Other than all those pesky letters in the mail, colleges show their interest in students in another way: college visits. This year, college visits in the College/Career Center started earlier than years before, yet students have not been paying much attention to them. It is in the students’ best interest to take full advantage of visiting college admission officials.

Many students think that attending these visits is just an excuse for getting out of class. In actuality, the students who take the most of the visits are the ones who will be more prepared when it comes time to apply for college.

“I know now that colleges offer a lot of help and they offer a lot of careers,” junior Lanberto Palominos said. “I know how much work I’m getting and how it’s going to be.”

College visits educate students in several ways. The visits allow students to talk with the actual admission people at the colleges and let students know what each college is specifically looking for.

If students know what colleges are looking for, they have a better chance of getting into the college they are interested in. They learn how to prepare themselves for college, what’s going on at the college or colleges they are interested in and the general ambiance of different colleges.

Visits are like all-you-can-eat buffets. Everything is there; it’s up to students if they want to try it or not. The more students try new things the more they learn, and once they learn something they know what to expect later in the future.

Many students say they do not attend college visits because they end up having to make up the class work they miss. Doing half an hour (at most) of extra homework isn’t going to kill anyone. It’s better to have more homework and be well educated about college than to have little or no homework, and have no clue about the schools students are working so hard to get into.

Students need to start showing more interest in college visits because they are the only ones benefiting from them. They need to start exploring different colleges and try to find where they desire to go to college, where they feel comfortable and feel like they belong. It’s important to find the right fit.

Many high school graduates who are now in college say that college is the best experience of their lives. Yet in order for students to be able to go through that experience, they need to be prepared. What better way to prepare yourself than to attend college visits?

Students should visit the College/Career center on a constant basis to keep in touch on what’s going on with colleges as well as check their Naviance Family Connection accounts. They can sign up for future visits via their Naviance account.