--- title: College Hunting? Don't Miss These Tips description: Use these off-the-beaten-path tips to gather more material to make choosing a college easier. image: https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/images/mwisdom_blog/win16_collegehunting.jpg --- [![MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2.png?width=464&name=MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2.png "MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2")](https://go.hfcu.org/blog) Filter by Category** - [Show All](https://go.hfcu.org/blog) - [Security](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/security) - [Personal Finance](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/personal-finance) - [Auto](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/auto) - [Business](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/business) - [Credit Score](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-score) - [Home](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/home) - [Credit Cards](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-cards) - [Life Changes](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/life-changes) - [Insurance](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/insurance) - [Investments](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/investments) Filter by Category** - [Show All](https://go.hfcu.org/blog) - [Security](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/security) - [Personal Finance](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/personal-finance) - [Auto](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/auto) - [Business](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/business) - [Credit Score](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-score) - [Home](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/home) - [Credit Cards](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-cards) - [Life Changes](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/life-changes) - [Insurance](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/insurance) - [Investments](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/investments) ### Posts by Topic - [Personal Finance (262)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/personal-finance) - [Home (164)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/home) - [Life Changes (109)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/life-changes) - [Credit Cards (92)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-cards) - [Security (74)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/security) - [Credit Score (69)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-score) - [Auto (60)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/auto) - [Checking (54)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/checking) - [Business (48)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/business) - [Investments (36)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/investments) - [Mortgage (32)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/mortgage) - [Savings (29)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/savings) - [Scams (29)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/scams) - [Work (28)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/work) - [Debt (25)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/debt) - [Holidays (25)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/holidays) - [Money Management (22)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/money-management) - [Hanscom FCU (21)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/hanscom-fcu) - [Home Ownership (21)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/home-ownership) - [Credit Report (20)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-report) - [Government (20)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/government) - [Home Equity (18)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/home-equity) - [Budget (17)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/budget) - [Mobile Banking (17)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/mobile-banking) - [Investment Property (16)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/investment-property) - [Saving Money (16)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/saving-money) - [Insurance (15)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/insurance) - [Taxes (15)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/taxes) - [Children (13)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/children) - [College (11)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/college) - [Financial Wellness (11)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/financial-wellness) - [Retirement (11)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/retirement) - [Community (10)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/community) - [Online Banking (10)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/online-banking) - [Estate Planning (8)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/estate-planning) - [COVID (7)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/covid) - [Deals (7)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/deals) - [Death (7)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/death) - [Shopping (7)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/shopping) - [Fraud (6)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/fraud) - [Mass Save (6)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/mass-save) - [Teens (6)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/teens) - [Divorce (5)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/divorce) - [Travel (5)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/travel) - [ATM (4)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/atm) - [Baby (4)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/baby) - [Debit Cards (3)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/debit-cards) - [Motorcycles (3)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/motorcycles) - [Weddings (3)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/weddings) - [Boats (2)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/boats) - [Charity (2)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/charity) - [Family Finance (2)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/family-finance) - [Lending (2)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/lending) - [Credit Unions (1)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-unions) - [Green (1)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/green) - [Medical (1)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/medical) - [Pets (1)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/pets) - [dormant account (1)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/dormant-account) - [inactive account (1)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/inactive-account) # College Hunting? Don't Miss These Tips ** [MoneyWisdom Newsletter](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/author/moneywisdom-newsletter) ** Jan 07, 2016 ![](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/images/mwisdom_blog/win16_collegehunting.jpg) Visiting a college campus in person can help determine if a school is right for you. It can help you eliminate schools that are a poor fit, and offers insight you just can’t get from any other source. An important first step is to sign up for a school’s official information session or campus tour. Then, use these off-the-beaten-path tips to gather more material to make choosing a college easier. - **Take a tour online.