+17 College Tour Questions To Ask Your Campus Tour Guide

Visiting a college campus is one of the most exciting things! You get a small glimpse into a potential new home. I remember vividly going on college campus tours with my parents and older sister when she was looking for a college to attend and I was always so fascinated with the architecture, what the people looked like, and definitely how knowledgeable the student tour guides were! Asking good college tour questions during your visit is very important.

This is a prime opportunity to learn everything you possibly can about this school. So make sure you’re prepared with questions to ask along the way. My little sister has been touring colleges with athletic scholarships but you better believe I have been there with questions to make sure she is well-informed to make the right decision.

Here I have listed ~super~ important questions you should consider asking while you go on your own college tours.

General College Tour Questions

Are there any ways the college/university helps high schoolers transition to college life?

My college has a required class that all freshmen have to take during their first year of college. It is specifically designed to help freshmen with the transition from high school to college!

Fun fact: I met one of my freshman year best friends in this class! We were both lost in the building and bonded over looking for this class together, lol. You can meet new friends anywhere. Definitely ask about your tour guide’s transition to college!

What is your favorite thing about going to school here?

This helps give some insight on what you can look forward to while going to school here. I loved hearing their answers because it’s nice to see what people value in their college experience. This question helps you get a better picture of life at [insert college name].

What is this school known for?

My college life was so amazing because I had a feel of the campus culture. Now, my school has a lot. to improve on, but the overall big themes of the school are things I loved. This is a great question to see if the college culture will be for you. If they say something about sports, you want to ask yourself if that is something you value a lot.

What are the big majors at this school?

This is another thing that will help you determine if it is a good fit for you or not. If they say they have a world-renowned business program, you may want to ask yourself how much funding or thought goes into the STEM majors at your school.

What is the graduation rate?

This question is important because low graduation rates reflect badly on a college/university. First, look online to see if you can find it before you tour the college. You want to know the college cares for the students and will do their best to prepare you for life after college!

Academic

Are there writing labs and other helpful resources for students?

I had so much fun visiting the writing lab at my university! If you don’t know, a writing lab is a place on campus that you can go to to get help with your writing. I went a couple of times for my essays and my grade always got better after I went! My writing lab guaranteed that your grade would increase a whole letter grade after visiting for help (and it always did 🥲 )

In addition to a writing lab, my school also had a lab where people would help you with your presentation! If you ever have a presentation, they will help you make sure it is as good as can be.

How are the professors here? Do students here use rate my professor?

Asking about the professors is where I get much-needed insight as to how students here feel about their professors. Now keep in mind your tour guide isn’t a fair representation of every student on campus. But, one time I got such useful information on who NOT to take for a physics class and she was SO right.

Ratemyprofessor.com is life-saving… forreal. It is a database where students go in and review each and every (ok not everyone is on here like new professors probably won’t be reviewed yet) professor on campus. Most of the time, the reviews are spot on! I check this site before every semester to make sure the professors I chose are top-notch and actually care about their students.

Does your advisor help you stay on track with your classes? How is your relationship with your advisor?

Advisors can be extremely helpful or a pain in the you know what. Ask them to see if their advisor has been a helpful part of their experience! I also recommend you reach out to the advisor yourself. You want to make sure they are helping you stay on track to graduate!

How well is the university at helping students getting internships?

This is something I did not focus on enough in college! I initially did the pre-med route and solely focused on potentially going to med school and I didn’t really have a backup. I think having a plan b and plan c is so essential and internships can help you figure out what you want to do in the future!

Is there an honors program here? If so what are the requirements?

Most colleges do have some type of honors program. If you are interested, ask what the requirements are so you can get in!

Financial

NOTE: For this section, I recommend scheduling an appointment with a financial aid advisor because they will have much more information that you want than your tour guide, who is probably a student. But I do leave a couple of questions because when my older sister was on her campus tour, the girl gave her a business card of a very helpful person to ask for scholarships!

How helpful is the bursar/financial aid office?

The bursar office is where you will take care of your financial needs. Ask for scholarships, grants, loans, all of it.

Who do I talk to for information on scholarships and grants?

This information is on their website I assure you. But, you can still ask if you want!

Getting Involved

Do you all have leadership programs on campus?

My FAVORITE thing I got involved with was the Leadership Scholars program for the college of arts and sciences. It was life-changing and I met my other best friend through this group. We were the “ambassadors” of the college. We volunteered, put on events for our college, and traveled abroad together.

What are you involved in on campus?

Since they give campus tours, this is probably one of the main things they’re involved in because it takes up a lot of time. It’s a job! But, hearing what else they are involved with is awesome because it gives you ideas of what you can get into when you arrive.

Are there study abroad opportunities?

Studying abroad is too much fun! I went for a couple of weeks in the summer with the leadership program I mentioned. Get out there! There are so many things out in the world, explore while you study.

Dorm

Are there quiet hours?

I get that you will be having fun with friends and possibly inviting people over to your dorm every now and then. But, you will want quiet hours during midterm week, dead week, and finals week… I promise you.

Are the dorms same-sex or co-ed?

This is important because my dorm had co-ed floors, but my floor was same-sex. I loved it! This is a great question to ask just so you are aware of how your living situation will be.

What are the best dorm halls for freshmen?

Sports

Do students get free tickets for sports?

I went to a university that is big for sports. All sports were free for students, except for football and basketball.

Locations

I HIGHLY doubt the tour guide won’t take you to these places but if you haven’t made it to these places during the tour, I recommend you ask to see the following places:

• Bursar / Financial Aid Office
• Student Union
• Freshman Dorms
• Library
• Parking Lots / Garages

If you are an athlete on a tour, ask these questions…

My sister is an athlete so we typically got a tour with a student and the coach! These are additional questions we asked to predict how life would be as a student-athlete in college.

Do the teammates get along on the team?

How is the balance of sports and school?

Is there tutoring available for athletes?

Do you all take away scholarship money from athletes?

Let me know about more helpful college tour questions that have been helpful for you!