Writing the College Visit Reflection – Lesson Plan

Objective: Students reflect upon what they have learned about college in general and/or a particular college as a result of their recent visit.

Suggested Agenda:

  1. To help jog students’ memories of their trips, hang two posters on opposite sides of the room, each one labeled with the name of one of the colleges that we visited.
  2. Ask each student to write down 3-5 things that they remember from their recent college visit. The can be facts about the school (“The student population is 48% men, 52% women”) or opinions (“I liked that they have a huge dance studio.”).
  3. Ask students to stick their post its to the poster of the college that they visited and then remain on that side of the room. One student at each poster can read all the post –its to the group who visited that college.
  4. Distribute College Visit Reflection outlines. Students write drafts of their reflections.

Name ______Date ______

College Visit Reflection

Directions: Write a draft of your College Visit Reflection. You may choose to use the outline below to help you structure your reflection.

  1. Paragraph 1 – What is the college like? Describe your visit to the college. What did you see, hear, and do while you were there?
  1. Paragraph 2 – Could you see yourself going to this college? Why or why not? Which aspects of the college did you like? Which did you dislike? Why?
  1. Paragraph 3 – What did you learn about the college process in general while you visited this school? For example, did you learn something about how to apply to college, how to apply for financial aid, how college schedules work, what majors and minors are, etc?
  1. Paragraph 4 – What did you learn about yourself as a result of this visit? What are your thoughts regarding your life after high school? What factors are important to you when thinking about choosing a college?

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Directions for those who did not attend the college trip: Research a college online using CollegeBoard.com and the college’s website. You can choose to research John Jay, Columbia, or another college of your choice. Write a draft of your College Reflection. You may choose to use the outline below to help you structure your reflection.

  1. Paragraph 1 – What is the college like? Describe what you have learned about the college.
  1. Paragraph 2 – Could you see yourself going to this college? Why or why not? Which aspects of the college did you like? Which did you dislike? Why?
  1. Paragraph 3 – What did you learn about the college process in general while you researched this school? For example, did you learn something about how to apply to college, how to apply for financial aid, how college schedules work, what majors and minors are, etc?
  1. Paragraph 4 – What did you learn about yourself as a result of this research? What are your thoughts regarding your life after high school? What factors are important to you when thinking about choosing a college?