For seniors at Mount Carmel, the college admissions process has been in full swing throughout the past year, with many students visiting campuses across the country as they prepare for the fall of 2026. These tours, at universities near and far, give students the opportunity to explore campuses, meet students, and learn more about academics and student life.
While tours are not a required part of applying, they have become a necessary step for students who want a better understanding of where they will spend their next four years.
However, beyond the brochures and scripted presentations, college tours offer something more valuable, a firsthand look at what life is actually like at the school, afterall, your college is your second home. By paying close attention to factors like location, size, and campus culture, and by asking meaningful questions, students can gain insight that goes far beyond what they see online, making college tours an essential part of finding the right fit.
A college’s location is one of the most influential factors in a student’s decision, and visiting campuses in person allows students to fully understand how that location will impact their daily lives.
While students can research schools location online, that information often lacks the depth of actually experiencing it. MC senior Jett Palmersheim emphasizes how physically visiting campuses changes his perspective, explaining that “a lot of the things you hear about schools are from people you know, and you can’t just get information from just hearing about it.” By travelling to campuses himself, Palmersheim was able to better understand not only the school, but also the surrounding environment and what daily life looks like.
Location also affects practical aspects of college life, such as travel and accessibility. Palmersheim pointed out that distance from home plays a major role, especially when considering transportation. “You have to think about the flight there, and getting transported to the school,” he says, noting how visiting helped him understand what traveling there and back would be like. This firsthand experience is something that simply cannot be replicated through tours or online descriptions.
Additionally, the surrounding area can completely change a student’s perception of a school. Senior Steve Winkler experienced this when visiting the University of Indianapolis. While the campus itself met his expectation, the surrounding area did not. “It didn’t really have that college vibe,” he says, explaining that the lack of activity around the school ultimately made him decide not to go there.
Ultimately, visiting a campus allows students to evaluate not just the school itself, but the lifestyle that comes with its location, helping make sure students really want to be at that school.
The size of a college, both in terms of campus and student population can significantly shape a student’s academic experience. Tours provide the clearest way to evaluate whether that environment is the right fit.
Understanding the size of a school goes beyond numbers on a website, it requires seeing the campus and classrooms in action. Winkler notes that his expectations about schools changed after he visited them. “I thought some schools would be a lot bigger, but once you’re there, it would be a lot smaller,” he says. This shift shows how misleading online impressions can be without first hand experience.
In addition to campus size, class structure is another important factor that students can observe during tours. Senior TJ Kolke explained that instead of focussing on stats, he paid attention to the learning environment itself. “What I was really looking for is, what are the classes like? Are they set up in collaborative spaces, or are they very much individual,” he says. These observations helped him better understand how he would learn in that environment.
By physically stepping into a classroom and experiencing the scale of a campus, students can determine whether a school’s size will support, or hinder their academic success.
Beyond academics, college tours provide students with a sense of campus culture, allowing them to determine whether they will truly fit in.
Campus culture is often one of the most difficult aspects to understand without visiting in person. Senior Jon Akin described how tours helped him really evaluate where he felt most comfortable, stating that choosing a college is “a really important decision, and you want to make sure you’re in a place where you’re going to thrive,” he says. His experience shows that emotional connection and comfort are just as important as academics.
College counselors agree that culture plays a major role in student satisfaction. Ms. Rachel Jackson, a counselor at MC, explained that tours help students determine whether a campus feels like “home away from home” she says. She also encouraged students to interact with current students, “students are very honest and they will give you their honest opinion about that institution,” says Ms. Jackson. These conversations provide an insight that no website or pamphlet can offer.
By observing student interactions and engaging with the campus community, tours give students the clearest picture of whether they truly belong at the school. Choosing college is one of the most important decisions a student will ever make, and it cannot be determined solely on rankings, websites, or word of mouth. While online resources provide useful information, they fail to capture the full reality of campus life. College tours bridge that gap by allowing students to experience a school’s location, size, and culture first hand.
Through visiting campuses, students gain a deeper understanding of what their daily lives will look like, how they will learn, and whether they feel comfortable in that environment.
College is your home away from home and that decision can’t be made using just a brochure.
Tours aren’t just an extra step in the admissions process–they’re a necessary one.
