RESTON, Va., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Many families of college-bound
students will be hitting the road this spring break, in search of the place
they will call home for the next four years. Wiredscholar.com, the premier
online "going-to-college" resource, has free tips and checklists available to
help students and their families make the most of their college visits.
"It's important for students to visit schools they are considering
applying to in order to get a feel for the campus before they make a
commitment," said Michael Darne, managing director of e-commerce for Sallie
Mae, the nation's leading provider of education funding. "Now is the ideal
time to visit college campuses since classes are in session, and campus
activities are in full swing."
The number of school visits students make depends on their time and money,
but they should try to visit a variety of school types. For example, it is
beneficial to visit both a large and a small school, or go to one urban and
one small-town campus.
Wiredscholar.com offers the following tips for students as they visit
college campuses:
-- Do some prep work. Before their visit, students should decide what
they want to learn about the school and put together a list of
questions. They should use the same list for every school so that
they can make fair comparisons.
-- Schedule interviews with faculty and admissions staff. It is helpful
to meet with professors who teach in a student's area of interest.
Students also should meet with an admissions representative to verify
admission requirements and discuss costs and financial aid.
-- Take the campus tour. If the school offers an escorted tour, families
should take advantage of it. They will get access to more of the
campus, and their escort can be a great source of candid information.
-- Attend information sessions, if they are offered. Interviews should
be scheduled after the information session and the campus tour, if
possible. Students will speak more knowledgeably and come up with
better questions.
-- Ask questions. This is the chance for students to discover things
they will learn no other way. They should ask students what they like
best and least about the school, what they would change, what the
campus is like on weekends and which professors are best.
-- Trust their instincts and take notes. First impressions are
important. Students should ask themselves whether this is where they
want to live and go to school for four years. They should make notes
to jog their memory when decision time comes, and when something
catches their interest follow up with a phone call or an e-mail.
-- Send a thank-you note. After visiting a college, students should
remember to send thank-you notes to everyone they met with. It is a
courtesy that will help get them noticed.
For students who are just beginning to explore their post-secondary
options, wiredscholar.com offers a school comparison tool, which allows
students to view information on admissions, the campus environment,
enrollment, freshmen admissions profiles, school expense and financial aid for
schools they are considering. In addition, the site has a new
college-matching service, "My College Options," that is the first free
post-secondary planning service and the only program of its kind to offer a
written certificate guaranteeing privacy for users. For more information
about planning and paying for college, visit http://www.wiredscholar.com.
Wiredscholar.com is the foremost online resource for "going-to-college"
information for students, parents and guidance professionals. Launched in
spring 2000, the site is the most comprehensive and objective resource on the
Web for information and interactive tools to assist with college preparation,
evaluation, selection, application and financing, all in one online location.
The site is a four-time "Forbes Favorite" in the college-planning category in
Forbes.com's "Best of the Web." Wiredscholar.com is a brand of Sallie Mae,
the nation's largest source of education funding, which extends the company's
commitment to helping students achieve a higher education. For more
information, visit http://www.wiredscholar.com. USA Education, Inc. and its
subsidiaries, other than the Student Loan Marketing Association, are not
sponsored by or agencies of the United States.
SOURCE Wiredscholar.com
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.wiredscholar.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/147826.html
CONTACT:
Erin Love, +1-703-810-7136,
erin.b.love@slma.com, for Wiredscholar.com
|
