One of Oakton’s most underrated resources is its college visits! Colleges from all over the country stop by the College and Career Center to give informational sessions to students during the school day. They are a great chance to not only learn more about a school, but to meet a school’s official recruiters. Below is everything students need to know about these visits and how to prepare!

What schools are visiting?

Most major schools from the U.S. visit, especially the popular Virginia schools. More schools will be  added as time goes on, though, so no need to fret if the dream school isn’t on the list quite yet. These aren’t the only schools scheduled so far, but here’s a short list of some schools of interest coming soon:

University of Virginia: September 25th at 1 p.m.

James Madison: September 26th at 11 a.m.

William and Mary: October 8th at 8:30 a.m.

Virginia Tech: October 11th at 11:30 a.m.

Carnegie Mellon University: October 17th at 9:15 a.m.

Johns Hopkins University: October 18th at 8:30 a.m.

University of Michigan: October 21st at 8:30 a.m.

UCLA: October 21st at 2:15 p.m.

Christopher Newport: October 22nd at 1:00 p.m.

A full list of upcoming college visits, that is continuously updated throughout the year can be found on the Naviance website. To find out when a specific school is coming, log into Blackboard and click on the link to Naviance on the left side of the screen. Then, type the school of choice into the search bar, click on their page and find the link to its college visit near the top of the page.

How can I sign up?

After finding the college visit on Naviance, click the “Confirm” button at least 24 hours ahead of time and follow the instructions below. Usually, the steps are to print the confirmation page and show it to the teacher on the day of the visit.

What do I do when I get there?

The best thing to do at a college visit, besides listening to the presentations, of course, is to ask questions! It’s great to ask questions about the specific programs and majors of interest, financial aid and scholarships, or anything about general student life or academics. There is no such thing as a bad question, the college representatives want to help. Need some inspiration? Check out the sample questions below:

• How does the pre-law track work at your school?
• What scholarships does your school offer? What is the procedure to apply for scholarships?
• Does your school offer living-learning communities?
• Is it possible to double major in two different departments at your school?