What differentiates one college from another? What is it like being a student at a university? What opportunities will I have at this school? Will I like it?

These are just a few questions a high school student applying to colleges may have. After all, picking which colleges to apply to, and eventually attend, is a four-year commitment, and as a result, no small decision to make. 

As you are researching schools to add to your college list or ultimately attend, there are many resources both in-person and virtual that you can take advantage of to better understand what a school has to offer. During the fall semester and the next upcoming months especially, college open houses, tours, fairs, and seminars are great sources of information to take advantage of.

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Differentiating The Options

Colleges host different information events for students and families to attend. These can differ in purpose, time, and experience. 

College open houses are organized events where students and families visit the college campus and attend seminars and talks, to learn more about the school, its culture, and its programs. These open houses are generally involved day-long events where students and parents have many different sessions they can attend. These sessions may be directed towards certain majors, programs, or general themes (e.g. applying for financial aid, etc.). Current students attending the school may also speak at these seminars. 

Open houses provide students and families a direct opportunity to explore a college campus and hear lots of college-specific information in one go. As colleges also track interest and engagement, attending an open house is a great way to demonstrate interest in the school. In fact, participating in any of the information sessions included in this article are ways to show interest in a school.

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Open house events may also include college tours, although those can also be scheduled separately. College tours are simply tours offered by colleges themselves, allowing for students and their families to explore the college campus. Often, current students at the university will serve as ambassadors and tour guides, answering questions and proving a student’s perspective on what it is like to attend the school. 

A student and their family can attend a tour generally at any point in the year. College ambassadors will be available throughout the year to provide personal or group tours. 

College tours and open houses are very helpful for families and students to get a “real feel” of the school. However, they require students and their families to commute to the school. If the school is out-of-state or further away, this may be expensive or hard to schedule during a busy senior year.

Thus, there are other options provided that limit the burden of traveling to the school by bringing the information directly to students and their families.

One such option is a college fair. College fairs are events where multiple colleges attend and present about their schools at booths or via another format. Students can walk around and learn more from college representatives about the school and what it has to offer. Some high schools may host these college fairs. 

They may also hold college seminars or events dedicated to one university where a university representative travels to the school to provide more information. Be sure to ask your counselor about how to sign up for these opportunities.

Finally, colleges can host their own college seminars online. These are virtual, streamed events where university admissions staff or representatives talk about certain topics like how to apply, financial aid, and more. Each university will offer their own seminars and checking their website can be a great way to find out how to attend upcoming events.

Overall, these information sessions can be great resources for gaining more exposure to schools while also demonstrating interest.

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Another Gold Mine of Information: College Websites & Social Media

College open houses, tours, fairs, and seminars are a great source of information that a student can take advantage of. However, college websites and social media are also great starting points for learning more about a school. 

On these platforms, they share news about happenings in their school, details about upcoming information sessions, and comprehensive summaries of their facilities, research, academics, and more. 

When looking for information on a university, be sure to review these sources as well.