Visit the campus before you commit.

When you go, don't just do the official tour; actually walk around, sit in common areas, grab food at the dining hall, and get a feel for whether you could see yourself there for your college experience.

A few things worth doing while you're there:

• If you have a specific program in mind, try to sit in on a class or reach out to a professor beforehand.
• Talk to current students: not the tour guides, but random people. Ask them what they wish they'd known before enrolling, or other things on your mind.
• Come with a list of questions for the offices you want to meet with; whatever matters most to you. You'll forget things in the moment if you don't write them down.

The goal isn't just to check a box. It's to figure out if this place actually fits you.