20 Questions to Ask Your Campus Tour Guide

A campus tour is only as good as the questions you ask — especially with a current student who can actually answer honestly. An official tour gives you the brochure version; a real student will tell you what they wish they'd known. Bring these 20 questions to your next visit.

Academics

1. How hard is it to get into the classes you need to graduate on time?
2. How accessible are professors outside of class?
3. What's the workload actually like in my intended major?
4. Are there research, internship, or hands-on project opportunities for undergrads?
5. What support exists if you're struggling in a class?

Daily life and housing

1. Which dorms would a first-year realistically live in, and what are they like?
2. What's the food actually like after the first month?
3. How do most students get around campus and town?
4. What do people do on a typical weekend?
5. What's one thing about living here that surprised you?

Social and community

1. How did you make friends your first year?
2. How big a deal is Greek life, and is it easy to opt out?
3. Does the campus empty out on weekends?
4. What's the vibe — competitive, collaborative, laid-back?
5. Where do students actually hang out?

The honest stuff

1. What almost made you transfer, if anything?
2. What do you wish you'd known before you committed?
3. What's the most overrated thing about this school? The most underrated?
4. Who is this school NOT a good fit for?
5. If you were choosing again, would you still pick here?

The last group matters most, and it's exactly where a scripted tour goes quiet. Book a private tour with a current student in your intended major and you'll get straight answers to all twenty — plus the spots on campus that decide whether your student can see themselves there.