Good school hunting

Before Alexander Jackson and his father set out on trips to visit seven college campuses last spring and fall, both had already planned their Batman-and-Robin approach to the task.

It was Alex's job to research schools in depth to figure out the best questions to ask. Once the duo arrived on a campus, he also would ask most of the questions at the information sessions. His dad's main role was to keep mum and leave his son in the limelight.

After the "canned tour" was done, William Jackson joined in. Father and son would visit the cafeteria to interview students, each taking one side of the room. Later they compared notes. It was a double-team approach that helped Alex find a school that granted a full scholarship - and was a good fit, too.

It's that time of year when students and families begin planning a familiar rite of passage - the college visit, or more often, visits.

More college-bound students than ever are planning campus visits, not only to find the right school but also to get a leg up in the admissions process.

Campus visits have risen steadily in the past five years, says David Hawkins, public policy director of the National Association for College Admission Counseling in Alexandria, Va.

Yet despite its growing popularity, the campus visit can also be an expensive bust. Pitfalls include the common "how-many-campuses-can-we-do-in-a-day" approach, which is meant to minimize trip cost but often yields visits far too brief to be meaningful. Another is the "how-many-books-are-in-your-library" style of generic questions that yield little useful information about how well the school will fit a student.

By doing their homework and planning well, the Jacksons avoided several such blunders, like visiting when school is not in session. The best time to visit is when the campus is in session, but late August, when many university students are already back and high school hasn't begun yet, may also work well.

Having real students on campus is critical since they provide both atmosphere and raw information. Refer to the school's academic calendar when planning visits so that the people you need to interview are actually on campus.

Another blunder that vexes admissions officers all year long are the super-intense "chatterbox parents" who won't be quiet and let their student ask a few questions, too. They don't seem to realize that yapping while their student sits meekly beside them can be a big turnoff to admissions officials - the opposite effect most hope for.

"All too often, parents assume far too much responsibility for 'presenting' their son or daughter," says Michael Maxey, dean of admissions at Roanoke College in Salem, Va. "It is always the student's presentation of self that interests us during a visit."

Avoiding such mistakes is more important than ever because campus visits are becoming a significant factor in admissions decisions, experts say. Admissions officers are increasingly worried about "yield," the percentage of admitted students who accept the school's invitation to attend. That number affects the school's national ranking.

Savvy students now make sure to sign the admissions department guestbook or fill out a card during a visit. Then, when it comes time to decide between two equivalent students, the admissions nod may go to the applicant who has visited the campus.

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