As parents and students embark on university campus tours for the summer, our senior educational counselor has put together a few pointers:

• Students and their parents should consider going with separate tour groups so each can hear and see different things from the different tour guides.

SAFETY

• Check the university’s safety statistics – how many ‘blue lights’ are distributed around campus to call for help?
• Ask about the neighborhood adjacent to the campus, and check whether the campus has a barbed-wire fence separating it from the adjacent neighborhood (if yes, ask why).
• Drive around the adjacent neighborhoods and walking through the ‘campus town’.
• Consider the state’s gun-carrying laws.

STRESS LEVELS

• Consider the school’s drop-out and suicide rates as these may be indicators of student stress levels.
• Ask what the difference is between an “A” student and a “B” student.

PROFESSORS

• Look at the names of professors on their office doors. Are they American? Asian? Middle-Eastern?

Remember, for tenure, Research Excellence (publications) and Research Funding count for 60% of a professor’s rating. Teaching counts for less than 30%.

Their ability to converse in English (e.g. their accent) and whether their students can understand them or not count for 0% of their rating.

• Ask how accessible the professors are. How is working with the professors outside the classroom?
• Ask the tour guide about interactions with their professors outside of the classroom and how these experiences have been.
• Ask the tour guide what their favorite class has been so far. What made this class their favorite class?
• Ask the tour guide about classes they have had with TAs, and what the TAs’ strengths and weaknesses are.
• Ask the tour guide what they would change about the college if they had $ 10 Million to spend.
• Schedule an appointment to meet with the professors of classes that interest you.

CLUBS & ACTIVITIES

• Ask about inclusion and whether there is any rampant discrimination on campus.
• How many clubs/societies does the university offer? Is it easy to form a new club/ society?
• Is there a gym on campus? What sports does the university offer? Also consider the sports a university cannot offer due to the region’s climate.
• How active is the student government? Can freshmen participate in student government/on the school paper/ etc.?

Being able to get involved can often bring a large campus down to a manageable, personal experience.

For any further help on which universities/colleges to visit or fixing appointments at universities, contact Intelligent Partners.

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