This document discusses effective campus visit strategies for first-generation and underrepresented students. It provides tips for arranging meaningful visits beyond standard tours, including catered dinners with admission staff and students, faculty panels, overnight stays, and visiting classes. Special visit programs called "fly-ins" funded by colleges are highlighted, and students are encouraged to take advantage of financial aid and interview opportunities during open house weekends. Resources for learning about these programs include college websites and the Center for Student Opportunity's monthly newsletter.

1. • Chelsea Jones, Outreach and Student Support Associate,
Center for Student Opportunity (CSO)
• Amy Lareau, Admission Counselor, Colorado College
• Irma J. Navarro, Assistant Director of Multicultural Admission,
Davidson College
• Keith Wilkerson, Senior Program Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Region,
A Better Chance (ABC)

2.  1. Learn how colleges are effectively collaborating with
organizations to bring first-generation and traditionally
underserved students to campus.
 2. Gain advice on how your organization can arrange
campus visits for your students beyond the standard tour
and info session.
 3. Receive tips on how to effectively coordinate trip
logistics.
 4. Discover where to learn about special campus visit
programs, open houses, and fly-in opportunities offered
by colleges and universities across the country.

3. a) held on set times on weekdays (morning and
afternoon).*
b) include a guided tour and information session
led by an admission counselor.
c) scheduled by contacting the Visit Coordinator
or by completing a Group Visit Request on a
timely fashion (at least 2-4 weeks in advance).
d) most comprehensive when the Director of
Multicultural Admission, or equivalent, is aware
that a CBO is visiting!

4. a) Catered dinner (with Admission Office staff and current students)
b) Faculty/Staff/Student Panel
c) Explore Campus on own/Scavenger Hunt (with prizes)
d) Overnight Host
e) Breakfast at Commons
f) Campus Tour
g) Visit Classes
h) Box Lunches prior to departure
i) Opportunity to meet with CBO alumni currently enrolled
j) During open house programs: Multicultural Hospitality Suite
and/or transportation (for local groups)

5. a) Research institution prior to your visit
b) Schedule your visit in advance
c) Inquire about special visitation programs ("Fly-ins")
d) Schedule elements outside the "official visit events"
a) Meet with a professor
b) Meet with a student from your HS/CBO
c) Try the food at the Commons
d) Sit in a class
e) Read bulletin boards
f) Walk around the neighborhood
g) Overnight visit (usually for seniors, at select colleges)
e) Even if you drop-in, make sure the Admission Office knows you visited
f) Take pictures/notes by the end of the day to record your thoughts and
impressions (may help you write effective essays in your Common Application
Supplement)

6. Source: NACAC Guiding the Way to Higher Education
Step-By-Step to College Workshops For Students Late
High School Curriculum Grades 11 and 12

7. Housing/Facilities
 Percentage of students living on campus
 Types of housing (double, triple, single, suite, apartment, co-ed, within
walking distance)
 Percent of students with car on-campus, parking facilities/restrictions, and
parking fees
 Meal plans, options for those with dietary restrictions
 Local dining options (walking & driving distance)
 Public Transit
 Campus Calendar & Social Calendar/Newsletter (i.e. "The Crier" at Davidson)
 Recreational facilities, local resources
 Quality of buildings (LEED, new construction/renovation, expansion)
Activities
 Clubs/Organizations
 Greek Life
 Only 956 colleges/universities have sororities/fraternities (according to
College Board)
 Percentage of "Greek" students
 Pan-Hellenic Organizations
 Events open to all students?
 Athletics (Division I, II, III), Club, Intramural
Support Programs
 Pre-Orientation Programs (.i.e. S.T.R.I.D.E. (Students Together Reaching
Individual Development and Education) at Davidson College
 Counseling
 Tutoring
Post Graduation Placement
 4 year graduation rate (vs. "graduation rate")
 Employment rates
 Graduate school rates
 Senior Class Survey (good way to see how alumni leverage degrees)
 Career Services, Networking, Internships, Recruitment
Random
 Quirky campus traits
 Long standing campus traditions
 What stood out the most (good and bad)?
Contact Information
 Is a regional admission counselor assigned to you?
 Is a financial aid counselor assigned to you?
 Email/Phone/Fax/Mailing Address
Location
 Nearest city/town (average flight costs)
 Distance from home
 School setting (urban, suburban, rural)
Size
 Enrollment (Graduate & Undergraduate)
 Physical size of campus
Environment
 Co-ed, Male, Female
 HBCU, Liberal Arts, Research University
 Residential, Non-traditional Students
Admission Profile (Target, Reach)
 Admit Rate (Reg., ED, EA)
 Middle 50% SAT/ACT
 Percentage of students in top 10% Class
 Top 5 Admission Criteria (rigor, performance, extracurricular
involvement, writing, letters of recommendation, testing,
demonstrated interest)
 Application Deadlines
Academics
 Majors of interest offered
 Average Class Size (and largest class size available to freshmen)
 Student faculty ration (does ratio include graduate school professors?)
 How do students select classes
 Special programs (research, interdisciplinary, 3-2, exchange,
partnerships)
Total Cost of Attendance
 Tuition, Room, Board, Student Fees
 Estimated personal/travel expenses
 Methodology (Federal vs. Institutional)
 Meet 100% Calculated Need?
 How is Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) met?
 Percentage of families who qualify for need-based financial aid &
average financial aid award
 Merit Based Scholarship & Deadlines & Required Materials
 Required forms/supporting materials & Deadlines

8.  They may be funded by the colleges for prospective students to attend. (Some may also
fund parents and/or a CBO program director and pay for overnight lodging!)
 If an academically eligible student is unable to attend the Multicultural Open House
weekend, colleges may still fund travel for this student at a later date.
 Encourage your students to take FULL advantage of these visits days. They may be
tempted to skip admission programming to socialize with new friends (current
students/overnight hosts) who have other plans in mind. But they will not want to miss
out on opportunities to:
o Complete important financial aid paperwork
o Visit a class and experience what it feels like to be a student at that particular college
o Interview with an Admission Director
o Meet with faculty, staff, and current students at Open House events
 Students can learn of these fly-in programs directly through a college’s website or
through messaging from outreach and social media sites such as Cappex, Zinch, CSO,
and NPEA.
 If students inquire about the college early in their search and sign up to be put on an
admissions mailing list –via online or at a college fair - they will likely be notified of such
opportunities to engage further and visit.

9.  Preparing for the visit:
• Researching the school before the visit to gain general knowledge about the university
• Research majors of interest, as well as on-campus organizations that may be of interest
• Based on research, come up with questions to ask the tour guide during the visit
 During the Visit:
• A warm and welcoming tour guide! (makes the students feel special!)
• A specialized tour specific to the group of students on the visit
• Having a tour guide that can relate to the specific group of students (ethnicity,
geographically, academic interests, etc.)
• Free SWAG: Students love free stuff! Collegiate apparel, information packets, pens,
stickers, small school flags, etc.
• Being able to interact with current students on the campus and get a sense of their
experiences (current first-generation students, current students of color, etc.)

10. Center for Student Opportunity
provides colleges, CBOs, and high
school counselors with a monthly
newsletter called Opportunity
Knocks, which highlights fly-in
programs, mentoring programs,
academic support services, and
retention programs from a variety
of CSO’s College Partners.
CSO Opportunity Knocks

11. Chelsea Jones - cjones@csopportunity.org
Amy Lareau - Amy.Lareau@ColoradoCollege.edu
Cara Martin - cmartin@csopportunity.org
Irma J. Navarro – irnavarro@davidson.edu
Keith Wilkerson - KWilkerson@abetterchance.org