One of the most frequently asked questions I get is about how I figured out what college would be the best fit for me, a topic I originally talked about in my post “Ten Questions To Ask When Choosing A College.” However, that post is more targeted at students who are looking for colleges to apply to, instead for students choosing between different colleges. Today, I will be sharing ten more questions to ask when choosing a college, and how I confirmed my dream school would be the best match for me.
Related links
- Ten Questions to Ask When Choosing a College
- Seeing The Future: College Transition for Visual Impairment
Are accessible materials readily available, or would I have to make my own?
Since I need large print in order to read materials, it’s important to me that my textbooks and other academic materials are in a digital format so that I can increase the print size or use text-to-speech in order to read. In order to figure out if I would be able to get accessible content on my own, I looked up a sample schedule for first-year students and then syllabi for the different classes to see if the textbooks could be rented/purchased in a digital format, and if assignments would be posted online. For the classes that did not have digital textbooks, I would be able to make a request to the school assistive technology office so that I would have a digital copy that I could read at no additional cost.
Related links
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- What To Know About College Assistive Technology Specialists
- How I Find Research Sources In Accessible Formats
- How I Read Research Sources With Assistive Technology
- How To Request Accessible Textbooks In College
- Ten Questions To Ask When Buying Digital Textbooks
What is campus security like? How would I get help in an emergency?
At my college, campus security is considered a branch of the local police department and has its own dispatch system. While students can call campus security for security escorts or other services, getting arrested by campus security is equivalent to getting arrested by the city police. Other colleges may partner with local police or first responders. For students who may be more likely to have medical emergencies (like students with a chronic illness), it’s helpful to research in advance how medical emergencies are handled on campus as well. This can include questions like:
- Where is the nearest hospital? Urgent care? Pharmacy that accepts my health insurance?
- Is there a student health center on campus? What are their hours?
- Is there an app I can download from campus security?
- How does ambulance transportation work? Does it cost money?
Related links
- How To Store Emergency Medical Information For Android and iOS
- How Amazon Alexa Can Help You Navigate Your Dorm
- Assistive Technology For Medication Labels
Are there other major/minors that I find interesting?
When I started college, I planned to major in applied computer science with a special interest in software engineering and assistive technologies. While I still love assistive technology and received a minor in it, I ended up changing my major to data science so that I could explore how emerging technologies could be used to help people with disabilities, and to learn more about accessible data visualizations and modeling. I recommend looking at 2 or 3 different majors and/or minors at each college in case the student changes their mind in the future about what they want to study.
For students that plan to pursue graduate school, it can also be helpful to see if the college offers a graduate degree in a field of interest, as some colleges may offer early admission to accelerated programs or waive course/application requirements for students that received their undergraduate degree from the same institution. This was also influential in my college choice, as they offered both a Master’s and Ph.D program for my area of interest, and I could take classes before being formally accepted to these programs.
Related links
- Ten Questions To Ask When Changing Your Major
- How To Choose General Education Courses In College
- How I Write Research Papers On Accessibility Topics
- Why I Study Assistive Technology
What are their virtual classes like?
A lot of colleges have expanded their virtual class offerings in recent years, and I took over half of my classes virtually while in college, even while I lived on campus. I have an entire post on choosing virtual classes linked below that can help students learn more about these types of classes.
Related links
- Ten Questions To Ask When Choosing A Virtual Class
- Tips For Taking Online Classes As An On-Campus Student
- Ten Tech Skills Every College Student Needs For Virtual Classes
- College Scheduling Hacks For Students With Chronic Illness
- What If I Get Dropped From All My College Classes?
- ALEKS Accessibility For Visual Impairment
- How I Use WebAssign With Low Vision
How is the food on campus?
For students who plan to live on campus, this is a question best answered in person. While I can’t say that every meal at my college was off-the-wall spectacular, I can say that I never got sick from eating dining hall food and I was able to independently navigate the dining hall and other food places on campus. I especially appreciated that there was always at least one place open no matter what time of the day/night it was, and that I could find food options that accommodated food allergies, intolerances, and personal preferences at any time.
For students with food allergies, I strongly recommend meeting with the campus dietitian to learn more about food allergy protocols in on-campus dining facilities. Some dietitians also provide allergy information for retail dining or restaurants on campus.
