GOING ON CAMPUS VISITS

Start Early

While campus visits are primarily junior and senior year events, there’s no need to wait.  Start visiting colleges as early as ninth grade.  Take advantage of any chance to walk around a college campus.  Check out schools in or near your hometown, stop by colleges during family trips, and visit older friends and siblings at school.  The more visits you make, the better you will become at quickly sizing up a school and recognizing what you want from a college.

Official Visits

Coaches extend official visit invitations to their top recruits so they can get to know the athletes better and promote their school’s best features.  Since official visits are an expense for the athletic program, only a limited number of athletes will receive these invitations.  If you’re fortunate enough to receive one in your junior or senior year, it’s an outstanding opportunity for you to evaluate everything about the college and determine if the school and team fits your needs.  Most of the time, you will stay with other athletes on the team and eat meals with them.  This gives you an excellent opportunity to ask lots of questions.   Keep in mind:

·       The NCAA allows you one expense-paid visit to five different schools.  This restrictions applies even if you are being recruited in two sports.

·       Each visit may only last a maximum of 48 hours.

·       You must provide college authorities with your official transcript and entrance exam scores.

·       You may return to one of the schools you’ve already visited, but you must pay all expenses.

·       You must be registered with the NCAA Clearinghouse for official visits to NCAA schools. 

Pre-Plan Your Schedule

For unofficial visits, call the admissions office at least two weeks in advance to let them know you are coming to campus.  An admissions counselor can tell you the dates and times for campus tours, information sessions, and open houses. 

The counselor can also recommend classes to observe, help schedule individual meetings with faculty and coaches, provide a campus map and information on nearby lodging. 

What to Do On Campus

·       Begin your visit with an information session and a campus tour.

·       Sit in on a class

·       Check out the dorms

·       Eat in the cafeteria

·       Read the bulletin boards

·       Meet a faculty member and the coach

·       See the athletic facilities

·       Read the student newspaper

Keep a Notebook Just For College Visits

Take notes while you’re on campus, jotting down the name of the dorm you walked through, the class you visited, and the names of professors and students you met.   After each visit, write down your impressions – what you did and did not like about the school. 

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