Example: 8 Campus Visits Compared (With Journal Pages)

What does a completed college visit journal actually look like? Here's what it looks like when someone fills out a journal for 8 different schools.

This example shows a fictional student's documentation across a realistic range of schools: large state universities, a small liberal arts college, urban and rural campuses, and even a virtual tour. You'll see how consistent documentation makes comparison possible. and how honest entries (including schools that weren't a good fit) create useful data for decision-making.

[Photo placeholder: Spread showing 8 different school entries in the journal]

The School Mix

Our example student, Maya, is a junior in Ohio interested in biology with a possible pre-med track. Over the spring and summer, she visited:

1. Ohio State University (Large public, urban, in-state)
2. Miami University of Ohio (Medium public, college town)
3. Case Western Reserve University (Private, urban)
4. Kenyon College (Small liberal arts, rural)
5. University of Michigan (Large public, college town, out-of-state)
6. Northwestern University (Private, suburban/urban)
7. Duke University (Private, suburban) - Virtual tour only
8. Indiana University Bloomington (Large public, college town)

This represents a realistic search: in-state safeties, regional options, and a few reaches. Let's see what Maya documented.

Entry 1: Ohio State University

[Photo placeholder: Journal pages for Ohio State entry]

The Basics

• Location: Columbus, OH | Setting: Urban | Public
• Enrollment: 47,000+ undergrad | Acceptance Rate: 53%
• Tuition: $12,485 (in-state) | Travel from home: 2 hours

Visit Experience

• In-person tour | Attended info session and campus tour
• Visited dorms (yes) | Visited dining (yes) | Talked to current student (briefly)

What Maya Liked "The campus feels like its own city. The research facilities for biology were impressive. multiple labs mentioned undergrad opportunities. Football culture is insane but kind of fun to see. Tons of dining options."

What Maya Didn't Like "Overwhelming size. Hard to imagine not feeling anonymous in lecture halls of 400+ students. Parking situation seemed chaotic. Our tour group was 40 people, felt impersonal."

Best Reasons to Go Here

1. Strong pre-med advising and hospital affiliations
2. In-state tuition makes it affordable
3. Research opportunities even for undergrads

Ratings (2-9 scale)

• Campus: 7 | Academics: 7 | Social Life: 8 | Dorms: 5 | Dining: 7 | Overall: 6

Can I imagine myself here? Maybe. need to think about whether I can handle the size.

Ideal for my major? Yes

Entry 4: Kenyon College

[Photo placeholder: Journal pages for Kenyon entry]

The Basics

• Location: Gambier, OH | Setting: Rural | Private
• Enrollment: 1,900 undergrad | Acceptance Rate: 34%
• Tuition: $64,000 | Travel from home: 1.5 hours

Visit Experience

• In-person tour | Info session, campus tour, class visit
• Visited dorms (yes) | Visited dining (yes) | Talked to 3 current students

What Maya Liked "Gorgeous campus. the walking paths and old buildings felt like a movie. Every student we met seemed genuinely happy. The bio professor I talked to knew students by name. Small class sizes (average 14 students). Writing-intensive curriculum even in science."

What Maya Didn't Like "It's in the middle of nowhere. One main street in the 'town.' No public transit. Would need a car by junior year or go crazy. Social scene seems limited (Greek life dominates.")

Best Reasons to Go Here

1. Close relationships with professors
2. Strong writing across all majors (good for med school apps)
3. Tight-knit community feel

Ratings (2-9 scale)

• Campus: 9 | Academics: 8 | Social Life: 5 | Dorms: 7 | Dining: 6 | Overall: 7

Can I imagine myself here? Yes, if I'm okay with rural isolation. The academics are what I want.

Ideal for my major? Yes

Entry 7: Duke University (Virtual Tour)

[Photo placeholder: Journal pages for Duke entry, with "Virtual" marked]

The Basics

• Location: Durham, NC | Setting: Suburban | Private
• Enrollment: 6,700 undergrad | Acceptance Rate: 6%
• Tuition: $63,000 | Travel from home: 8+ hours (flight required)

Visit Experience

• Virtual tour only | Watched info session recording and student-led virtual tour
• Did not visit dorms | Did not visit dining | Did not talk to students live

What Maya Liked "The virtual tour was well-produced. Gothic architecture is beautiful. Clearly elite academics. Research opportunities mentioned constantly. Strong pre-med program."

What Maya Didn't Like "Hard to get a real feel through video. Seemed polished to the point of feeling like a commercial. Can't tell what campus energy is actually like. Durham is far from home (would only see family on breaks.")

