When you are touring these schools, it's important to take advantage of the opportunity in front of you, speaking with an actual student. This is someone who takes classes you might take one day, sleeps in the dorm you might sleep in, etc.
And these questions are just the beginning of the things you can ask them...
1. Why did you choose this school?
GiphyTour guides usually are tour guides for a reason, and they might have a really insightful story about how they decided to choose their university. And that story may help you see if this is the school for you or not.
2. What are the best places to eat on campus?
GiphyEvery college campus has its own culture, including dining hall habits. Some schools may only have one dinning hall while others may have a variety of places for you to choose from. When looking at colleges, it's important to remember that this is going to be your lifestyle for the next four years and food is a pretty important aspect of that.
3. Do most students live on campus?
Pivot Moving GIF - Find & Share on GIPHYGiphyIf you're looking at a school across the country from your hometown, it might be comforting to know the housing options available. Some schools only guarantee housing for freshman students, while others have to look for housing elsewhere. Other schools may have a majority of the students living on campus. Are you someone who wants to eat, sleep and breathe your college experience or does that sound like a nightmare?
4. How hard is it to change your major?
GiphySome schools do not allow students to be undeclared or will only recommend a student to change their major their freshman year. If you're a one-tracked mind then this shouldn't be a problem, but if you're still juggling between being a teacher and being a nurse, then that might not be the program for you.
5. What do students typically do on the weekends?
GiphyStudents will usually be pretty honest if their school is a party school or not.
6. Which sports are the biggest on campus?
GiphyI personally went to a school where basketball was the sport that everybody went to. If you're a die-hard football fan, you're going to want to attend a school that agrees with those priorities.
7. Do your teachers know your name?
GiphySome professors walk in the first day and say "I will not learn your name, there are 500 of you." And they don't really care if you come to class or not. Other professors ask you if you watched the latest episode of Stranger Things. What kind of professor do you want?
8. What are the most popular student organizations on campus?
GiphyIs there something for everyone or are there a few groups who rule the school?
10. How hard was it to get the classes you wanted?
GiphyAre you going to be able to take the classes you want or hope for the best that you graduate on time?
11. What kind of career opportunities are support are offered to students?
GiphyWill you be interview ready post-graduation? How many students work on campus?
12. How much academic support is available outside of the classroom?
GiphyDo professors have office hours? Are there academic support lounges?
13. What's the best thing to do off campus?
GiphyIs your college in a college town or a big city? Or is civilization a few miles away?
14. What is one thing you wish you could change about your school?
GiphyNobody is perfect, but what kind of imperfect are we working with?
My 10 Favorite YouTubers
They can all teach you something
I've fallen down into the rabbit hole that is YouTube. Lately, I've been finding the videos on YouTube much more entertaining than anything on Netflix or Hulu. There are so many videos out there about literally everything. Some of my favorite videos are murder mysteries or unsolved crime videos. But I also love watching movie commentaries or anything funny. If you like YouTube as much as I do, I highly recommend checking out these YouTubers.
1. Hailey Reese
Hailey is such a light in this world. Even though she talks about paranormal things which can oftentimes be scary, she always brings light and love to the video. Her videos are so informational and spooky. They're so fun to watch and interesting to think about. She is one of the soul siblings, and you will understand what I mean by that if you watch her channel. Also, you get to be a Reese's Peaces, what a cool name!
2. Kendall Rae
Kendall does a lot of different kinds of videos, but some of my favorite ones that she does are the True Crime videos. Many of the stories are sad or disturbing, but she does a fantastic job of being respectful of the families who lost a loved one as well as the person who is deceased. These stories really bring into perspective how messed up people in this world can be, but at the same time the beauty of our humanity and that there are good people in the world.
3. Dylan Is In Trouble
Ah, Dyan. Where to begin. He does a lot of movie commentaries. He has done commentaries on everything from kids movies, rom-coms, horror, and thriller. He apparently went to film school and so he actually analyzes the movies in a critical way. He always points out plot holes and cliches and makes it so entertaining to watch. He also shows the movie as he's watching it, so it's like you get to watch it without actually spending the hour and a half watching it. He's so entertaining to watch and makes me laugh every time, even if it's a serious movie. One of my favorite things is that he calls his followers "troublemakers" and as someone who rarely ever gets into trouble, I like it.
4. Jon Solo
If you're someone who loves Disney movies and fairytales, this channel is for you. Jon goes into the origin stories of various Disney movies, heroes, villains, and other fairytale creatures. It's amazing the amount of research he does in order to find and explain the origins of some of our favorite characters.
5. tiffanyferg
I'm a bit new to her channel, but she covers a range of topics that I think are very important. She talks about beauty standards, the college scandal, minimalism, mental health, and college struggles. As someone who is finishing college and still learning about myself, I really appreciate her analysis of these topics and the advice that she gives.
6. Brandi TV
Brandi is too funny. While I don't condone doing drugs, she does really funny "makeup" tutorials. I feel like I always cry from laughing so hard. One of my favorites is when she does a makeup tutorial for Ursula from the Little Mermaid. So funny. She is such a sweetheart and a pure soul.
7. Loey Lane
Loey is another light in this world. She talks about paranormal things, reads scary viral stories, body positivity, and her own personal experiences. Her makeup is always on point and brings so much light to sometimes dark topics. She is one of the soul siblings too!
8. The Try Guys
Do I even have to give an explanation for these guys? They try everything, and it's hilarious to watch them. My favorite series of theirs is when Keith eats everything on the menu from different fast food places. And they don't waste the food so that's a plus!
9. Alex Myers
Alex is another great YouTuber who does movie and Tv show commentaries, but he animates himself and his dog into the videos. It's very interesting to see, especially because sometimes he will talk about his own personal experiences and its very relatable. Also, his dog is super cute!
10. AndrewTMI
Last but not least, we have Andrew. I love how totally open and honest he is. He is very relatable and honestly hilarious. He is dramatic and that just makes his channel so entertaining. He is the last member of the soul siblings. When Hailey, Loey, and Andrew are together some real spooky stuff happens and it's some of the most entertaining videos to watch.
If you haven't heard of any of these YouTubers, please check them out. They are so great at entertaining and presenting facts. Even though I haven't met any of them, they all seem like really great, genuine people.