Naturally when a student reaches their senior year they have to start seriously thinking about where and if they want to go to college. If they choose to go to college, is the beginning of senior year really when students should start looking?

It’s true that seniors should definitely be looking for colleges, but in reality, by this time, they should have already started.

By the time senior year rolls around a big decision is coming — a decision that can’t be made quickly or efficiently without college visits. Many students would be able to figure out which college they’re going to sooner if they were to start attending college campuses during their junior year.

Allowing oneself to be predisposed to all of the college options they might have can allow for more time to think on the decision and choose what suits them best. They can explore more colleges if they have more time set aside to do so. They could do visits to further colleges ranging from a few cities to even states away. Students would be able to visit anything from a four year college to a small community college. This allows them to figure out what would be the best fit for them.

The sooner that a student can decide what college they’re going to the more money they can get to make colleges cheaper. Every university has many scholarships available. Some scholarships can be paired with others and some can only be used for specific universities. If a student was to already know where they were going to college they could apply for scholarships that would help them out more. They would know which ones would benefit them at their specific college. This can help students pay for their tuition and come out of college with less debt. All because they chose to take college visits earlier allowing them to look for more beneficial scholarships.

Some colleges have certain programs that are first-come, first-served. Things like cheaper meal plans and better dorms can be given out this way. If a student went on college visits sooner they would know where it would be beneficial to apply earlier. If a student applies to a college with limited room and board they would have a better chance at getting in the nicer dorms the sooner that they enrolled.

This is only possible if they are aware of what college they want to go to. By starting their college visits sooner they would be able to find the best deals to make their college experience better.

By going on multiple college visits during a junior year students can actually have more time to prepare for college. By seeing the different majors that each school has to offer a student can narrow down what they want to do with their life. They could start to come up with the general direction they would like to go in the career path. Once a student decides on a major or even on a few possibilities of one they can begin asking what classes they could take in high school to prepare for such major. Students would be able to take any classes that would help them succeed in college because they still have another year of highschool.

Students going on college visits during their junior year can help them. It’s beneficial in to the students and the parents. Every kid should start looking into colleges before the year they are expected to make the decision. Having six months of research on places you are going to spend the next two to four years of your life is simply not enough time. All students should start looking into colleges and options during their junior years.