How You Can Benefit From Spring Travel (And Why My Sweater Is All Wet...)

He appears innocent, but you're looking at a tactical pee assassin.

My dog thinks I am an absent father. He is showing all the textbook signs of teenage rebellion--though last I checked human teens don't express their displeasure by relieving themselves on their dad's dry cleaning. I must admit that it's an effective form of inter-species communication, but I'm running out of sweaters...

And it's not just the dog.

The auto-mailer at Facebook seems to be worried that I've died. I keep getting emails asking passive-aggressive questions about why I haven't updated my page recently (I think after two weeks of inactivity they start "poking" your next of kin). The new message light on my office phone is flashing with the urgency of an S.O.S. beacon, my expired list of Outlook reminders is about the length of the fourth Twilight novel (and reads at a similar pace), and my email inbox is stuffed with more time-sensitive information than a government intelligence leak.

It must be travel season. 

Yes, spring recruitment has begun, which means that my fellow counselors and I are darting around the world, laden with brochure-stuffed suitcases that have roughly the mass of a dying star. You may see us in your school this spring: we're the lonely-looking people in business attire standing in the corner of your cafeteria handing out brochures and trying not to cross the line from friendly and approachable to creepy.

For a list of counselor territories and our travel destinations, check out our travel map! 

If you do see us, you should come over and say hi. We'll appreciate it. Standing alone in a corner at lunch evokes far too many bad memories. Er...I'm totally kidding. We were all super-popular in high school.

Honestly, school visits and college fairs are one of the best resources that you, the student, have at your disposal. It allows you to get a personalized, authentic feel for the colleges that are out there, and to meet the folks like me who will be in charge of getting your application through the process. I really, really, really advise that you take full advantage of the opportunity. Why not? It's certainly better than drooling on your homeroom desk or trying to chew through the ubiqutious "breaded chicken sandwich" that the cafeteria is serving, right? 

So, here are some tips to help you get the most out of a counselor visit.

1. ASK QUESTIONS. Seriously. That's why we're there. Make a list. Or use any combination of the following:

• "What programs do you offer?"
• "What are your admission criteria?"
• "How can I make my application more competitive?"
• "What other schools would you say are similar to your college/university?"
• "What is the student life like at your school?"
• "Where will I be living?"
• "What is the cost of attending? What kind of financial assistance do you offer?
• "What do you, as a counselor, think is the best feature of the college/university you represent?"
• "What are your scholarship opportunities?"
• "What do you look for in the ideal applicant?"
• "How, specifically, is your school going to further my career goals?"
• "Do you have any special events for prospective students coming up?"

2. Know thyself. Do some research and engage in a little self-reflection. What does college mean to you? When you visualize yourself on a college campus, what do you see? Are there any "make or break" factors that leap to mind? You don't need to lock yourself into a major and have your course schedule predetermined, but having some set preferences can make the search much, much easier.

For more detailed examples, see out our "Preventing the College Break Up" article! 

3. Keep in mind that the counselor who is visiting you is probably the person who will be reading your application. Get to know them. Make a positive impression. Follow up afterward. It takes five minutes, and it can go a long way when decision time rolls around.

4. Keep an open mind. Sure, your plan may always have been to attend the local college that is two blocks from your parents' house, but if you don't explore other options, you may be missing out on an even better experience. College is about expanding your horizons, it really doesn't make sense to limit yourself unnecessarily right off the bat. How can you know that your dream school is really your dream school if you've never looked at other options? 

5. Take the brochures and literature that the school provides and fill out the inquiry cards. Nothing is worse than getting all fired up about a school at the presentation, getting home, and having no clue where to find more information (plus, it means we don't have to carry them home). If you fill out the card, we'll put you in our system and the pertinent information will be sent directly to you (and it makes my boss happy when I come back with a giant stack of cards).

See you in the cafeteria. 

Want us to visit your school? Leave us the school's name in the comment section, and we'll make sure to put it on the list.