College Visits

Juniors, our advice for this week is to eat more pie. This is a time for relaxing with family and friends. One suggestion, though -- if you're visiting family near a college in which you might be interested, consider taking a drive through the nearby campus. The admission office will likely be closed, but it's still a great time to walk through the grounds.  And if a visit isn't in the cards, then stick with the program of football, pie, family and sleeping in.

For more on college visits, including campus visit etiquette, getting off the beaten track to learn more about a school, and questions to ask tour guides and admission officers, see Chapter 9, "College Visits," in College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step.

If you're traveling to Westchester County in New York to look at colleges, you'll probably be stopping at Purchase College, part of the State University of New York network -- or Pace University or Iona College or the College of New Rochelle. Thanks to the students and Office of Admissions at Purchase, we've got the goods on where to eat. Cheeseburgers to vegan spinach curry, Nutella pizzette, fondue! and BBQ Beercan Chicken -- there's something for everyone. Check it out here. 

Fall break coming up? Or a long weekend? Do a test-run visit at a local college. College visits provide crucial information for making a good match between you and a school. And at this point, you don't have to venture far. Visits to any campus can help you zero in on what's important to you. So take the tour at a college within driving distance -- even if you aren't considering applying there. You'll experience a tour and a group information session (if offered, not all colleges do) so that you get a sense of a college visit. A "practice" visit like this will help you make good firsthand evaluations later, when you visit the colleges in which you are most interested.

For more on college visits, including campus visit etiquette, getting off the beaten track to learn more about a school, and questions to ask tour guides and admission officers, see Chapter 9, "College Visits," in College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step.

From California institutions like In-N-Out and Peet’s Coffee to vegan fare, sushi, Argentinean steakhouses and healthy Mexican take-out, we’ve got recommendations for you from the Admissions staff of California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Personally, we would head for the Pie ‘n Burger. What’s not to like at a place with that name! Check all the reviews here in the Gourmet Guide.