The Importance of Admitted Student Day

“I’m so bored!!” My daughter whisper complained to me during the third hour of the business school Admitted Student Day presentation.   She was much more interested in what her college experience would be like outside of the classroom.  Would she fit in?  Could she see herself among the students?  What was the social life like?  So the next “Admitted Student Day” she went alone and stayed with a friend on campus.  She came back with a much greater feel of the school and what her experience would be like.

Regardless of what information you need to make a final decision, we encourage you to go to Admitted Student Day or revisit your top contenders.  Go with an open mind and speak to as many students as possible. If available, do an overnight so you can get a true taste of the full student experience. Now you are in the driver’s seat, so figure out before hand what is important to you to make your decision.

Below are some common questions to ask based on common long-term goals.

Housing
1. How does the housing system work for freshmen?
2. How do I select my roommate?
3. If I have special requirements, how do I communicate that to housing? Can I be guaranteed accommodations that meet my needs? What sort of documentation do I need?
4. What do I do if I have a problem with my roommate? How easy is it to change?

Getting Around the Surrounding Area
1. When can students have a car?
2. What sort of shuttles are available to students to get into town, city, airport, train station, etc.?
3. How often do students go into town?
4. What do most students do outside of campus?

Food
1. What are the food plan options?  How much do you really need?  Is it buffet or a la carte?
2. What time do the cafeterias open and close? During the week?  On Weekends? How many are there?
3. Where is the best all night diner?  Pizza place?  Bubble Tea? Ice Cream? Salad place?
4. What is the area famous for in terms of food options

Social Life                             
1. What does a typical weekend look like?
2. What are the most popular clubs?  Events?  Traditions?
3. How much time do you spend studying vs. having fun?
4. What’s the energy like on campus on a Thursday night?  Saturday night?

Financial Aid
1. Visit the financial aid office if you have any lingering questions or want to go over their award. They are there to help you make it work from a financial perspective, so be honest with them about your concerns.
2. We have seen students obtain more needs based financial aid if show another needs based offer from a different school or have new information to justify more needs based aid.
3. It is much harder to negotiate merit based aid because all colleges have different formulas for that determination (and not all colleges offer merit-based aid.)

Pre-Med
1. What sort of pre-med advising is there?
2. What is the ratio of students to advisor?
3. When does the advising start and in what capacity?
4. What is the medical school acceptance rate (for American Medical Schools)?
5. What sorts of undergraduate research opportunities are there? How easy is it to get a position?
6. If a student majors in science, what other career options are there besides pre-med? How do you help students get internships, jobs, etc.
7. How many students start as pre-med and how many actually end up in medical school?
8. Do you “weed” out students or only present certain students whom you feel are medical school ready? Can students take pre-med requirements at other schools during the summer?

Visual/Performing Arts Enthusiasts
1. How many art studios/practice rooms are there?
2. Are they available to all students or only those majoring in visual or performing arts?
3. How easy is it to get involved in performing arts for non-majors?
4. How many shows are performed each year?
5. What types of musical performance opportunities are there? Are there open auditions for bands, orchestras, etc.?
6. How widely attended are the shows?

Sports Enthusiasts
1. How many kids participate in intramural or club sports?
2. How widely attended are the games? Which sports are the most popular?
3. If you play a NCAA sport, how much time do most athletes spend during the week?

Career Preparedness
1. What internships are available and during what year do students typically obtain one?
2. Which majors have the most opportunities?
3. What opportunities are there for X major? (Insert your intended major)
4. What sort of career advising is there?
5. How much access do students get to alumni for the purpose of networking?
6. What does the job listings look like?
7. What % of students who graduate is employed within the first year?
8. Which companies come to campus to recruit?
9. What sort of help does Career Services give with writing resumes, planning internships, identifying potential careers or graduate schools?

Academic Support
1. What sort of academic support is available to students? Is there a charge?
2. How easy is it to get support or tutoring?
3. How many students take advantage of outside support?
4. Is there a separate office?
5. What sort of support is available for students with Learning Differences?
6. What sort of documentation do I need to obtain support?

Health Services
1. How does health services work? Do I need a separate student health insurance?
2. What sorts of counseling services are available? How many psychologists, psychiatrists are available for students? How many times can I see someone under my plan?
3. How does billing work?
4. What happens if I get sick? How will I get to the hospital? See a doctor?
5. If I have a medical condition, how do I let health services know? Will somebody be there to help me manage my condition if I need help?

Good luck making your final decision.