1. Call ahead and arrange an official visit. Most college tours include a group question/answer sessions with and admissions representative, a guided walk around campus, a peek into a dorm and a meal at the best dining hall. Colleges also keep track of potential students who visit, when reviewing applications they may look at this as an indicator of interest.

2. Ask questions. Your tour guide will likely be a student at the school trained to answer your questions. What does your tour guide think of the professors? Are they easily accessible? What kinds of clubs are on campus? Can they put you in contact with other students in your major?

3. Try not to visit more than two in one day. You know how it is when you see a bunch of people in one day? By the end, you can barely remember their faces, let alone their hometown and names. The same kind of black hole will form if you try and cram more than two college visits into one day. The programs, professors and perks will seem like one blob of information.

4. Visit with an open mind. Definitely consider the campus activities you saw, the students you met and the overall feeling you had while on campus. But also remember that spending one day at a college is a completely different experience than spending four years there. Keep an open mind. First impressions do matter, but don't be afraid to give a place a second chance.

5. Talk to regular students too, not just your tour guide. Ask them how they like the school, what they'd change if they could, the pros and the cons.

6. Play tourist. Half the fun of a college campus is the college town, so take time to explore the surrounding neighborhoods. If your child ends up attending this school, you’ll be spending a lot of time here too. Scout out the surrounding areas and ask yourself if you can envision yourself there.