Every day is a good day to fall in love with the College of Charleston.

But visiting any college campus can be overwhelming. You see dozens of buildings, talk to all sorts of new people, and receive seemingly endless amounts of advice and information.

Fortunately, visiting the College doesn’t have to be stressful. Follow these five guidelines to have a successful tour: 

There’s a lot of walking during a campus tour, so dress comfortably and bring water.

1. Bring a hair tie, a water bottle and some good walking shoes

Anything that distracts you from your tour or makes you feel uncomfortable will likely cause you to miss out on the full experience. Distractions might even give you a bad vibe for no good reason.

The last thing you want to be worried about is your hair frizzing up or sticking to your neck while your tour guide is telling you about the dorms.

Also, it gets pretty warm in the spring, and by the summer it’s sweltering. It’s no good being so hot that all you’re thinking about is finding a drinking fountain while you’re walking through Cistern Yard. It’s just not productive.

And trust us, unsupportive flip flops, long walks through the city and Charleston’s charmingly uneven brickwork don’t go very well together.

2. Come with a plan

You don’t want to spend all of your visit aimlessly wandering around campus, especially if this is your only chance to experience CofC.

Be sure to spend time at places you anticipate frequenting if you attend CofC. Check out the buildings where your prospective major is housed as well as the gym, the library, the dining halls etc.

Don’t pass up the opportunity to see features of campus that are unique to the College such as the historic houses serving as faculty offices, Cougar Mall and Sottile Theatre.

To help guide you around campus check out the “names of buildings and campus landmarks” page on our website for a description and address of each location.

A Charleston 40 tour guide speaks with prospective students during a tour. 

3. Talk one-on-one with a tour guide or current student

Possibly the best way to gain perspective on what it’s like to go to CofC is to ask someone who goes to CofC. Simple as that.

Better yet, talk to as many people one-on-one as you can: current students, professors or alumni. You’d be surprised how much people love talking about their school.

Don’t be intimidated. Ask questions, no matter how big or small or (seemingly) dumb. Everyone you talk to was once in your shoes.

4. Don’t leave empty handed

When it comes time to make your decision on which school to commit to, you may have forgotten some of the things you saw or learned, or just the way you felt while you were touring.

With all the information you will be given, it’s easy to forget if you don’t record it somehow. So jot down key points and save any handouts you receive.

You might not remember what was going through your head while visiting either, so take notes on things you did and didn’t like.

Visuals also help spark your memory, so take pictures. (You’ll want to photograph America’s most beautiful college campus anyway).

5. Visit the area, not just campus

When you go off to college there’s a good chance that you’re moving away from the familiarity of your hometown.

While it may seem like you’ll be spending all your time in a residence hall or in the library, you will be gifted with free time to explore your surroundings.

The beauty of attending the College is that it’s interwoven into the gorgeous city of Charleston.

Try some local food, visit some iconic Charleston landmarks and get a feel for your new home for the next four years.

Maggie Vickrey is a senior from Chicago studying communication and sociology at the College of Charleston.