Even with an abundance of online college information, nothing beats a personal visit. During a campus visit, you can personally experience the details that make a college special and gauge if it might be a good fit for you. It can also be very helpful when trying to decide between different colleges. Even better, college visits can actually increase your chances of being accepted. For example, Tufts University includes in their acceptance criteria whether an applicant has actually visited the school or just dropped an application.
To get the most benefit from a visit, make sure you do thorough college research online and build a list of potential colleges you are considering. From that list, you can then come up with a visiting plan.
The Best Times to Visit Boston Area Colleges
Visiting during summer vacation before the senior year is popular because it does not interfere with school and can be combined with summer vacation travel. Since many colleges start in mid-August, you may want to visit during that time so you can see the school in action. Visiting earlier in the summer can work too, but of course there will be fewer or no students present.
Fall is a great time to visit Boston colleges. Not only is the weather amazing, but the fall colors make each college shine. You will also find that the energy on campus is at its best.
Many college advisors recommend visiting in the spring during your junior year. This is a good strategy if you plan to apply for an early decision in the fall. Of course, it requires your college research to be done early.
The Best Days to Visit Boston Area Colleges
Each college has its own schedule for visiting, and some are open seven days a week, others only a few days a week. Generally, weekends are not a good time to visit, as colleges operate on a weekend schedule. Many Boston colleges offer Monday through Friday for visits, but sometimes Friday is not the best day to visit as students get ready for the weekend. Make sure you don’t visit during holidays or special exam days. Checking with colleges is best before you plan a visit.
Visiting multiple colleges
Visiting multiple colleges on the same trip is a great idea. Grouping them by general location will make that easier. In the table below, you will see the general location of each school.
Metro Center: This indicates that you can reach it via the subway (called the T).
Metro North, West, and South: best visited by car, Uber, or, in some cases, commuter rail.
Other Visiting Considerations
The following are typical visiting options offered by Boston colleges:.
|
Campus Tour |
A guided tour on campus is generally followed by an information session. |
|
Self-Guided Tour |
You can visit the campus, but you need to explore by yourself. Some colleges offer mobile apps and/or maps. |
|
Virtual Tour |
A student-led online tour of the campus (3D) or simply videos describing the campus. |
|
Information Sessions |
It can be on-campus or virtual. |
| Interviews | It can be on-campus or virtual. |
|
Open House |
Most are in the fall, and a few are virtual. |
Visiting Options for Boston Area Colleges
The list below shows visiting options available from Boston Area colleges. Please check the details before you plan to visit.
| Amherst College | Metro West Location, Campus Tour, Self-Guided Tour,Virtual Tour, Information session |  |  |
| Babson College | Metro West Location, Campus Tour, Self-Guided Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, On-Campus information session | | |
| Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour | | |
| Bentley Univesity | Metro West Location, Campus Tour, Self-Guided Tour, Metro Center Location, Virtual Tour, Information Sessions, Interviews | | |
| Berklee College of Music | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Self-Guided Tour, Virtual Tour, Information session | | |
| Boston Architectural College | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, Information session | | |
| Boston Baptist College | Metro South Location, Campus Tour, Open House, Information session | | |
| Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis Inc | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour | | |
| Boston University | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, Information session Read more... | | |
| Brandeis University | Metro West Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open Metro West Location, House, Information session(Virtual and Campus) | | |
| Bridgewater State University | Metro South Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, Information session | | |
| Bunker Hill | Metro Center Location, Self Guided Tour, Information Sessions by appointment | | |
| Cambridge College | Metro Center Location, Virtual Tour | | |
| Curry College | Metro South Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Information Sessions, Interview, Open House | | |
| Eastern Nazarene College | Metro South Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour,Information Session | | |
| Emerson College | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Information session, Open House | | |
| Emmanuel College | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Informations sessions, Open House | | |
| Endicott University | Metro North Location, Campus Tour, Self-Guided Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, Information session, Interviews | | |
| Fisher College | Metro Center Location, Virtual Tour, Virtual information session | | |
| Framingham State University | Metro West Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Information session (Virtual + Campus) | | |
| Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Metro West Location, Campus Tour, Self-Guided Tour, Virtual Tour, Virtual Open House, Informations Sessions (Virtual and campus) | | |
| Gordon College | Metro North Location, Campus Tour, Self-Guided Tour, Vistual Tours, Campus Events | | |
| Harvard University | Metro Center Location, Campus Tours,Self Guided Tour, Virtual Tours, Information sessions,
Read more... | | |
| Hebrew College | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Campus information session ,Virtual information session | | |
| Hellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, On-Campus information session | | |
| Hult International Business School | Metro Center Location, Virtual Open House, Virtual information session | | |
| Laboure College | Metro South Location, Contact School | | |
| Lasell University | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, Virtual information session | | |
| Lesley University | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, On-Campus information session | | |
| Longy School of Music of Bard College | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Visit, Open House, On-Campus information session , Virtual information session | | |
| Massachusetts Bay Community College | Metro West Location, Virtual Tour, Open House | | |
| Massachusetts College of Art and Design | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Information session (Virtual and Campus), Special events | | |
| Massachusetts School of Law | Metro North Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, On-Campus information session, Virtual information session | | |
| MCPHS University | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Metro Center Location, Open House, On-Campus information session , Virtual information session | | |
| Merrimack College | Metro North Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, On-Campus information session , Virtual information session | | |
| MIT | Metro Center Location, Campus Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Virtual Tours, On-Campus information session , Virtual information session Read more... | | |
| Montserrat College of Art | Metro North Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, On-Campus information session | | |
| New England School of Law | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Virtual information session | | |
| North Shore Community College | Metro North Location, Virtual Tour | | |
| Northeastern University | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Self-Guided Tour, Open House, On-Campus information session | | |
| Northern Essex Community College | Metro North Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, On-Campus information session | | |
| Northpoint Bible College | Metro North Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House | | |
| Quincy College | Metro South Location, Open House | | |
| Regis College | Metro West Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Information Session | | |
| Roxbury Community College | Metro Center Location, Virtual Tour, Self-Guided Tour | | |
| Saint John's Seminary | Metro West Location, Campus Tour, Open House | | |
| Salem State University | Campus Tour, Self-Guided Tour, Metro North Location, Virtual Tour, Open House, Information session (Virtual and Campus) | | |
| Simmons University | Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open Metro Center Location, House, On-Campus information session, Virtual information session | | |
| Suffolk University | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, On-Campus information session, Virtual information session | | |
| The New England Conservatory of Music | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, On-Campus information session | | |
| Tufts | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Self-Guided Tour, Virtual Tour, Virtual Open House, On-Campus information session | | |
| Urban College of Boston | Metro Center Location, On-Campus Visit, Virtual information session | | |
| Wellesley College | Metro West Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, On-Campus information session , Virtual information session | | |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | Metro Center Location, On-Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, Open House, Virtual information session, Campus Information session | | |
| Wheelock College | Metro Center Location, Campus Tour, Virtual Tour, On-Campus information session | | |
| William James College | Metro West Location, Campus Tour, Open House, On-Campus information session | | |
