After you visit a college, you have one more job: Say thank you!
After each campus visit, make sure your student writes a thank you note to the admissions staff and professors. This simple act will show the staff that you’re interested in the school. If you don’t intend to go to the school, then emailing a thank you note is fine. But if you do intend to apply to the school, then a mailed thank you note is best. Some colleges keep a record of how many contacts you make, so it can actually help to write a letter by hand.
Buyer Beware
A campus visit is a critical step in choosing a college. Assess each college carefully. You want to know their views. You need to know whether a college with “Christian” in their name will match your family values. You can tell very little by the name of a college; you can tell only a little more from their marketing materials. For help in getting past the glitz and marketing to discern the truth about prospective colleges, I recommend my DVD, Finding a College. You won’t really know the personality of the college until you encounter it in person – during a college visit. There is no perfect college, just like there are no perfect people. But a purposeful visit can help you find the college that is best for your child.
I have created a series of videos on creating great homeschool records for college. You can find them here.