Before you step on campus, do you know what daily life will really look like?
Research the practical details coaches and tours may gloss over, then arrive with stronger questions and a clearer standard for fit.
Print one copy for every school on your list
A beautiful campus can still be the wrong daily environment.
A visit can be exciting. Your family still needs to know how your athlete will live, learn, eat, travel, stay healthy, and manage the true cost of the school.
Getting around campus
Research campus size, transportation, parking, and the distance between dorms, classes, and athletic facilities.
Housing and food
Compare dorm styles, roommate expectations, housing costs, meal plans, dining hours, and nutrition options.
Support, health, and safety
Check academic support, sports medicine, mental health care, campus security, and the resources athletes can access.
Distance and hidden costs
Calculate travel home, books, technology, personal expenses, insurance, and the costs that tuition does not show.
The campus-life details parents need to research.
- ✓ School setting, undergraduate enrollment, weather, climate, and seasonal living considerations.
- ✓ Campus transportation, parking, public transit, and distances between the places your athlete will use every day.
- ✓ Freshman housing rules, dorm styles, roommate expectations, air conditioning, and on- or off-campus costs.
- ✓ Dining plans, dining hours, dietary accommodations, athlete fueling stations, and nearby food options.
- ✓ Academic support, health care, athletic training, counseling, campus safety, social life, and culture.
- ✓ Travel and hidden-cost research, questions for the visit, and a post-visit reflection for both parent and athlete.
Better research. Better college visits.
Written from the perspective of Dominique Stapleton, an NBA-certified agent, NCAA-certified agent, and sports business educator helping families look beyond the recruiting pitch and evaluate the athlete's real day-to-day campus experience.
Compare schools on the same criteria
Print a fresh copy for each campus so your notes, questions, costs, concerns, and your athlete's gut feeling are easy to compare afterward.
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The Pre-Visit Research Guide · $17