[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Over spring break I went to tour three Louisiana colleges: Louisiana State University (LSU) , Loyola, and Tulane. These tours included walking for an extensive amount of time, and a lot of questions from overzealous parents. Luckily, I learned a few valuable things from my journey.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Keep an eye on your parents

If you are attending the tours with your parents, make sure you keep them from doing embarrassing things. As we were looking at dorms at Tulane, a mother of one of the prospective students leaned up against an emergency exit door. This resulted in her falling out the door and the wail of sirens to be heard overhead. My tour guide scrambled to find a way to stop it and many college students groggily stumbled out of their dorms, angry they were awoken from their midday slumber. The mother’s son backed away pretending like he didn’t know her so he wouldn’t be implicated in her mistake. I kept a closer eye on my mom for the rest of the tour to make sure she wouldn’t follow the other mother’s example.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] Do not take the umbrellas

Since the tours were during a particularly stormy week, we walked the campuses in pouring rain, hating life. At LSU,they offered us all umbrellas and my friend, Sarah, decided to take one. I declined politely because I had brought a raincoat to wear. Initially, Sarah could not figure out how to open the umbrella and she passed it to my other friend, Jenny. Jenny promptly opened it and it flipped inside out. This was followed by Sarah laughing at her. The entire tour group turned around and to their amusement Jenny was attempting to wrangle the now broken umbrella back into its original state. Don’t take the umbrella they offer to you because you will end up looking like some sort of circus act.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]  Look out for your tour guides

At Tulane, the sidewalks and streets are riddled with gaps and holes. My tour guide decided to wear Crocs and walk backwards. This is not a good combination. While she was talking to us about a building’s history she walked backwards into a large pothole. I, being the terrible person I am, saw her do this and didn’t do anything to help her. Tour guides are still learning and what mine learned that day was to never wear Crocs again.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]In all seriousness, you should know what questions you want to ask, seek out more information on the major you’re interested in , and look for scholarship opportunities they have listed. It is also helpful to ask about living arrangements and meal plans. I recommend visiting colleges of different sizes so you know what size you are comfortable with. A big college is not for everyone and it is important to explore your options. Every college has something different to offer and you have to know at least the basics of what you are interested in before touring.

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