Your Campus Tour: A Vital Step in Your College Decision Process

In 2009, the United States Military Academy at West Point was named the nation’s Top College by Forbes Magazine for its graduation rates, the impressive number of student and faculty awards, student satisfaction, average debt upon graduation, and the success of its graduates.  In February 2010, StudyPoint was fortunate enough to interview West Point’s Director of Admissions, Col. Deborah McDonald, who offers some practical advice on narrowing down school choices and applying to college in a 3-part video series.

In part two of our West Point Video Series, Col. McDonald talks about the importance of conducting a campus tour before deciding on a college.  Col. McDonald offers tips to help students make the most of standard campus tours and describes the unique on-campus opportunities available to all West Point applicants.  Col. McDonald also tells us about West Point’s Leadership Program and STEM program, two on-campus summer programs for pre-college age students, and explains why programs like these can be instrumental in helping a student select the right college.

Colonel McDonald answers the following questions in this 10 minute segment:

1. How important are college visits? Many colleges offer DVDs and virtual tours. Are those as beneficial as on-campus visits? (Skip to 00:23 for the answer!)
2. What should I look for on a campus visit to determine if it’s the right school for me? Are there red flags that signify if a school isn’t the right fit for me? (Skip to 3:05 for the answer!)
3. Do schools track student interest (such as college visits) to determine how much they want to go there? (Skip to 4:31 for the answer!)
4. What is the Summer Leadership Seminar? (Skip to 5:44 for the answer!)
5. What is “STEM”? (Skip to 8:12 for the answer!)

Read the advice of another professional in college admissions on questions to ask on your college visit.