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Prospective students and their parents tour the Carnegie Mellon University campus.
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Five questions to ask on every college tour

Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette

Five questions to ask on every college tour

The feeling you get while touring a college’s campus is one of the most important factors in deciding where you’ll be spending the next four years.

When done right, a tour should show you all of the wonderful things that college has to offer; but if you’re not careful, it’s easy to get lost in the historical anecdotes and statistics that your tour guide will recite. To get the most out of your tour, come prepared and ready to ask questions.

Here are five questions to ask on your next college tour:

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What is the most attended event of the school year?

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Not only does this give you an idea as to what events the school throws, it lets you know what the students find important. If a school has a must-attend rivalry football or basketball game, you can guess that athletics are important on campus. If everyone joins in on the annual “Pie a Professor” fundraiser for charity, you know the professors are laid back and that the school cares for a good cause. If you hear something you can get excited about, that school probably has a culture that fits you.

What does everyone do on the weekends?

You might think the obvious answer is that everyone goes out and parties, and in some instances, that may be the case. But that’s not the answer your tour guide will give you, even if it is the case. If your guide can seamlessly list alcohol-free events that seem worth checking out, you can be sure that you’ll be entertained for the next four years.

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Where can I go to get a healthy meal on campus?

Trust me, you’ll eat more free pizza in the first year of college than you have your entire life. Every club fair, new student orientation and resident bonding night will come equipped with a heaping plate of carbs. The Freshman 15 is real, and eventually you will grow tired of the grease and crave some food with real substance. If your tour guide struggles to name more than the lackluster salad bar, you’ll have to ask yourself if you’re OK spending time cooking for yourself.

What’s your least favorite part of campus?

All students have something about their university that they can’t help but complain about to their friends back home. If the tour guide’s answer is something you can’t imagine dealing with, it’s probably time to cross this school off of the list.

Other than its academic record, what made you fall in love with XYZ University?

We’ve been in your shoes. Every college student has once been a nervous high school senior, eager to start a new adventure but also wanting to find a place to call home. If your tour guide loves his or her college, that person won’t have just one reason why. If the guide can give an honest and joyful answer after walking around the entirety of the campus, that’s how you know the individual has had a great college experience, and you just may be able to have one, too.

Alexis Book, a former Post-Gazette intern, is a senior communications major at Canisius College, where she also works as a tour guide.

First Published: October 6, 2016, 4:00 a.m.

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Prospective students and their parents tour the Carnegie Mellon University campus.  (Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette)
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