The start of the school year means colleges are beginning to visit South, and students are signing up in hopes of learning more about different schools.

Some students think these college visits are extremely helpful, but students like Re’mi Faussie ’21 think college visits take away from class time.

“I don’t think college visits are very helpful,” Faussie said. “Kids should try to learn about the colleges they want to go to on their own time.”

Steven Burr ’21 said college visits can help students learn crucial information about colleges.

“College visits are very helpful because they gave me insight on not only academics and the grades I need, but also athletics and how to apply correctly to colleges,” Burr said.

According to the University of Oregon’s representative, Ryan Bottimore, students can use college visits to learn more about the schools they are unsure about.

“I believe a lot of colleges go underneath some students’ radars, and they might be a perfect fit for what they’re interested in,” Bottimore said. “College visits give students an opportunity to learn about a campus they might not even have heard of, and so by students showing up to college visits, they get the necessary information to move forward with the best decision possible.”

According to the College Resource Center Coordinator, Elizabeth Naporano, college visits are a time to make a good impression on the representatives.

“It gives students an opportunity to learn about the college and ask the representatives lots of questions,” Naporano said. “Oftentimes these representatives that come to South are the ones making the admission decisions, so I think it’s a good opportunity for students to get themselves out there and get noticed,”

Bottimore said college visits also help students get informed on what they are supposed to do for certain colleges.

“Students get a platform to speak on their behalf and to see if this is the right fit to see if the college they visit has all the clubs and academic systems that fit them correctly,” Bottimore said.

Naporano thinks kids should try to treat college visits like a Q&A session where they can ask as many questions as possible.

 “Representatives come during periods and you have 50 minutes to meet with them,” Naporano said. “They will walk you through anything from Greek life to dorm life, or the kind of GPA and ACT scores they are looking for. They really talk a lot about college life as a whole.” 

Burr said if you are unsure what college you should go to, then you should go to a college visit.

“If any students are really trying to find the right fit for college,” Burr said. “Then I definitely recommend that you attend one of these college visits,” Burr said.