The importance of making a college visit.

For those of you who think it doesn't matter whether or not you visit a school that you are planning on applying to, you are wrong. Now obviously if you can't afford to visit a school then I wouldn't worry about it. There are ways you can try to get a feel from a school from afar. Virtual tours and web cams are great alternatives. For those of you who can afford to visit the schools you are applying to DO IT. In fact visiting a college or university can even be considered an investment. I'll explain that later though.

Here are the Top 3 reasons why you should visit the schools you are applying to:

1. Finding the right fit
Many colleges and universities are trying to balance out the demographics on their campuses. They are looking for an equal amount of males and females on campus and many of them are looking to increase the number of minority students. So in order to get what they want schools will alter their publications both paper and on the web to make you feel like there are a lot of people at that school that look like you. Studies show that one of the top 5 reasons students choose a school is because they feel like they "fit" there. Go check it out for yourself . If you can try and visit while school is in session.

2. Location
Schools will tell you online and in their publications what is around the school and how far they are from locale attractions. The best way to find out how safe the surrounding area is, how far it is from downtown, and how safe the area is is to see it for yourself. Again, this is a great way to figure out if the school is a good fit for you. It may not be a good fit for you if the locale area makes you uncomfortable.

3. Show me the money!
Visiting a school can end up meaning money in your pocket. A campus visit can actually be an investment or affect whether or not you are accepted. Many schools use outside firms to help them figure out what is the best way for them to award institutional money. One of the things these firms look at is whether or not you visited the campus. In most cases they view a campus visit as the student showing strong interest. In their minds it makes more sense to offer those students more money because it is more likely they will accept it. The same can be true when it comes to the wait list or denies. A school might be more likely to put you on the wait list then deny you if you visited the campus because again, it shows a strong interest in the institution.

At the end of the day, if you can visit the school do so. Make sure you check in at the desk and that they put on your file that you visited!