By Claire Heinichen ’11, Lighter Fare Section Editor, Laura Heinichen ’95, Alum Contributor, and Katie Heinichen ’97, Alum Contributor

October of Senior Year. A terribly stressful time of life for every member of the 12th grade, the result of calculus, lack of senior privileges, and above all, college applications. There is no task more daunting than filling out the common app, no concept more terrifying than narrowing down your list of colleges, and no idea more dreadful than hitting submit and waiting for months while the college of your dreams decides whether or not you tried hard enough in Mrs. Dunn’s class or crammed enough clubs into the 25 minute club period. However, there is a bright side to the doom and gloom senior year fall, which is that first weekend in October where we get a day off school for college visiting. College visiting is like living inside one of those shiny brochures they give you at those info sessions you attend when you want an excuse to get out of class. Everyone is nice and smiley, and even at the most selective of schools everyone treats you like they are dying for you to apply. But there are definitely a few ways that this vacation from reality can go wrong, ways that you become the laughing stock of your campus info session or the one your tour guide tries to ditch when you go to the bathroom. In order to avoid these pitfalls, I decided to leave my parents at home and have my older sisters take me college visiting. If you aren’t as lucky as I am (having more siblings than the Brady Bunch) then here are a few tips we came up with to ensure that your college visits are embarrassment free.

Top 10 Things NOT to do While College Visiting

1. Don’t wear clothing from that school’s bookstore. You look stupid. Everyone knows you just bought them and your tour guide is not impressed.

2. On the same note, don’t try to act like you’re better than the school by wearing something from their rival. Your tour guide will be equally unimpressed and will wonder why you’re there. Not good.

3. Don’t ask dumb questions just to be “memorable”. Being remembered  as that girl who asked what the A in UVA stands for is not what your college counsler meant by memorable.

4. Stopping to take self pictures in front of every building might not hurt your chances of getting in, but people will definitely think you are weird.

5. No one cares about your SAT scores, your GPA, or that all four of your grandparens, both your parents, and all of your siblings go to that school. Sure fire way to make zero friends and possibly be punched in the face.

6. Don’t bring the parent that is most likely to walk up to the Dean of Admissions and say “Is this school seriously worth this much money?” (Note: true story)

7. Don’t ask if your parents can stay in your dorm with you. And if for some totally normal reason your family owns one of those looks-like-a-backpack-acts-like-a-leash things you might want to leave it at home. Same goes for fanny packs.

8. Asking your tour guide to hold your hand when you cross the street is perfect proof you’re not quite ready for college. Or leaving the house.

9. Even if your tour guide is really really ridiculously good-looking, the only result of hitting on them is making everyone on your tour extremely uncomfortable.

10. Asking your tour to wait while you take an extremely long bathroom break is probably not the way to go.

As for the rest of your college visiting experience, just be yourself! And if yourself isn’t great with first impressions, there’s always college online. Good luck!

Photo courtesy of spacemonkeypants.com. LOL.