Taking the Show on the Road: The College Tour

A component of the College Counseling program, the junior class college trip is designed to teach students how to effectively visit and evaluate colleges and universities. This two-day trip is a classroom on wheels as students debrief on the bus following each campus visit. The debriefing process helps them become experts in the college search process by posing questions about what they heard and saw, discussing various components of the visit, and helping them formulate questions to ask on other tours.
 
While many independent schools offer college visit trips, Hammond is unique in that the entire junior class participates in the overnight excursion. At each school visited, students take a walking tour of campus and lunch in campus dining halls. Connecting with Hammond alumni who participate in question-and-answer sessions is a meaningful and helpful way for students to discover ways to best leverage their Hammond experience for college admission.
 
According to Director of College Counseling Carolyn Stoddard, “The colleges we visit are intentionally selected to present students with a range of different characteristics. We base our choices on a variety of factors that include size, course offerings, and academic selectivity. Our list is intentionally diverse to expose students to the many variables they should consider as they begin to think about post-graduation options.”
 
While the list of college visits changes yearly, students complete the trip better prepared to make thoughtful decisions about the next step in the journey.