But before the college application process even begins, students have the chance to visit a college campus on their own, or to attend an information session at their school organized by college representatives.

Campus visits have become increasingly common among college-bound juniors and seniors. Students will often visit multiple colleges during the summer before their junior or senior year. "College visits can be useful for students who know what they’re looking for in a school," says sophomore Emily Glassford.

However, for students that visit a school without much prior knowledge, these visits can be unhelpful. According to an anonymous senior, "It doesn’t really help because you don’t get that much of a feel for the school. It’s better to go once you’ve been accepted; then you can make sure to really get to know the school." The student said that she had visited a few schools this summer, but that in the end, she "really couldn’t tell the schools apart."

A topic that often comes under fire is a college’s decision to record student campus visits. Some colleges take this under consideration when deciding between whether a student gets in or is wait-listed because they prefer students that show interest and commitment to their school.

Most students view this practice as unfair. "I don’t have enough money to visit all of the schools, especially those that are far away, so it’s not really fair for me," said an anonymous junior. "Colleges should only record whether you’ve contacted them, but not whether you’ve been to the campus," the student added.

For those who are unable to go on college tours, there are a myriad of resources available at RM and in our local community. This year, 150 schools sent representatives and student ambassadors to RM to speak to students. Information sessions began in October 2008 and ended in February 2009.

College/Career Coordinator Ms. Mary Hull recommends these information sessions as "very beneficial because they offer students a glimpse at each college." Ms. Hull pointed out that many school delegates sent to speak to students are RM graduates, giving the experience more of a local perspective.

In the RM community, student response to info sessions is mixed. "College info sessions can be informative," said senior Sophia Chang, "but there’s also a lot of propaganda. Colleges try to sell themselves because they want you to go there."

Outside of RM, there are even more resources available to students. Many universities, especially the most selective ones, hold regional sessions open to the general public at hotels or high schools.

Students have found these info sessions just as useful. Senior May Win said, "I was very interested in MIT. In addition to looking on the university website, I attended an info session at BCC high school where they discussed architecture programs at MIT."

In the end, whether a college visit or info session proves to be helpful or not depends entirely on the student. As Ms. Hull said, "If a student has real interest in a school, he or she will undoubtedly find these visits and info sessions very helpful."