Graduate School Campus Tour

A productive campus visit to a graduate school has the following elements: a guided tour, planned appointments with key individuals, and staying overnight.

Many colleges encourage an overnight visit for a prospective student to get the feel of the university. Ask an admissions official to arrange rooming with a student with similar interest, who can give you the inside scoop on a particular program. If at all possible, all of these should be included in the graduate school campus tour

Moreover the visit should include a face-to-face meeting with a financial officer of the university. A financial officer often has the final word in how much financial aid a graduate student can potentially receive. The prospective graduate student should be prepared to discuss their financial situation briefly. Attempt to create a good first impression, because the financial officer may later have to put a face with a name.

In addition, a guided tour should be conducted of the school or university. This guided tour should not occur on the weekends, but be done during the week while classes are going on. It is likely that a large majority of the student body and faculty will be unavailable for discussion if you schedule your graduate school campus tour during the weekend. Moreover organizations and teams will be meeting and practicing that a prospective student may want to be involved in later at the school. The guided tour should include the cafeteria, dorm or housing, student assembly centers, athletic facilities, library and potential class locations. Questions about the school should be asked often during this guided tour.

A tour of the Cafeteria should include:

Tasting the food
Meal plan
Are the students polite/friendly

A tour of the dorm or housing should include:

Review of cost per basic arrangement
Bathroom location/situation
Size
Laundry location
Review of the bills. cable, energy, water

A tour of the student assembly should include:

Review of the various student organizations on campus
Student recreation centers available
Review the bulletin boards for job or event opportunities
Take pictures to have a visual reminder for later

A tour of the athletic centers should include:

Do the athletic centers charge any fees
Hours
Specific sport availability
Medical assistance offered on campus
Distance from dorm/housing location
Condition of equipment
Availability of personal trainers/athletic trainers

A tour of the library should include:

Number of computers and availability
Assistance offered with research
Hours
Minimal noise levels
Comfortable
Areas for individual and group study

A tour of the class location should include:

Average class size
Distance from dorm/housing location, avg. travel time
Meet a faculty member in the field you want to study
Observed student fatigue level
Potential course syllabus

A graduate school campus tour should be mandatory for anyone before enrolling in a particular grad school.