Your Campus Visit Bullet Journal and How To Use It

Your Campus Visit Bullet Journal and How To Use It

campus visit bullet journal guideStop! Before you read this, check out our new Campus Visit Bullet Journal, which you can download, print and use for campus visits. Okay, now resume reading. You’ll find instructions below.

We’re HUGE believers in the power of campus visits for your college planning process. OnCampus College Planning founder and campus visit proponent Tom Kleese says, “Any college visit is better than no college visit.” He urges students and families to visit campuses near your home, while on spring break, on a daytrip to your favorite city, wherever and whenever you’re able. Start visiting campuses long before you’re thinking about where you might want to attend college. Why? Because whether or not that school makes it onto your list of schools you consider attending, every campus visit teaches you something about College in general. Campus visits help you compare and contrast campuses and types of schools. You will make more informed decisions about schools that interest you if you have visited a few college campuses before you begin your college planning process.

We’ve heard students say, “Once I am accepted, then I’ll go visit.” If at all possible, visit college campuses as part of building your list of potential colleges, versus waiting until you’ve applied (and long before you’ve decided where you’re going to school).

We help students and families make the most of campus visits. The campus visit is the single-most important aspect of researching colleges. College websites are great. Phone calls to the admissions office are fine. Reaching out via email to professors is good. But nothing compares to the insights you gain from getting on campus.

We wrote a comprehensive 23-page Ebook called the Campus Visit How-To Handbook. It’s awesome. It’s effective. It contains a two-page Campus Visit Capture Tool at the end. But it’s lengthy. And it’s a bit overwhelming. We wanted to come up with something briefer and simpler.

campus visit bullet journal oncampus college planningA friend recently introduced me to the “bullet journal”. At first, I thought she made it up. She’s wicked creative that way. But it’s actually a thing! Do a Pinterest search for “bullet journal” and you’ll be hit with a barrage of bullet journal templates, hipster fonts and Martha Stewart-esque watercolor marker drawings specially designed for your bullet journal. Sooooooo extra. But the idea is actually really simple. Take brief “bulleted” notes to capture what you want to remember.

Our goal is to inspire you to action. Visit college campuses. If you aren’t sure where to start and need help finding your list of colleges to visit, check out our College Search services.

Get the most out of each visit. Our Campus Visit Bullet Journal condenses the info in our jam-packed campus visit e-book into one page you can print out and use when visiting campuses.

Your Campus Visit Bullet Journal Step By Step

Download the printable PDF Campus Visit Bullet Journal here. Let’s walk through it step by step.

Ask questions.

Ask questions not only of admissions representatives and tour guides, but also students you see around campus, professors and even your server at the restaurant. Jot brief notes on your campus visit bullet journal.campus visit guide people I met

Here are three magic questions to ask students you encounter:

  1. Why did you choose College X? (NOTE: Always try to use the name of
    the college when asking questions instead of a more generic “this college” or “this school”.) 
  2. Do you mind if I ask what other colleges you considered, and what tipped the scales in favor of  this college?
  3. If you had a magic wand, what one thing about this college would you change?

Ask about campus hotspots and hangouts.

campus visit bullet journal hotspots and hangoutsYou can simply ask, “What are some of the best places to hang out on campus as a student?” Jot these down. Then check them out. Whether it’s the student union or a local coffee shop or burger joint, you’ll get a feel for this school’s unique hotspots. And you’ll probably catch a glimpse of what a “typical student” looks and acts like. Do they seem like people you’d like to surround yourself with? This is insight you won’t get from a phone call or email, or even the college website.

Connect with professors and staff in your area of interest.

campus visit bullet journal professor interviewThere’s a huge difference between taking the general campus tour and investing the energy to spend time with the key contacts in your specific field of study. Not sure what you want to study yet? No problem. Pick something you’re interested in (business, math, art, healthcare, writing). At least three weeks before your campus visit, call that department and speak with the administrative assistant or program coordinator. Explain that you’ll be visiting and you’d like to meet with someone in that department while you’re there. The administrative assistant or program coordinator should know who to put you in touch with. During your meeting, ask them what a typical freshman course load looks like for someone in that field of study. Ask what kinds of careers people typically pursue with a degree in that field. Ask them what criteria or attributes they find make a successful student in that field. Whether or not you choose to pursue that field of study matters less than the insights you’re adding to your arsenal.

Eat twice: once on campus and once off campus.

campus visit bullet journal food reviewNo Olive Garden, McDonalds or Buffalo Wild Wings allowed. You get plenty of that at home. Most campuses will provide you with a voucher to eat free in the campus cafeteria, which is another great opportunity to check out the student vibe on campus, as well as the food. For off-campus eating, pick a local eaterie from among the hangouts and hotspots for a chance to do the same. It won’t surprise some of you to learn that checking out new restaurants is one of Tom’s favorite parts of the campus visit.

Show me the money. Ask questions about cost and merit aid.

campus visit bullet journal costThis topic gives you another list of questions to ask of your tour guide and admissions personnel, as well as students you meet. Ask the admissions rep who gives the opening presentation about their key criteria for earning merit aid, whether it’s GPA, ACT score or other criteria. Ask about the average cost of on-campus housing and apartment rental. Ask about the quality of public transportation in the area or whether most students have a car on campus. These factors impact your estimated Cost of Attendance, which is critical as you learn about the cost of attending college in general, and compare and contrast this school with others.

Capture your thoughts.

campus visit bullet journal thoughtsShedule downtime during your campus visit. It’s a good idea to take a break and process your thoughts. If you’re staying overnight as part of your visit, this can be at your hotel at the end of the day. Or you can simply find some quiet time at the local campus library or student union, grab a cup of coffee and jot a few notes on your bullet journal page. What do you like about this school? What concerns you, or what do you find disappointing? You can be brutally honest, since your campus visit bullet journal is for your eyes only. No one is going to judge your answers. There’s no right or wrong. Be honest about what you want, need, don’t want and don’t need in a college experience. It’s unique to you, and it’s for your own benefit.

Commit to next steps and a timeline.

campus visit bullet journal next stepsTypically when you finish a campus visit, you’ll have amazing new insights, plus more questions. If this school is one you’d like to know more about, capture your next steps and commit to a timeline for achieving them. Perhaps the program coordinator or professor you spoke with mentioned the name of someone else in the department that can answer your questions. Jot that down and reach out soon via email or phone. Perhaps you became curious while on the tour about a student club or organization your tour guide mentioned. Maybe you didn’t have time to get to all the great hotspots and hangouts you learned about, and you want to check out their websites. Maybe you want to check out the school’s full course catalog or the graduation requirements for your field of interest and need to make a note to do that once you get home.

Take action. Schedule your next campus visit.

Are you a high school freshman who’s focused on a strong start to high school with no clue as to whether you want to attend college or where? Are you a sophomore who’s trying to balance a busy academic semester and the demands of several extracurricular activities? Are you a junior who’s just beginning to think about college planning? Are you a senior overwhelmed with the college application process? No matter who you are, your next campus visit is closer than you think.

Your high school considers a college visit to be an excused absence, which indicates the educational value they place on visiting college campuses. We agree. Talk to your family. Then schedule a day and visit a college right in your city. Or take a day trip to a college in a nearby city. Going out of town for the holidays? Take time now to see what schools are nearby and schedule a campus visit while you’re there. Schedule your next campus visit and put this Campus Visit Bullet Journal to work for you soon.

If you have questions about making the most of campus visits or the college planning process in general, schedule a free consult with OnCampus College Planning and get your questions answered.