Questions to ask a current college student
Ask about what a brochure can’t show: a normal week, what surprised them, what they spend and what they would choose again. Questions that ask for a specific example get better answers than questions that ask for an opinion.
Published by ama.college, a paid service · Updated
Most asked
- What do you wish you knew before choosing this school?
- How hard is it to change majors?
- What is campus life really like?
- How did you decide where to enroll?
- What should I pay attention to during my visit?
- What is the workload actually like?
Dorms and food
- Which dorm would you pick again, and which would you avoid?
- Is the dining hall still fine by week three?
- Where do people actually eat late at night?
- What did you bring that you never once used?
- Do sophomores stay on campus or move off?
- What is laundry and package pickup really like?
Academics
- What does a normal week in your major look like?
- Are professors reachable outside of class?
- How hard is it to add a minor or double major?
- Which intro course thins the herd?
- Did you get the classes you wanted as a first-year?
- When do people in your major start applying for internships?
Social life
- Is Greek life the whole social scene or one slice of it?
- How did you find your closest friends?
- What is there to do if you do not drink?
- Is it easy to meet people outside your dorm floor?
- Which tradition is actually worth showing up for?
- Does the campus empty out on weekends?
Money
- What do you spend in a month beyond tuition?
- How easy is it to get an on-campus job?
- Did your aid package change after the first year?
- Are textbooks and lab fees a real cost here?
- Is a car necessary, or a liability?
- What did your family not think to budget for?
Questions the numbers raise
- How do students get around and spend time off campus?
- How easy is it to get help from professors?
- What helped you settle in during your first year?
- How do students balance classes with work or other responsibilities?
- Which resources help students manage college costs?
- Which costs surprised you beyond tuition?
- What are the housing and dining tradeoffs?
- How manageable is combining campus work with coursework?
- What would you ask financial aid before committing?
- How do students find internships and career support?
Each college profile pairs these last ten questions with that college’s own figures from federal data.