Visiting a university is the best way to determine if it's the "right" one for you. I visited over 6 schools, and I learned what I wanted in a school from each one. Even if you don't like the school after your visit, you will now know what you don't want... which brings you closer to the school that will have what you need. It's more about the vibe of the school and the student body than anything else.
Rutgers is a very big school so it gives off eclectic and diverse vibe. However, I chose Rutgers only after Spring Overnight Weekend for Accepted Students at Douglass. I loved that weekend so much that I chose Rutgers because of the Douglass community, which felt very warm, friendly, success-oriented and close-knitted. Now, I'm one of the hosts for this year's Overnight weekend. How surreal is that? Anyways, if any of you girls want to visit Rutgers, definitely look into the Overnight Weekend we're planning for admitted high school students. Even if you might not be remotely interested in Douglass, this is still a great opportunity for you to get a taste of college life at Rutgers in general. Staying overnight is much different from going on a rapid-speed tour of the campus and hearing an administrator give you all the rankings/numbers/etc of a school.
Forgive me for linking a CollegeBoard (the most greedy, definitely-for-profit company that eats up your college fund money before you're even in college) article, but they do have a good checklist about college tours.
What I learned from my visits:
1. I like pretty campuses. Grass and trees on campus were definitely a priority for me. I did not care about that academics/so forth of a University if it did not have a pretty campus. If I'm going to live there for 4 years, I want to feel like a peaceful home.
2. I want a class sizes of 50 students. I loved Swarthmore College (a beautiful, top-notch liberal arts college in Pennsylvania), but it reminded me too much of my high school bubble. However, I should add I do not love the large lecture-style classrooms at Rutgers. 300 students in a class is too much for me. I guess it's about compromise.
3. Diverse student body adds an important part to college experience.
4. Having faculty that will reach out to help students.
5. Food is of minimal importance to me. I would never choose a college based on food but instead, I will choose a college based on how many trees on the campus. We all have superficial, but still important, elements on our checklist.
6. I don't want an isolated school in the middle of nowhere.
7. The nature of the students who attend the university is incredibly important. Are they always in a rush? Do they look happy? If you look lost navigating their campus, would they stop and help you? Etc.
Good luck on your college visits! Let me know if you have any questions.
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