Congratulations! Your acceptance letters will start to roll in soon, and before you know it you’ll be finding your home for the next four years. Touring is one of the most fun parts of picking your college; however, it’s easy to get so swept up in going through the different dorm rooms, sports stadiums and cafeterias that you feel so brain-dead after your tour you can’t even remember what parts of the campus you had made mental notes to look at. Sure, an SEC school with a huge football program may be fun on Saturdays, but do they even have your major? Or the small artsy college you were looking at may have a beautiful campus, but is there anything to actually do in the surrounding city? Most high school seniors end up distracted by the wrong things as they tour, and unfortunately, this can lead to some of them picking the wrong school and having to transfer or be unhappy with their current situation. Here are a few essential things you need to be watching out for on any prospective college campus:

1. Good OFF-CAMPUS housing

The first thing every incoming freshman looks at are the dorms, and they pay absolutely no attention to off-campus housing. If you are planning on cozying up in the dorms for four years, you’re fine doing this, but most people are hoping to eventually move away from the RAs and fire drills. It’s also a good idea to see if your school even requires on-campus living the first year; dorms are a great way to make friends, but almost everything else about them stinks. I lived in my own apartment since the day I stepped on campus, and I made plenty of friends and was never awakened at 2:00 a.m. for a fire drill and still haven’t had to share a room.

2. Things to do

This might seem like a no-brainer at first, but so many kids get caught up in a huge sports program or an awesome academic opportunity that they forget they actually will have free time. Not having anything around you to do can lead to boredom and make you end up liking your college less than you did when you first fell in love with it, and that’s a feeling no one likes to have. Try to scout out some cool things around the campus (a beach, mountains, restaurants, concert venues, parks, etc.) that you can use to your advantage during syllabus week.

3. A good library

The library is definitely the part of the tour where most people pull out their phones or start chatting with their parents about the dorms, but a good library is a better asset to a college than you may think. Think about it: libraries without much seating will leave you studying for your finals in your noisy dorm (AKA not getting anything done.) Look for a library with a lot of seating, multiple printers and late hours. You’ll thank me when you get there.

4. Ways to make friends

Looking for ways to meet people may also seem like a “duh” moment, and maybe it is, but friends don’t just magically appear on your college campus. Getting involved in clubs, student government, Greek life or whatever else strikes your fancy is the best way to meet your new friends. Are you a super social person who can juggle having a good GPA with fun social events and has a heart for charity? Maybe check out your local fraternities and sororities. Leadership more your style? Every college has a student government. The best thing about college is it has a little something for everyone.

5. A gym

Most colleges provide a gym, and even if you aren’t a super athletic person, you definitely want to at least know where it is. College involves a lot of stationary time: in class, in the library and all those totally necessary in-between class naps. Even if it’s propping your history book up on the treadmill and walking for thirty minutes, it's still exercise! The easiest thing to forget in college is your body. Don’t make that mistake.

6. Real food

College towns are typically generous in the sense that they know college kids love to eat. After suffering through the typically “meh” dining hall food, as soon as you get some money in your pocket, you’re going to want to grab your roommate and make a run for the closest restaurant. Find a good coffee shop, a good brunch place and a nice fancy place to drag your parents when they come into town and you haven’t eaten anything but Easy Mac for four days.

There are plenty of things to see on a college campus, but as you’re taking your steps around, remember that this will become your home. Use this list and add on whatever you need to make your transition to your new home somewhere that you can be proud of; make your campus tours count. Best of luck!