Related links
- Navigating The Dining Hall: College O&M
- Going To Restaurants With Low Vision
- School Cafeterias and Low Vision
- Organizing A Dorm Mini Fridge With Low Vision
Is the campus continuing to grow?
While people jokingly say that my college’s slogan is “where construction is tradition,” it’s important that the college is continuing to invest in infrastructure and is growing to meet student needs. In the four years I lived on campus, many awesome resources opened including a makerspace, computer labs that featured lots of current technology, and easy-to-navigate walkways. However, for students that are not confident with navigating construction, it may be helpful to look into orientation and mobility lessons (O&M) or learn about different routes on campus.
Related links
- Navigating Campus Construction: College O&M
- Awesome On-Campus College Library Resources
- Places Every Visually Impaired Student Should Visit On College Tours
- How Amazon Alexa Can Help You Navigate Your Dorm
Does the college help students get internships or other career assistance?
I was thrilled to learn that my college has a ton of resources for helping students get internships and jobs before and after graduation, and that there are lots of opportunities for students to learn about various companies and organizations that they can work for. I attended an in-state public university that doesn’t have a ton of name recognition compared to other colleges in the state, and I secured a prestigious internship at Microsoft because of the interesting projects I had worked on in my classes alongside pursuing research interests with professors.
Related links
- Classes That Prepared Me For A Microsoft PM Internship
- How I Set Up My Tech Internship Desk: PM Intern With Low Vision
- How I Learned To Navigate My Internship Building With Low Vision
Are there activities I can get involved in?
I’ve played clarinet for over ten years now, so I was instantly drawn towards joining the pep band at my college, in addition to other student organizations that would allow me to learn more about policy, connect me with other students with vision loss, and allow me to meet some of my best friends. While I didn’t choose my college specifically for the band program or other organizations, I was thrilled to find student organizations that I would be able to get involved with.
In a different example, my brother does not care for extracurricular activities as much but thrived when he spent a semester with the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. I highly recommend checking out opportunities like these as well, as being part of this program was the highlight of his undergrad years!
Related links
- How I Play In GMU Green Machine/Pep Band With Low Vision
- Tips For Siblings Going To The Same College
- Seeing The Future: College Transition for Visual Impairment
- Managing Chronic Migraines in College
Can I get a Disability Services file before the first day of class?
Some colleges take a proactive approach to supporting students with disabilities, encouraging them to have accommodations in place for professors to follow, and stepping in when a student’s accommodations are not followed to help them resolve the issue. Other colleges take a reactive approach, where students create their own informal accommodations and share them with the professor, and they step in when the student has a problem.
My college takes a proactive approach, and I was able to receive accommodations prior to the first day of classes. Of course, students can get accommodations at any time, but students do not have to find themselves in situations related to academic ableism before they will get approved for accommodations.
Related links
- Why You Should Get A Disability Services File
- How To Create A Disability Services File
- How To Get Disability Accommodations In Community College
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
- How To Explain Disability Accommodations To Professors
- Tips For Handling Academic Ableism In The Classroom
What academic supports are available for students?
Are there places where students can get help with their writing or with math? What about departmental tutoring? Does the college offer mental health resources to help students feel happy and safe where they are? These are all great questions to research on departmental websites or through campus resources like Disability Services or the psychological services office. While this was not a service I used at my “home” college, I took advantage of free tutoring at the community college for my various calculus classes and it helped tremendously.
Related links
- How To Get Disability Accommodations In Community College
- Choosing A Tutor For Low Vision Students
- Online College Library Resources For Digital Access
- Options For Attending College Classes Remotely
- Tips For Staying Organized In Summer Classes
Summary of ten more questions to ask when choosing a college
- Are accessible materials readily available, or would I have to make my own?
- What is campus security like? How would I get help in an emergency?
- Are there other major/minors that I find interesting?
- What are their virtual classes like?
- How is the food on campus?
- Is the campus continuing to grow?
- Does the college help students get internships or other career assistance?
- Are there activities I can get involved in?
- Can I get a Disability Services file before the first day of class?
- What academic supports are available for students?
Published September 5, 2017. Updated August 2025