Five Things to Remember for Your Campus Visit
1. Keep your cell phone out of sight. Why? It is rude and will not sit well with a coach if you are constantly texting, checking your phone, or receiving calls from people when you should be focused on making a good impression on a college coach.
2. Shake hands firmly, and don't leave your personality at home. Coaches want a team of players that will have great chemistry. Be yourself and evaluate how well you fit with the personality of the team.
3. Have a list of things you plan to ask, explore, or find out on your visit. Keep that with you. You'll look organized if you pull your list out and refer to it -- not stupid.
4. Bringing parents or a coach is a great idea. Your parents and coach will have to pay their own way on an official visit. They will notice things you don't, and they will remember to ask things you won't.
5. Don't commit to anything on a visit -- unless you are visiting the school you've dreamed of attending half of your life -- or for a few years. It is easy to get lost in the magic of a campus visit and think you want to attend that school. Official visits are like your first trip to Disneyland -- without Mickey and Minnie. Keep your options open as long as reasonably possible. When you are away from the campus you will have a better sense of your trip. Keeping a journal to remind you of the feeling you have at each campus is a good idea too. Wait until you get back home to make any decisions unless some other recruit and you are up for one last spot. Maybe you'll walk in the front door of your house and know that that was the school for you. That's fine. Once you're inside your own house it's okay to make that decision.