Best Reasons to Go Here

1. Top-tier academics and name recognition
2. Medical center on campus (great for pre-med exposure)
3. Strong alumni network

Ratings (2-9 scale)

• Campus: ? (virtual) | Academics: 9 | Social Life: ? | Dorms: ? | Dining: ? | Overall: 7 (tentative)

Can I imagine myself here? Can't tell from virtual. Would need in-person visit before applying ED.

Ideal for my major? Yes (based on research, not experience)

Note: Maya marked several ratings with "?" because she couldn't assess them virtually. This is honest documentation. it tells her that if Duke makes her shortlist, she needs to visit in person before committing.

Entry 8: Indiana University Bloomington

[Photo placeholder: Journal pages for IU entry]

The Basics

• Location: Bloomington, IN | Setting: College town | Public
• Enrollment: 34,000 undergrad | Acceptance Rate: 82%
• Tuition: $38,000 (out-of-state) | Travel from home: 3.5 hours

Visit Experience

• In-person tour | Info session and campus tour
• Visited dorms (no. closed for renovation) | Visited dining (yes) | Talked to current student (yes)

What Maya Liked "Beautiful campus. the limestone buildings are stunning. Bloomington is a real college town with tons to do. Students seemed laid-back and happy. Good value compared to other large schools."

What Maya Didn't Like "Biology department felt like an afterthought on the tour. they focused on business school. Pre-med advising unclear. Party school reputation. Out-of-state tuition makes it expensive for what it is."

Best Reasons to Go Here

1. Beautiful campus and great college town
2. Large school resources without feeling as overwhelming as Ohio State
3. Strong general education/liberal arts foundation

Ratings (2-9 scale)

• Campus: 8 | Academics: 5 | Social Life: 7 | Dorms: ? (didn't see) | Dining: 6 | Overall: 6

Can I imagine myself here? Yes, but not for pre-med. Maybe if I change majors.

Ideal for my major? No (bio wasn't a strength.)

What the Comparison Reveals

Looking across Maya's 8 entries, patterns emerge that wouldn't be visible from memory alone:

Highest-rated campuses: Kenyon (9), IU (8), Michigan (8) Best for her major: Case Western, Kenyon, Northwestern, Duke "Can I imagine myself here?" = Yes: Kenyon, Case Western, Northwestern Schools that need in-person visits before deciding: Duke (only virtual), OSU (need to resolve size concern)

Without consistent documentation, Maya would be comparing fuzzy impressions. With it, she can filter: which schools scored well on academics AND got a "yes" on the gut check? That's her shortlist.

[Photo placeholder: Side-by-side comparison of rating scores across all 8 schools]

What Maya's Journal Revealed

Honest "no" entries are valuable. Maya documented IU as "not for pre-med" even though she liked the campus. That honesty saves her from applying to a school that isn't a good fit for her goals.

Virtual tour limitations are real. The Duke entry shows how much can't be assessed remotely. Maya knows she needs more information before that school can be seriously considered.

Ratings without context are incomplete. Maya rated IU dorms as "?" because she didn't see them. That gap is documented, not hidden. If dorms matter to her decision, she knows what she's missing.

"Best reasons to go here" forces clarity. Every school gets three reasons. If Maya struggled to fill that section, it signaled she didn't learn enough (or the school wasn't compelling).

For your own college search, grab our Campus Visits Remembered journal and document every visit. You'll thank yourself when decision time arrives.

For more on what to track, see our complete college visit checklist and our guide to college visit documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to visit 8 schools before I can compare?

No. you can start comparing after 2-3 visits. The more schools you document, the more useful the comparison becomes. Even 4-5 well-documented visits provide meaningful patterns.

What if my ratings are all similar across schools?

If everything is scoring 6-7, you might need to be more critical. The 2-9 scale exists to force differentiation. Ask yourself: which school had the BEST dining? That one should be an 8. Which was clearly weaker? That's a 5. Spread matters.

Should I include schools I toured but definitely won't apply to?

Yes. Documenting why a school didn't work helps clarify what you're looking for. Maya's "no" on IU for pre-med sharpened her criteria. That learning is valuable.

How do I handle a school where I had a bad visit day?

Note the circumstances (bad weather, rushed tour, feeling sick) and adjust your interpretation. Consider whether the visit issues were about the school or about the day. If you're unsure, consider a second visit before ruling it out.

What if my impressions change after the visit?

Add a note with the date. "Revisiting this 2 weeks later: still feel good about Kenyon but worried about isolation." Your journal can include updates (just keep the original impressions too.)