College Search 2

Johnny Jones, 1 November 1993

It took awhile for us to figure out how to make the most of a college visit. But after going through the process with Bryan, and now with Amy, we have learned something about how to make the most of a campus visit. Most colleges encourage prospective students to attend a class or two. That gives an idea of the work load and the expectations of the professors, and shows whether students and
professors come to class excited or bored. At Davidson, the kids Amy met were uniformly excited about their classes. "You should come to history with me."

"No, come to humanities; it's great!" While Amy is in class, Chip and I try to get an appointment with the Financial Aid officer. The forms colleges use are standard federal forms; but the way they apply them varies greatly. For example, William and Mary says they will meet only 85% to 90% of established need. But if freshman grades are at a certain level, they will convert the loan portion to a grant. It was good to know that Centre's policies are heavier towards grants than loans and work/study. Many schools meet financial need by splitting those three areas in thirds; Centre can
 give about half the need amount in grants to qualified students.

Another question we ask is the number of hours per week schools require their students to work. At some schools it is as low as 8; at others, as high as 12. We don't like to see more than 10 hours for an incoming freshman. If our appointment at Financial Aid is later, we look around at the college bookstore while Amy attends class. What kind of music seems popular there? What kinds of humor? With political correctness such an issue, it is vital to see what kind of atmosphere prevails.

We also make it a point to eat on campus. We see not only the kinds of food available, but the social atmosphere. Do kids sit by themselves and study, or do they sit in groups and talk? Is there lots of laughter? Do professors eat with the students? It distressed us at one place that we could not find a table that had been wiped off; after someone used them, they were left dirty. While Amy interviews, we look at the materials in the admissions office. We like looking through the yearbooks which are generally available. At Davidson, InterVarsity, an interdenominational Christian organization, looked like the largest club on campus, other than campus government and ROTC. That was encouraging to us.

 After the interview, the Admissions Officer invites us to her office. That's when we ask about merit scholarships, which are administered by Admissions, not by Financial Aid. The campus tour is also an important time for gleaning information. The tour guides are usually volunteers. You can ask them direct questions, and they don't hesitate to answer. Also, when I went with Bryan, we always asked to see an electrical engineering lab and the computer facilities. With Amy, we look at the theatre and design labs. And we always ask to see a dorm room. You can't believe the difference in them: In size, in furniture, in feel. Some feel cramped but cute; others feel depressing.

Relationships between the college and the surrounding town is another area we like to explore. At William and Mary we went to a play, where a lady from the community sat beside  me. Her attitude was, "If you are lucky enough to be accepted here, why would you consider going anywhere else?" Healthy town/gown relationships are a plus.

We also like to have an appointment with the head of the department our kids are considering. But even after a student and her parents have done all this, she still has not done something critical to making a decision: Spending the night in the dorm. That is when it is easiest to tell whether you fit in.

The first time Bryan spent the night in a dorm he asked about Christian groups on campus. His host said, "There aren't any I know of." Then he offered Bryan beer. We learned from that experience to ask for students involved in campus Christian organizations as hosts. The Christian leaders at one college told Bryan he would need to live in a certain dorm if he went there, so they could protect him; there was a lot of Satanism on campus. That's the kind of thing the books don't tell us, but we needed to know. At another school, we learned that the social scene so revolved around alcohol that a person who didn't drink, and drink a lot, would not fit in.

One of the students from Princeton said, "We are paying for one another's company." That's true; the students, to a great extent, make the school. That's why it is important to see what they are like. At one school, the kids were nice, but so "straight" they didn't seem to know how to have fun. At another, they were extremely insular; they didn't do well with "outsiders." At still another, they seemed stressed out.

The books we consulted helped us narrow our list down to a manageable size; but it's the campus visits which really let our kids know which school is right for them. Setting up campus visits to include all these elements can be challenging; but you can't believe how enlightening it is. And finding the right school is well worth the trouble.