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When you first start planning for college, you might have a hard time imagining what it will all be like. Then comes your first campus visit. Watching students in the classroom, peeking into the residence halls, standing in line for lunch 鈥� suddenly, it all starts to feel very real.  

If things are starting to get real for you, here鈥檚 how to get the most out of this exciting chapter.  

Getting started 

You can visit colleges anytime, of course, and you聽generally don鈥檛聽have to make an appointment.聽Attending a sporting or theater event or just walking around a campus is聽a great way聽to get started. And聽don鈥檛聽limit yourself just to colleges聽you鈥檙e聽interested in attending. Visiting colleges near home can help you get a sense of what you like and聽don鈥檛聽like,聽suggests Brenda Poznanski, Senior Director of Counseling and Admission at Bishop Guertin High School. 鈥淚f you go聽to Boston聽and see Northeastern or Suffolk or Emmanuel or Emerson … they鈥檙e all very different schools,鈥� she said. In fact, you聽don鈥檛聽even have to leave NH to experience both public and private colleges, different athletic divisions, a variety of sizes and settings, and many different academic programs.聽

As you near the end of your junior year, you鈥檒l want to start building your college list: the list of schools you鈥檙e interested in applying to. Then, over the next several months, you can use campus visits to narrow your list and then choose your college. Don鈥檛 forget, though: It鈥檚 never too late to start your college journey! 

Mapping out your visits 

There are numerous ways to experience college campuses. You can plan different types of visits based on your level of interest and other factors.  

College open houses are large events, usually with hundreds or thousands of students. You鈥檒l meet representatives from academics, admissions, financial aid, student clubs, and more, spend time with students and professors from your area of interest, and walk around the campus and eat at the dining hall if you鈥檇 like.   

College visits/tours聽are smaller events with fewer students.聽You鈥檒l聽learn about the college and admissions process and then take a tour around the school. You can set up a formal tour through the college admissions office.聽Of course, you can also take informal college tours on your own. Many schools offer self-guided tour options.聽聽

Virtual tours聽are an excellent way to add to learn more about a college. They can help you get a feel for a school before scheduling a visit, or you can take a tour after an in-person visit as you reflect on your experience.聽聽

Accepted Students Days are offered in the spring for students who have received admissions offers from the school. These events are not only festive and fun, they usually include many opportunities to get to know the school. 鈥淓verything is open for you to see, so you can really get a sense of, is this the place for me?鈥� Ryan Patten, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Colby-Sawyer College, explained during a workshop on campus visits at Destination College 2026.  

Accepted Students Days are also a helpful tool if you鈥檝e applied to a large number of schools or if some of them are far from home. Many students wait to see if they are accepted to their top schools before visiting. 

Additional visits can be useful for a few reasons. First, they can help you show 鈥淒emonstrated Interest.鈥� Admissions offices keep track of the ways you engage with the college to get a sense of how likely you are to accept an admissions offer.  

Jessica Gallant, an Admission Specialist at Southern New Hampshire University, remembers a family who visited the campus at least four times. 鈥淏y the fourth visit, I was on a hugging basis with Grandma,鈥� joked Gallant, a workshop panelist at Destination College 2026.  

A second visit can also give you a totally different perspective on a college. Olivia Annunziata-Blaisdell, a 2025 Granite Edvance Scholarship recipient, didn鈥檛 get excited about Cornell University the first time she visited. The second time, she loved it and ultimately ended up there.  

Getting the most from your visit 

With so much to take in, college visits can be overwhelming. Here are some tips for making sure you get the information you need. 

• Bring a list of questions about what鈥檚 most important to you and something to take notes on. Pay attention to other students鈥� questions as well. They may ask something you hadn鈥檛 thought of.   
• Remember that your tour guides are students at the school. Use the opportunity to ask personalized questions like 鈥渨hat鈥檚 your favorite tradition?鈥� 鈥渨hat clubs are you involved with?鈥� and 鈥渉ow鈥檚 the food?鈥� 
• Look for clues about the campus culture. Notice posters in the hallways, the general vibe in the shared spaces, and the tone of classroom discussions. While you shouldn鈥檛 base your whole college decision on such details, they can add color to the picture you鈥檙e painting in your mind.  
• College visits are a good opportunity to meet with coaches, financial aid officers, and admissions officers to get questions answered and make a good impression. Just be sure to schedule them ahead of time.  
• Trust your instincts. Do your research and make your pro/con lists, but聽don鈥檛聽forget to listen to your heart. Granite聽Edvance聽President and CEO Christian Thornton remembers an important moment in her son, Owen鈥檚, college journey. She and Owen were eating in the dining hall at Messiah University, 鈥渁nd he said, 鈥業 could picture myself going here.鈥� He聽hadn鈥檛聽said that anywhere else,鈥� she said.
  
  Owen,聽who鈥檚聽now completing his聽freshman聽year at Messiah agrees. 鈥淚t was just a gut feeling when we got there,鈥� he said.聽聽