What to Bring on a College Tour
Are you headed out for college tours? I have walked through a lot of college campuses with my three children. I have listened to counselor presentations, sampled the food, and bought the t-shirts for more colleges that I can remember. These tours give rise to both dreams and head-shaking. They can also try your patience and your feet. Read on for a survival list of What to Bring on a College Tour.
For an ENTIRE PLANNER FULL OF CALENDARS, CHECKLISTS, AND PLANNING SHEETS which will take you from the freshman year of high school to the freshman year of college, check out The Planning for College Planner. These questions are available in worksheet form as part of the Planning for College Planner.
What to Bring on A College Tour
**This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, see our full disclosure.
Don’t Leave Home Without:
Sensible, non-brand-new shoes and/or BAND-AIDS:
What to wear on a college tour: You will see a variety of clothing and footwear options on college tours. Do not follow the example of most of these people. In every group, there will be at least one prospective female student dressed in an adorable outfit and heels. She is usually with her mother, who is also well dressed, but in slightly more sensible footwear.
Other prospective students dress in what is appropriate for their home state. I once saw a mother from New York wearing corduroy pants and boots on a 78-degree day in California. I started sweating looking at her.
Wear clothing that is appropriate for the weather and good walking shoes. A cute pair of tennis shoes is the best and my absolute favorites are my On Clouds.
Your phone
I used to say “bring a camera or smartphone.” hahahaha. Of course, you will have your phone and will take pictures. (I started touring college campuses before everyone had one.) But, what you may not realize is just how iconic some of the spots on these campuses are.
Views of the Pacific Ocean from the Pepperdine campus in Malibu will make your jaw drop. This is the view from the campus cafeteria??? The University of Southern California is the only place you will be able to get a picture of your kids touching OJ Simpson’s Heisman Trophy and Baylor University has real live bears on campus.
In addition to sight-seeing pictures, a few pictures of the campus and the sample dorm room will help you remember the specifics of each tour after all the campuses start running together in your head.
A working writing utensil and a List of Questions to Ask
Those counselor lectures fly by and contain a huge amount of detail. Jotting a few notes can save hours searching through the website later for the information. Check out this College Visit Checklist: 30 Must Ask College Visit Questions.
Your Planning for College Planner
After going through not only the college tour process, but also the entire journey from the freshman year of high school to the freshman year of college, I created a Planning for College planner to help high school students and their parents navigate college admissions. The planner contains pages to take notes and evaluate each visit while you can still remember what the tour guide said.
A sense of humor and adventure
The search for the “perfect” school for each kiddo can be stressful. On our Southern California tour, my husband and I successfully navigated through Los Angeles without completely losing our minds, but getting to USC required about 6 trips around the block to get into the correct turn-lane for the college entrance and my husband and son had to jump as I briefly slowed the car in a construction zone on the UCLA campus to be on time for that tour. Even if it is your alma mater, the streets and parking will not be exactly like they were 25 years ago when you attended school there.
Yes, it’s really happening. Your child is going to attend one of the schools you traipse through following a college student walking backwards. You may as well get on board, have fun along the way, and don’t forget What to Bring on a College Tour.
Related posts for What to Bring on a College Tour
7 Summer Musts Before Senior Year
Junior Year of High School Checklist
4 Must-Have College Search Books
What You Need to Know When Your Teen Turns 18
College Visit Checklist: 30 Must Ask College Visit Questions
We would love to stay in touch!
Be sure to see all of the Next Phase Parenting Resources on our Resources Page and subscribe to our Next Phase Parenting newsletter below for a weekly dose of love from us about surviving and thriving in your almost or already empty nest. Visit our Facebook page, and follow us on Pinterest and Instagram where we share lots of helpful info for parents with teens, young adults, our aging parents, and other issues that we experience in the sandwich generation! Thank you so much!❤️
