Going through the college process can be extremely stressful and nerve-racking. The amount of pressure put on high school seniors is extremely demanding for these 17 and 18 year old students. Many deciding on where they will be spending the next four years of school suffer from multiple mental breakdowns and panic attacks.

But don’t give up yet! The fun part is here! College visits are here to help you get the full experience of a college campus. When you step onto that campus- that campus that you are meant to be at- you’ll know. You will have the feeling of butterflies in your stomach. These tips are just here to make sure you step onto that campus and see all that it has to offer.

1. Find a weekend that is open to as much family members as possible. College is a huge decision for not only the student, but for the entire family. College should be a group decision that should benefit every member, so try to find a weekend where your entire family can visit with you too.

2. After finding that weekend, sign up for the college or university’s information session and student led tour. These tours fill up faster than you think, so the sooner the better! The best time to do the session and tour is during a weekday to ensure seeing the campus on a typical day full of students attending regular classes. Seeing a campus over a holiday break or first thing on a Saturday morning may scare you away because it feels like a ghost town.

3. Check the university’s athletic website for athletic events and check out the student life section on the university’s website for performances, special events, etc. Seeing these will help you get a sense of the school spirit, and what the college has to offer you on the weekends.

4. Check the weather and pack accordingly! It would definitely put a downer on your trip if you were miserably cold or hot. Also pack light! Packing light also means more room for bringing back the university’s gear from the bookstore.

5. Contact a family friend or a Regis Jesuit alumni who has attended that university and ask what to do, see, expect, eat, not eat, etc. By going into the weekend with plans, you get the best value and see a lot more of campus, getting a feel for that college town vibe.

6. Contact a current student you know that would be willing to show you around or maybe who would even let you spend the night in his or her dorm room to the full student life experience.

7. Take notes! Keep pros and cons. Especially if you are visiting more than one university on one trip, notes help you remember the details that will come handy when deciding between the final two. Write down what you like, what you don’t like, and questions you still have. Then, if you are still interested in that university, contact the admission counselor for your region. Ask those questions and let him or her know you visited. Visiting a school shows great interest and schools become more interested in those who show that kind of interest.

8. Visit all aspects of the campus. If you do the student led tour, you should see the library, dining halls, a replica of a typical dorm, and the main academic quads and buildings. Don’t forget all of the campus’ special attractions and the unique locations that hold a great amount of tradition and history. Then, go a step further by stepping off campus and visiting nearby shopping centers and restaurants that students go to when the campus have nothing going on!

9. Go in with an open mind. Leave your opinions and pre-judgements of all of your universities back home. Do not compare anything until the visit is completely over. Also, if you are visiting a campus with a friend, do not let their opinions of a school effect your opinion. This decision is for you, not them.

10. Probably the most important: Don’t force anything! Don’t force yourself to love a school when you truly don’t. Don’t feel obligated to fall in love with a university just because your parents, friend, or grandparent did. That university was the right fit for that person, but not necessarily you too. Fall in love with a school because it’s the right fit for you.

Hopefully all of these tips will help you get the accurate feel for a university when visiting.  Also realize that this process will continue to be stressful and demanding, even if you follow these tips. Making the decision on where you will spend the next four years of your life is scary. Just know that  the university you go to and what you choose to study will determine a lot about the rest of your life. No matter where you end up, your college experience is what you make of it. Any college will provide what you need to be successful later in life.

College is meant to push you beyond your comfort zone, so find the university that will offer YOU the perfect balance of being challenged and the opportunity for success. Breathe. You can do it. Good luck!