Getting the Most Out of a Campus Visit, Open House or Virtual Tour

Why the visit matters more than the viewbook

A viewbook and website show the best angle of every building and the sunniest day of the year. A visit shows you the school on an ordinary Tuesday, which is what your daily life there looks like.

Before you go

• Book official events early. Class visits, overnight stays and info sessions fill during fall and spring tour season, so register through the admissions office website weeks ahead.

• Write down three to five questions specific to your program, not generic ones the tour guide already answers on the walk.

• Check the visit-day schedule for your school of interest, since faculties run separate sessions from the general campus tour.

What to do on campus

Sit in on a real class

Ask admissions to arrange a class visit in your intended program, ideally a first or second-year course. Watch how the professor teaches, how many students speak up, and whether the room size matches what you expect.

Talk to students who are not tour guides

Tour guides train as ambassadors and give you the polished answer. Stop students in the library, the dining hall or a hallway and ask what they would change about the school, and whether their program delivered what the website promised.

Walk your actual daily route

Time the walk from your program's main building to the library, the gym and a first-year residence. A 20-minute cross-campus walk in a Canadian winter between an 8:30am class and a 9:30am lab changes your daily reality.

Check a real dorm room

Ask to see a standard room, not the show room used for tours. Check the bathroom setup, whether the room is a single or shared, and what the meal plan includes versus what the brochure lists.

Ask about support services directly

Ask the wait time for a first counselling appointment at the health and wellness centre, the ratio of students to academic advisors, and how the writing centre and tutoring services work. Vague answers here are a signal, not an accident.

Questions worth asking every school

• What is the average class size in second and third year for this program.

• What percentage of students in this program get an internship or co-op placement.

• How many students share a dorm bathroom in first-year residence.

• What is the current wait time to see a counsellor at the health centre.

• Is residence guaranteed past first year, and what does it cost.

What to bring

Bring a notebook or your phone with your question list already typed out, since you forget half your questions once the tour starts. Wear comfortable shoes, since most campus tours cover a lot of ground on foot, often for an hour or more.

Bring a copy of your current course list or transcript if you plan to meet a program advisor, since specific questions about credit transfer or prerequisites go faster with your actual record in hand.

Overnight stay programs

Many Canadian universities run an overnight stay program where you sleep in a first-year residence room hosted by a current student. This shows you residence noise levels, roommate dynamics and a real evening on campus, details a daytime tour does not show you.

Book an overnight stay early, since spots run limited and fill fast during peak fall visit season. Ask your host directly about food options after the dining hall closes and how the walk back to residence feels late at night.

Check accessibility and specific support services

If you need accommodations for a disability, a learning difference or a chronic health condition, book a meeting with the accessibility services office during your visit rather than relying on the general tour. Ask about the process for registering with the office, typical turnaround time for accommodation letters, and whether professors in your intended program cooperate well with accommodation requests.

Ask about specific support for your own situation, whether that means a faith or cultural student association, an Indigenous student centre, an LGBTQ+ resource centre or an international and exchange student office. Meeting the staff who run these services during your visit tells you more than the website page describing them.

Ask about cost beyond tuition

Ask admissions or financial aid about the full cost of attendance, including residence, a meal plan, textbooks and mandatory fees, not the tuition number on the website alone. Ask what scholarships or entrance awards apply automatically based on your grades, and which ones need a separate application.

When a virtual tour is enough

Use a virtual tour to cut your list from ten schools to three or four, especially for schools far from home where an in-person visit costs real time and money. Pick a live virtual session with a current student host over a pre-recorded video, since you ask questions in real time.

Book an in-person visit before you commit to your final one or two choices, where travel allows it. A virtual tour cannot show you campus noise, the walk in real weather, or how a dining hall smells at lunch rush.

After the visit

Write notes within a few hours, while the details stay separate in your memory. Rate each school against the same short list of criteria, so schools do not blur together after the third or fourth visit.

Compare your notes against your actual priorities: program fit, cost, distance from home and campus feel. The school that photographs best is not always the one that fits your daily life.