plan to visit those schools. Many students visit campuses that are within driving distance. But it's just as important to visit schools that are far away—especially those that are your first or second choice. You'll be spending the next four years at a college, so it's a good idea to check it out before you commit to it.

Before you set foot on a campus, even before you decide what day you'd like to visit, call the admissions office. Think of this first call as information gathering—you won't be scheduling your visit just yet.

Let an admissions counselor know you're planning to visit their campus in the near future. Be as specific with them as you can about what you want to observe. Don't worry if you don't have a "must see" list to give the admissions counselor: Colleges offer plenty of general information, access to classes and professors, and a tour of the campus for all visiting students. But if you have a possible major in mind, or even a couple of subjects you're particularly interested in, ask for a schedule of classes in these areas. Let the admissions counselor know you'd like to speak with a professor in that subject area.

Also, let the counselor know if you're interested in specific athletic programs or other non-academic activities (such as student government, the student newspaper or community service projects). You may be invited to sit in on a student government meeting or a basketball practice.

After you've told the counselor your interests, ask them to help you determine the best time to visit. The counselor will probably tell you to avoid the weeks close to the college's midterm and final examinations—there's little campus activity other than studying at these times. If you aren't told this, ask for their schedule of vacation breaks and exams (or at least their best estimate of weeks to avoid). You'll also want to avoid the summer months, when campuses are pretty much empty.

Most colleges also offer special visiting days for families, with planned workshops and activities for both you and your parents. These events provide a ton of information about the college, and you get to interact with other prospective students. However, if you plan to attend one of these special events, also try to find another time to visit the campus so you can observe without receiving "red carpet" treatment. You also want to know what a normal day is like for the average student.

After you've spoken with an admissions counselor, sit down with your parents and choose a date for the visit. It's helpful to visit the campus with at least one of your parents. Including them in the search process makes it a lot easier to discuss the choice with them.

Ideally, you'll be able to visit for two days: Ask to stay overnight in a dormitory with a student. Staying from either Friday to Saturday, or Sunday to Monday will allow you to both attend a class and to view student life on a weekend—when more students will be available to chat with you.

When you call admissions to schedule your visit, write down any other appointments they might give you. Ask them to schedule a guided campus tour for you and a meeting with a professor. If they offer to schedule an interview with an admissions counselor, accept the appointment. And if they don't offer it, even if they don't require it, it's smart to request an interview. While it may sound intimidating, it's really a time for you to "interview" the school. Go prepared with any questions you have about campus policies, activities, student life or academic requirements.

During the visit, listen carefully to the admissions representatives and go to all the events they've planned for you. Your most important goal, though, is to talk to students (see "Ask a Student" on page 70). Students can tell you a lot: from how long it takes to walk from the dorms to the library to how much it really costs for a semester's worth of textbooks. More importantly, they can tell you what they like—and dislike—about their college experience. They will give you the most complete picture of campus life because they've lived it.

As you meet and observe students, think about their characteristics and personalities. Do the majority of students say they're planning to go into some type of Christian ministry? Are a lot of students busy studying, or are quite a few playing Ultimate Frisbee? Do students wear sweats and T-shirts, or sweaters and khakis to class? Does everyone ride around on skateboards? Ask yourself, "Would I fit in here?" Or, if you're looking for a place that will stretch and challenge you, ask yourself, "What could I learn or gain from going to school here?"

Try to observe student life from as many perspectives as possible. Attend a class. Eat in the dining hall. Go to chapel. Check out the hangout spots—the student store, the game room, the gym, any cafés or lounging areas on campus.

Of course, you want to know about where you'll potentially be eating, studying and worshiping for the next four years. But there are two other important—and often overlooked—features you'll want to investigate: the offices of career services and student ministries.

A college's career services office is something like your high school's guidance office. It provides information on jobs and graduate schools. Since you're going to college to prepare for a job, it's important to know about the job-hunting resources a school offers. Some have a career test for students who need help in choosing a profession—a huge benefit if you don't have a clue about what to major in. The career services office also provides information on summer employment and internships.

Even if you haven't done any volunteer work in the past, you'll want to check out the school's student ministries office, which plans community service events and missions trips. Volunteer activities are an important part of life at Christian colleges, where students get the opportunity to put their faith into action. Most schools have regular ongoing community service programs, such as tutoring or delivering meals to those in need, as well as special events, where you can volunteer for a day or a weekend. Some schools even offer summer volunteer programs and missions trips.

As you're touring a campus, write down anything that makes the campus distinct or unique for you. If you're struggling to decide between two colleges, and one has a strong student ministries program, this could become your deciding factor.

So now that you've seen the campus and visited all the important people and places there, it's time to pack up, go home, and make your decision, right? Not just yet.

Before heading home, take time to drive around the surrounding community. This might help you feel more comfortable about a college, especially if it's pretty far away from home. Look for places that are important to you. Is your favorite department store nearby? Is there a coffeehouse on the corner? An ice cream parlor down the street? A quiet off-campus park where you can sit and think? Check out the popular off-campus hangouts. And take note of churches you drive by. You'll need to find a new church to plug into while you're in college. If you spot a church in your denomination that's walking distance from the campus, that's a big plus.

After your visit, it's important to reflect on your feelings and observations about the campus while it's still fresh in your mind. Look over the notes you took during your visit. As you review the experience, think about how you felt when you sat in that classroom, as you sang in chapel, as you walked around campus. Did you feel pretty comfortable around the students? Or did you feel a bit out of place? Write it down.

Next, consider your reactions to some of the basics, such as location and size (number of students). Think about how far you had to travel to get to the campus. Think about the weather. After visiting a college with, say, 1,000 students, did you feel like you wanted to be on a larger campus, or a smaller one? Or did it feel just right?

It's a lot to think about, and you'll benefit from sharing your feelings with your parents. If your parents visited the campus with you, ask for their perspectives. They might have noticed things you missed. They also can help you sort through any concerns you might have.

And trust your instincts. Did you feel right at home on campus? Was it easy to talk to students? Did you get a feeling the college was the right one? Do you sense God is leading you to this school? Pray that he'll use all your college visits to help you make the choice that will be best for your personal, academic and spiritual growth.

Visiting college campuses may seem like a lot of work. But it's worth it—those visits can give you a lot of perspective as you make your decision. After all, if a picture is worth a thousand words, an up-close experience can be worth a million.

Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Campus Life.

Subscribe to Ignite Your Faith!

• Risk-free trial issue
• Give a Gift Subscription