The Power of a College Visit

For many students, stepping onto a college campus for the first time can be a life-changing moment. The buildings, the energy of students moving between classes, the sense of possibility in the air - it all makes higher education feel real and attainable. Campus visits open doors of imagination and opportunity that might otherwise feel out of reach.

For these reasons, EnCompass Future Ready makes college exploration a priority. This summer, students traveled to 13 campuses in just three weeks - at no cost to families. The journey included an out-of-state leg in Washington, D.C. with visits to Trinity Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University (an HBCU), American University, and George Mason University. Followed by exploration of local NY campuses including Nazareth University, Canisius, Daemen, RIT, Syracuse University, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo, and the University at Buffalo.

From small private colleges to large public universities, from historic campuses to modern research hubs, students gained firsthand exposure to the wide range of options available. For those who had never before set foot on a campus, these visits made the idea of “going to college” more than just words - it became something they could see, touch, and believe in.