Make the most of your college visits. Of course, you want to sit in on classes, see the dorms, the gyms, music rooms, labs, and probably taste the coffee. Be sure to arrive with a carefully curated list of questions. Months after your visits, their answers may help inform your ultimate decisions.

Review these suggestions; then create your own list.

It’s was never easy to hop on a train or plain to visit colleges. This year, due to Covid19, you’ll have to tour and research creatively

If you are at the beginning of a search, you should visit comprehensive sites, such as YouVisit.com where you can access and click through hundreds of virtual 360 or virtual reality BYOG (bring your own goggles) tours. Interactive photos, videos, and engaging student "tour leaders” offer an effective glimpse into the campus facilities, and answer many FAQ’s.

"I think it can be an authentic view into a campus of what it really feels like to be there," says Joe Lackner, director of web communications at Hanover College in Indiana, which offers a 360-degree video tour alongside supplemental videos.

Remember, of course, that virtual tours as well as campus tours are curated carefully. Ask questions!