Five Red Flags of College Tours

You are excited for that college visit and have your questions ready to go. You know what to look for to determine if the school is a good fit. But did you know there are red flags to search for too? Check out the top five red flags to spot when touring colleges.

Only One Aspect of the School is Highlighted

Does your tour guide take every opportunity to stress just one area of the school? For example, do they focus on one specific major or just academics in general? Conversely, do they frequently find a way to weave in Greek life, athletic programs, or a specific club? If so, keep those eyes and ears open.

There is nothing wrong with a school being heavily Greek or having a huge sports culture. There is also nothing wrong with a school being known for a specific major or rigorous academic culture. However, you do not want a one-sided experience. Ideally, your college should be well-rounded with clubs, academics, and social life.

If you ask your tour guide what students do for fun, and they say focusing on their major makes most of them happy (this did indeed happen on one of our college tours), ask yourself if studying 24/7 is what you want to do for the next four years.

Questions Are Avoided

There was one tour we went on where the tour guide actively changed the subject each time someone asked about party culture. It is definitely not a red for a tour guide to only want to highlight the positives. In fact, if a tour guide fails to sound enthused about the school, that is a red flag! (We have more on that below.) However, for a tour guide to actively avoid a topic, is concerning. In contrast to the aforementioned tour guide, we visited a school where the guide was very open about party culture but also provided a lot of information about alternatives with specific examples. Just the guide’s openness put us at ease. Pay attention to what the guide is saying with both their words and their lack of straightforwardness. Do they talk a lot about students making food in their dorms? That might imply the cafeteria food is less than stellar. Do they tell you about “so many fun other things” each time you ask about sports? That could mean the student body is not very rah rah. 

Something to keep in mind is that this is just ONE person. The tour guide glossing over topics that are important to you may simply be because they have no interest in the topic. To get a true picture, talk to some other students on campus, or stop by the cafeteria to check out the food for yourself. Attend a game to get a sense of the school spirit. But don’t ignore that guide’s vibe. Use this red flag to explore more.

Enthusiasm is Lacking

One expects the tour guide to be passionate about the place they are representing. That said, while it’s not alarming for the guide to have preferences and be extra excited about one facet of the school, for the student to display an overall apathy or pessimism about the university is concerning.

The guide should be able to explain why they chose that school above others. On one tour, we were told the reason was because it was closest to their house. That can certainly be a reason, but if they feel the school offers nothing other than location it does not leave prospective students with a good feeling about going there. There is no one correct answer. A tour guide can certainly be honest and say while they really enjoy x, y, z, they wish the school had more a, b, c. It is then up to those on the tour to determine if the missing elements would matter to them. This was true at a different college visit we attended. It was clear the tour guide was happy with the choice of school. The ability to pursue his unique major was a big part of his decision, but he also truly enjoyed the school’s school spirit and traditions. However, he also mentioned one or two things he wished were different. The plus was that he also explained what he would have changed to take advantage of the opportunity he missed and what he’s currently doing to help himself in that regard.

Genuineness in a tour guide goes a long way in helping prospective students make the right choice. Take the time to listen to what your guide is saying….and not saying.

School Vibe Feels Off

This could mean different things to different people. An example that comes to mind is when our family visited a university our child was interested in. What stuck out to us was the genuine feeling of happiness students possessed. It was finals week, but the atmosphere was not awash in stress. Our child noticed this as well, and it became one of his top choices. On the other hand, when discussing this same school with another family, their response was “Everyone was too happy.”

Neither of the impressions mentioned are wrong. However, only you know what vibe speaks to you. That said, certain campus aesthetics, such as seeing no one on campus, is disconcerting. Ask a student or guide if this is the norm. Do students normally hang out in their dorms? Is it primarily a commuter school? Is there a special event that weekend accounting for lack of student visibility? Check out the cafeterias and dorms. Do students linger over meals? Do they grab and go? Is it a combination of both? Can you imagine yourself there? Why or why not? Are the dorm room doors mostly open? Some students may love that mentality; others may find this intrusive. 

One person’s “too happy” may be another’s dream, so pay attention to your gut. 

Your Major is Kind of There

To be fair, unless the tour guide is majoring in the same field of interest you have, they will not be able to answer specific questions pertaining to your major. However, whether you speak to an admissions counselor in person or via email, it is important to confirm your major–the way YOU envision it–is available at this school.

College brochures list numerous majors, but how that major is taught from school to school differs. For example, have you thought about what career you want to pursue with your intended major? What subsections of the field does your choice college/university branch off to? What pedagogy does the institute follow when it comes to your field of choice? Is the program specialized? If so, are you 100 percent sure this is your path? Does the school have options if you change your mind?

Be sure you can speak to someone who can answer your questions in detail. It is not unusual to think a major is the same regardless of school only to learn too late that the major concentration is not what you had in mind at all.

The Final Takeaway….

Enjoy the visits and finding the right fit, but listen to your Spidey-sense as well. By being well-informed you may find your dream school where you weren’t looking.