With one year left of high school, junior Ariel Berwald is looking for her next home. Colleges are only a year-and-a-half away, and the process can be stressful at times. One way to ease that anxiety is to attend college visits on campus or when college advisors visit Central.

“It’s really fun to see what schools have to offer and just seeing how different it is compared to high school,” junior Ariel Berwald said.

Berwald has taken only one official college tour, but has seen the campuses of others. She plans to visit other schools. She pays attention to the academic prestige, size, and its location mainly.

According to Berwald, many competitive schools look at whether or not the student visited the school.

Senior Drew Edelstein believes he would attend a school that would be the best option financially, while still having good programs that help his major of choice.

Similar to Edelstein, junior Justin Hudgins believes that in the end, he will attend the college who gives him the most scholarships. He plans to visit colleges in the near future.

“I think it’s good to be able to see what the atmosphere of the college is and if it suits you,” Hudgins said.

However, there are some circumstances in which visiting the desired school may not be possible due to time or finances. Looking at the school’s website or talking to people who attend the school are ways to research. According to counselor, Nana Prange she encourages others to even start following the colleges on social media to get a sense of that the campus and community is like.
Senior Frances Adams, who has visited three colleges, looks at the town atmosphere when she does visit colleges and see the types of people at the different schools.

Both Edelstein and Adams agree to have an open mind regarding colleges.

“Whatever school you think you may want to go to, may not be the best choice in the future,” Edelstein said.

Adams also emphasizes to keep options open and to try to visit a variety of campuses.

“Even if you think you want to go to a big school, make sure to tour smaller schools just to make sure,” Adams said.

Edelstein visited Truman State University with his brother, and enjoyed experiencing the college with not just a formal tour.

“Don’t stress out about visiting colleges too much because it’s not as big a deal as people make it out to be,” Hudgins said.