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October 27, 2006
Entry #3 Open Houses vs. Individual Visits
Since Albright is hosting its first Fall Welcome Day (open house) this weekend I thought it would be a good opportunity to post entry #3 of my series on campus visits; open houses vs. individual visits.
Every school’s open houses are different, but I will try and generalize these recommendations. Open houses are a great chance to see a school, get a feel for the structural environment, and get basic questions answered. What it is not generally good for is the opportunity to get personal with a school. Open houses are generally on the weekend with many more visitors than a school normally has on a weekday. This means that you will not see a true picture of what a campus is like five out of seven days and will probably not get the personal attention that a school would like to provide you with. Open houses are good for introductions and general questions. If you are trying to decide if a school is going to make the final list I can recommend an open house.
Personal visits are always recommended. I can’t speak for all schools, but Albright can provide everything for a family during a personal visit that is offered at an open house, except have 250 other families vying for attention. Individual visitors receive the personal attention that we believe students seek when looking at a school like Albright. Students are offered the opportunities to tour campus, interview with a counselor, meet with financial aid, meet with a professor, sit in on classrooms, meet with a coach, have lunch in the Café, and even stay overnight. Personal visits are important for a student that is seriously considering a college or university.
So in short, here’s the stat sheet on Open Houses vs. Individual Visits:
Open House:
- big
- lots of information
- good introduction
- not a personal
- sometimes inflexible
Individual visits:
- personalized with request
- good feel for a campus
- a must for a school under serious consideration
- schedule made to fit you
Posted by Chris Boehm at October 27, 2006 8:48 AM