Tips for Visiting Campus for the Weekend

Tips for Visiting Campus for the Weekend It appears to me that campus visits have lost their morale a bit in recent years. What used to be an opportunity to stay with a friend and experience life on campus has turned into an excuse for high schoolers to visit and go crazy. If and when you decide to visit a friend on campus for a weekend, here are some things to remember and great places to check out. DO NOT visit on a holiday. Gif from Giphy I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT visit campus during a holiday weekend, such as Halloween. It is both an inconvience for you and the person you are visiting because a) you will be too overwhelmed and distracted to get a true feel for the campus, and b) your friend shouldnt have to babysit during your visit. It is best to visit on a calm weekend so that you have plenty of free time to explore. Check out the Quad. Nothing says welcome to campus quite like a selfie on the Quad. Plus, it is a central location on campus, so there are always students out and about. If you visit during the fall, take a seat and people watch for awhile. You will also be right next to the Illini Union, so feel free to stop by and grab a snack, some coffee from Starbucks, and ask any a staff member any questions. Step into a lecture hall. Gif from Giphy Understandably, this can seem incredibly intimidating. But the reality is that in a large lecture class, no one will know if youre a student or not. Just make sure to plan ahead. You can check out all the classes you can sit in on here. Even if the class you observe is not for your intended major, it is a great experience and will give you a feel for what your classes may be like. Overall, it is important to remember  the purpose of a campus weekend visit: to get a feel for campus. Stay respectful to whoever is housing you, and remember to take advantage of evert opportunity given. Stay safe, and have fun! Gif from Giphy Rachel Class of 2020 I am studying Middle Grades Education with concentrations in Social Sciences and Literacy in the College of Education. Although I now reside in Champaign, I am originally from Vernon Hills, a Northwest suburb of Chicago.