It is college application season for seniors here at West, which means an oncoming flood of applications, essays, and college visits. But sometimes it can be difficult to attend college visits due to distance, or to find the time to visit during the ongoing school year. Luckily, here at West, seniors, and even juniors, can get an idea about college prospects in advance, and have the opportunity to visit colleges that come to West, instead of having to go to the colleges themselves.

Students can browse the list of visiting colleges through their Naviance account. From there, they can sign up to attend the visits they want and get a pass from their classes to go to guidance right then and there. Students should keep in mind that the visits are held during class periods, so they may face a conflict between going to class or attending a visit. If a college that a student is applying to is visiting, that student automatically gets an email to alert them. It is a simple process that provides students with an opportunity to learn more about the colleges they are applying to, or discover colleges that they previously were unaware of.

There is a core group of colleges that visit every year that are quite popular in the region, but the list is always expanding depending on when the colleges are able to send representatives. In attendance are institutions such as large universities, liberal arts colleges, and art schools. The guidance office is almost like a mini college fair right here at West.

Students who have participated in these visits recount a positive experience. Jess, a senior interested in applying to Penn State and Rowan University, explains that she “learned more about the colleges.” She felt the Rowan administrator to be more helpful, but both visits were informative. She “got to talk to an administrator” and the meeting was “more intimate because they were in a smaller group.” She says “you can get all your questions in because [the administrator] doesn’t have anywhere else to be.”

The Guidance Department has been hosting college visits for years. Mrs. Saffici considers the college visits “helpful because students get exposure to schools they may not have considered.” Students do not have to travel to learn more about a college, which is beneficial to those who cannot for any reason travel out to different states for open houses and tours.

Additionally, the college administrator that leads the meeting may offer tips for the application process, such as what the admissions officers value most in an application and how students should proceed with their application submissions. They may also give insider information that is otherwise obtained through open houses at the college, such as when to make a deposit by in order to get the best dorm room.

For students interested in the college visits, Mrs. Saffici offers a few tips. First, students should come for the colleges that they are interested in. They should know something about the college beforehand, because the administrator may ask what they are interested in about the college. A few minutes spent on the college’s website will suffice. Furthermore, they should have questions in mind to ask the administrator. This is helpful because, not only will they learn more about the college, but they will show the administrator that they are genuinely interested in applying to that college. Having a face-to-face conversation will also make the student’s application stand out because the admissions administrator can put a face to a name. Finally, students should sign up for their visit in advance. Arriving late to the meeting will not be a good first impression for the administrator.

The college visits are not one-on-one. They are held in small groups. There is no set presentation that the administrators deliver, so there is no guarantee that students will gather the information that they intended to. But of course they can ask questions in that case.

College is an exciting and terrifying endeavor for seniors. Making a choice can be difficult, but students have resources, like these college visits, available to them here at school to help them make that choice.

Students will find the right college that will be their first adult step into the world.