** Browsing around a school’s website should give you the basics (directions, parking information, campus map). Note if the descriptions and pictures online match up with reality after your in-person tour. - **Spend time at the student center or dining hall.** A busy “hub” of the campus can provide important insight to student life. Note how students interact. Are they friendly and having interesting discussions? Are they keeping to themselves and in a rush? Don’t be afraid to approach current students and let them know you are considering going there. Candid feedback can give you a better understanding of campus culture. Grab a copy of the student newspaper while you’re there too. - **Stop by an academic department of interest.** Even if you aren’t certain of your field of study, a visit during office hours may allow you to chat with a professor and see how faculty members interact with students. - **Inquire about campus safety.** A safe place to study and socialize is important. If you don’t ask, your parents probably will! - **Ask questions at the financial aid department.** If you are concerned a school may be out of your budget, the financial aid department can provide information on opportunities such as grants, work-study programs and more. - **Take pictures and notes.** Recap your visit as soon as possible. List pros and cons that are easy to compare with any other campuses you visit. ### helping you get there We know choosing a college is a big investment. We’re here to help. Whether you’re looking to save for college, borrow, or manage your finances once you’re on campus, we’re with you all the way. [![Download the College Visit Checklist](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/118438/e0b7c7c8-33e5-491c-b83b-89a7aeb32d78.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/118438/e0b7c7c8-33e5-491c-b83b-89a7aeb32d78) ### Apply Now for Our College Scholarships Would $1,500 help with college plans? We have up to five scholarships for members based on academic achievement,extracurricular activities, community service and a onepage essay. Financial need may also be considered. The scholarship is named for former board member John F.Condon, who served the credit union for 26 years. To qualify, you must be a graduating high school senior and a primary member of the credit union in good standing at the time you apply. Packages are now available at [www.hfcu.org/scholarship](http://www.hfcu.org/scholarship), at any branch or by calling **800-656-4328, ext. 2203**. ** [Life Changes](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/life-changes) [** Boost Your Mood with a Solid Savings Plan ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/get-out-of-debt) [** Maria Porto Provides Added Value to Employee Benefits Programs ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/maria-porto-provides-added-value-to-employee-benefits-programs) ### About Author ![Default Author Image](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/476360/Blog%20Template/Images/default-author-thumbnail.jpg) MoneyWisdom Newsletter Related Posts [![Here's The Difference Between An Heir And A Beneficiary](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/grandparents%20on%20beach.png) Here's The Difference Between An Heir And A Beneficiary ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/whats-the-difference-between-an-heir-and-a-beneficiary) [![Should I Send My Teen To College With a Credit Card?](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Should%20I%20Send%20My%20Teen%20To%20College%20With%20A%20Credit%20Card.png) Should I Send My Teen To College With a Credit Card? ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/bid/185097/college-students-and-credit-cards) [![When You Have to Trim the Wedding Budget](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Trim%20the%20Budget.png) When You Have to Trim the Wedding Budget ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/when-you-have-to-trim-the-wedding-budget) ** - [**](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://go.hfcu.org/blog/college-visit/) - [**](https://X.com/share?url=https://go.hfcu.org/blog/college-visit/) - [**](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://go.hfcu.org/blog/college-visit/&summary=&source=CeBIT) ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ### Comment ### Subscribe To Blog ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### contact **Hanscom Federal Credit Union** 1610 Eglin St. Hanscom AFB, MA 01731 Call us: [800-656-4328](tel:8006564328) [https://www.hfcu.org/](https://www.hfcu.org/) ### About Us [The MoneyWisdom Blog](https://www.hfcu.org/the-moneywisdom-blog.html) ### Social ** ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** ### https://www.facebook.com/HanscomFederalCreditUnion The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** ### https://X.com/HanscomFCU The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** ### https://www.instagram.com/hanscomfcu/ The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** ### https://www.linkedin.com/company/hanscomfcu/ The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** ### http://www.youtube.com/c/HanscomFederalCreditUnion The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ### Popular Posts [What You Need to Know About Putting Your Home in a Trust](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-putting-your-home-in-a-trust) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20-%202022-02-10T072804.753.jpg) [What You Need to Know About Your Federal Tax Bracket](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-your-tax-bracket) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20-%202021-03-22T123305.900.jpg) [6 Boat Types to Get on the Water](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/6-boat-types-to-get-on-the-water) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/images/Jet_Ski.jpg) [23 Organizations Dedicated to the Needs of Seniors](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/23-organizations-dedicated-to-the-needs-of-seniors) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Senior%20citizens.jpg) [9 Smart Moves for Lottery Winners](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/lottery) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/images/lottery_winner.jpg) ### Recent Posts - [![National Credit Union Administration](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NCUA-logo-small.png?width=95&name=NCUA-logo-small.png) ](https://www.ncua.gov/) [![Equal Housing Lender](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/EHL-logo-small.png?width=65&name=EHL-logo-small.png)](https://www.hud.gov/fairhousing) - @ 2023 [Hanscom Federal Credit Union](https://www.hfcu.org/) - Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.hfcu.org/content/docs/Privacy_Notice.pdf) **Disclosure:** Hanscom Federal Credit Union does not provide and is not responsible for any products, services, or overall website content available at any third-party sites linked within this blog. Moreover, Hanscom Federal Credit Union's privacy policies do not apply to any of the linked websites within this blog. Please consult the privacy disclosures on those linked sites for further information. ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "MoneyWisdom Newsletter" }, "dateModified" : "February 14, 2020, 2:10:29 PM", "datePublished" : "2016-01-07 14:19:39", "description" : "Use these off-the-beaten-path tips to gather more material to make choosing a college easier.", "headline" : "College Hunting? Don't Miss These Tips", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/118438/images/mwisdom_blog/win16_collegehunting.jpg" }, "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://go.hfcu.org/blog/college-visit", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/118438/Logo%202.jpg" }, "name" : "Hanscom Federal Credit Union" } } ```