Attending a US University is an exciting prospect! However, with over 4,500 schools to choose from, and a great deal of variety even amongst the most selective schools, tours are a great way to find the right school for you.

As the pandemic wanes, visiting schools in the US is much easier than it has been for the last two years.  At Vela Education, we appreciate a US university tour is still a commitment with logistical challenges for international families. However, if you are able to visit the US, we recommend doing a university tour for the following reasons:

Geographic Diversity: The US is a huge country with a great deal of geographic diversity. Students thrive academically in environments they enjoy. Some exceptional schools are in rural parts of the US. However, if you need the pace and energy of an urban community, these schools might not be right for you. Also, the opposite is often true! If spending time in nature helps you recharge, attending a school in the middle of Manhattan isn’t the best option. Vela Education recommends touring schools in urban, suburban, and rural areas so you can see first-hand which kind of environment is right for you.

School and Student Ethos: Even amongst the most selective schools in the US, there is a great deal of variety in the type of student each school attracts and the school’s approach to undergraduate education. Doing online research about teacher-student rations or the values students hold at each school is a great place to start. However, meeting students in person and speaking with faculty in their professional environments is the best way to determine if this is a place where you could thrive!

Demonstrated Interest: Visits help you determine if the school is a good fit for you—but they also let a school know you are sincerely interested in them! If you do apply to that school, your visit will be recorded in your admissions file.  When schools are making final decisions about offers, they want to know a student is likely to accept! An applicant’s “demonstrated interest”—tours, emails, participation in online webinars are all documented in their file. Demonstrating interest will increase your chances of being accepted.

Vela Education advisees have found their tours helpful when curating their ambitious and responsible application lists and when they have had to make strategic decisions about Early Decision 1 and Early Decision 2 applications. If you want to plan a US university tour that provides a thorough understanding of the variety of schools you have to choose from, consider scheduling a strategic consultation. We are here to help.