Spring break offers a unique opportunity. It’s one of the few times during the school year when college classes are in session while high school classes are not. Typically, colleges schedule their spring break in early March while high schools hold theirs in late March to early April. This provides the ideal opportunity for high school students to visit campuses while college life is in full swing.
If parents are available during a student’s spring break, it’s the perfect time for a road trip to visit out-of-state colleges. The vast majority of students attend college within five hours of home, so the destination does not need to be a far off locale. If a student dreams of attending a big city school, then a tour of colleges in the Boston or Washington D.C. areas may prove fruitful. If a student prefers a suburban or rural environment, then a drive through Pennsylvania offers an option of touring close to 100 different colleges and universities.
Students who are on their own during spring break can still put the week to great use. By visiting two of New Jersey’s highly ranked schools, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and Rutgers University, students can quickly come to the realization of the type of college they prefer.
TCNJ is home to about 6,500 students on a tranquil, suburban campus. The school’s most popular majors are Teacher Education, Business and Biological Sciences, and almost all classes have 25 or fewer students.
Rutgers University in New Brunswick is home to more than 35,000 students in a distinctly urban setting. The list of majors is almost limitless, but class size can exceed 300 students.
Students visiting both of these schools seldom like them equally. They usually find themselves drawn to one atmosphere over the other, and can use this self-awareness in choosing other colleges to visit in the future. Students who like TCNJ often find Villanova and Lehigh to be appealing. Those who prefer Rutgers often look favorably upon Penn State and NYU.
The key is to make campus visits as productive as possible. Visiting students should always register for an official campus tour. But after digesting all of the official information, students should do some exploring on their own. Eating lunch in the main cafeteria can be enlightening, not only to observe the culinary offerings but also to take in the atmosphere. The cafeteria is often located in the campus center, where students congregate during the day. Visiting students should approach college students and ask any questions that they didn’t feel comfortable bringing up on the official tour. It’s a great way to find out students’ real thoughts on the college and information that is not usually shared on the tour. Students and parents might want to ask if it’s safe walking the campus and surrounding area at night, if students tend to travel home on the weekends, and what the social life is like on campus.
Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of SAT Smart in Hillsborough that has been offering PSAT, SAT, and ACT preparation courses, as well as private tutoring by Ivy League educated instructors, for more than 25 years. Visit www.SATsmart.com or call 908-369-5362.
