Students and their families usually begin visiting colleges in the spring of junior year of high school. But should families start sooner? What are the benefits of making preliminary college visits during freshman or sophomore years of high school?

These are simply informal college visits that include a walk around campus, a visit to the school library, or a stroll through the campus bookstore. It’s easy to fit a brief college tour into your family spring vacation.

Why, however, should you consider doing this?

To get a feel for the college environment.

It’s a proven fact that picking a college is an emotional choice. Yes, students evaluate colleges based on academics, but mostly their choice is based on a “feeling.” By making preliminary college visits, students get a feel for the college environment, the buildings, the layout, the students and everything that makes a college. It helps to prepare students for junior year when they start touring must-see colleges on their college lists.

To start a list of college likes and dislikes.

Believe it or not, the look and the surrounding environment of a campus is important to most students. Does your student favor a sprawling campus with hills and historic buildings or a bustling campus in the middle of a large metropolitan area? Is the idea of a smaller campus interesting? Or is your student craving the excitement a large state university campus? Students can’t know the answer to any of these questions without visiting different types of campuses.

To experience campus life first-hand.

There’s nothing like watching students congregate on the green space for an impromptu game of football. Or seeing students walking between classes having discussions and getting to know one another. Or piling into the dining hall for a meal and some conversation. The list goes on and on. You can’t get that experience by viewing a website or looking at a brochure. You only get it by visiting a campus in person.

To read more reasons why preliminary visits make sense for your freshman or sophomore student, you can read my original article here at TeenLife Magazine: Why Freshmen and Sophomores Should Visit College Campuses.