Choosing what college is right for you is one of the most difficult decisions a young adult has to make. For me doing overnight visits was one of the factors that really helped me make the decision about what school was right for me. I'm sure at this point in your college search you've learned about overnight visits, but if you haven't, most colleges (especially small schools like Lewis & Clark) allow prospective students to spend a night in the dorms with current students. Overnight visits are a great way to get to know a school outside of tours and class visits. Doing overnight visits is a great way to get to know what the student body and the culture of the school are like.
Overnight Visits at Lewis and Clark
Prospective students typically meet their overnight students around 5pm, just in time to go to dinner together. Typically the host will take the prospective student to their dorm to drop off bags, and then go to dinner in the bon. Usually, when I'm hosting a student I also like to walk around campus and show off parts of campus that aren't on the tour. I like to show prospies the outdoor pool at the bottom of the reflecting pool, and the grapevines and picnic spaces there. I also like to take people to the Flanagan chappel to see the inside of it because I think it's a beautiful space from the outside and the inside. I think it's also nice to show people the insides of some academic building and the locations of all the different dorms. It's not a huge campus so it's easy to get a feel for it after wandering around for a while. Eating dinner on campus with a host and all of their friends is really nice because it gives prospies a chance to meet a bunch of different people. The rest of the night is really up to the host and is different every night. When I visited Lewis & Clark for example, my host was performing in a one-act play that I got to see. And as another example, the other night when I hosted a student my friends and I had decided to make chocolate covered strawberries for valentines day so my prospie hung out and helped with that. The next morning students typically eat breakfast in the bon and then maybe do a class visit. You never know exactly what you might do but it will most likely be a good way to get to know a school.
Hosting Prospective Students
On the other side of things, once you're a student at LC you can volunteer to host overnight students like I do. I think it's super fun to show prospective students all the parts of Lewis & Clark that I really love. I also think it really rewarding to help people figure out if LC is right for them. I think showing prospies around reminds me and makes me as excited as I was several months ago now when I started school here. It's also a good opportunity to get to know lots of other admissions ambassadors and to get to know the admissions staff. Hosting also makes me feel even more connected to the LC community like I have a hand in showing people how wonderful it. I decided to host students because I really enjoyed my visit to LC and after visiting lots of other schools, overnight visits really helped me decide what school was he best fit for me.
Lunch Hosting
If it's hard to find the time to do an overnight visit, lunch hosting is another great option. Like overnight hosts, lunch hosts are student volunteers who will talk to you about life and academics and anything else you want to know about Lewis & Clark. Plus you get to visit the Bon (Fields Dining Hall) to try out the food and the see what a normal day for most students is like. This is another great way to get a taste of what life at a college is like, and it may help you decide what school make you feel most like you belong there. Ultimately the most important thing when picking a college is where you will feel most comfortable.
Overnight Visits at Lewis and Clark
Prospective students typically meet their overnight students around 5pm, just in time to go to dinner together. Typically the host will take the prospective student to their dorm to drop off bags, and then go to dinner in the bon. Usually, when I'm hosting a student I also like to walk around campus and show off parts of campus that aren't on the tour. I like to show prospies the outdoor pool at the bottom of the reflecting pool, and the grapevines and picnic spaces there. I also like to take people to the Flanagan chappel to see the inside of it because I think it's a beautiful space from the outside and the inside. I think it's also nice to show people the insides of some academic building and the locations of all the different dorms. It's not a huge campus so it's easy to get a feel for it after wandering around for a while. Eating dinner on campus with a host and all of their friends is really nice because it gives prospies a chance to meet a bunch of different people. The rest of the night is really up to the host and is different every night. When I visited Lewis & Clark for example, my host was performing in a one-act play that I got to see. And as another example, the other night when I hosted a student my friends and I had decided to make chocolate covered strawberries for valentines day so my prospie hung out and helped with that. The next morning students typically eat breakfast in the bon and then maybe do a class visit. You never know exactly what you might do but it will most likely be a good way to get to know a school.
Hosting Prospective Students
On the other side of things, once you're a student at LC you can volunteer to host overnight students like I do. I think it's super fun to show prospective students all the parts of Lewis & Clark that I really love. I also think it really rewarding to help people figure out if LC is right for them. I think showing prospies around reminds me and makes me as excited as I was several months ago now when I started school here. It's also a good opportunity to get to know lots of other admissions ambassadors and to get to know the admissions staff. Hosting also makes me feel even more connected to the LC community like I have a hand in showing people how wonderful it. I decided to host students because I really enjoyed my visit to LC and after visiting lots of other schools, overnight visits really helped me decide what school was he best fit for me.
Lunch Hosting
If it's hard to find the time to do an overnight visit, lunch hosting is another great option. Like overnight hosts, lunch hosts are student volunteers who will talk to you about life and academics and anything else you want to know about Lewis & Clark. Plus you get to visit the Bon (Fields Dining Hall) to try out the food and the see what a normal day for most students is like. This is another great way to get a taste of what life at a college is like, and it may help you decide what school make you feel most like you belong there. Ultimately the most important thing when picking a college is where you will feel most comfortable.