Are You Planning Some College Visits with Your Child?

What would be the most important thing(s) to look for when your son or daughter is considering a college. Some of these questions are answered very easily during campus visits, but there are a few other interesting answers to be had by looking elsewhere.

Not everything is answered in a brochure or by asking a thoroughly prepared list of questions, some considerations are better addressed through observations and actually giving certain opportunities a "test run" so to speak.

Information on things such as local eateries or hangouts surely can be had by asking students, right? Well yes, but can you really rely solely on th opinion of those that attend the college? No doubt it is a great start as students will have a tendency to direct you to the "popular" spots, but are they the "best" spots?

For dining, absolutely you want to start by trying food from a school cafeteria, but while we were at a visit with our son to a college he was considering, we heard good things about a burrito wagon uptown that everyone seemed to enamored with. As we approached just that, a wagon parked on the street that did indeed serve burritos, we didn't have high expectations but it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise as we got a tremendous tasting burrito, but at a great price as well. It was also comforting to find out that wasn't just one or two popular hangouts, so it seemed that were options for entertainment as well as dining off campus to try something different once in awhile.

Presentation of the campus on the drive in on a beautiful day was something to look forward to, but even though you may not want to schedule an actual visit during adverse weather conditions, you should make it a point to find out what weather conditions are like during all times of the year so that your child knows what to expect from not only a temperature standpoint, but how easy and what options are available to them to get around campus. It would terrible to find out that the campus is difficult to navigate during periods of rain, snow or cold after having been enrolled, wouldn't it?