College campus visits are a great way to gain a firsthand view of the environment, social scene, and the overall lifestyle of the campus, something that brochures and websites don’t necessarily offer to prospective students. With this in mind, many seniors at Diamond Bar High school have already taken the initiative to visit their dream schools.

Senior Josh Christian stepped away from the familiarities of the west coast to visit his first choice school in Atlanta, Georgia. Known for its business and research programs, Emory University embodies a peaceful, yet historic, southern environment.

“It was unique hearing the southern accent when I went there, especially as a Californian,” Christian said.

Aside from the distinct culture, the campus itself has many perks. The university is within close proximity to one of the nation’s fastest growing metropolitan areas and is also located across the Center for Disease Control.

“The CDC is the most advanced isolation unit in the world,” Christian said “They recently had an Ebola patient there, and from what I’ve heard, tons of Emory students go there for internships.”

Senior Molly McCabe was also able to gain a sense of the college lifestyle on her recent trip to Seattle University. What stood out most to McCabe about SU was the small class sizes. Each class sheltered no more than 40 people, enabling students to have closer interactions with their teachers and classmates.

“I like small classes; it gives me a better chance to get to know my professor,” McCabe said.

Another interesting aspect of SU’s campus is its library, which includes a separate area for students to sleep. Students can now spend endless nights of cramming for exams with some relief, and take naps without retreating back to their dorms.

For senior Andrew Yoo, a college closer to home caught his attention. While visiting one of the Claremont colleges with his IB peers, Yoo took interest in Harvey Mudd’s grassy landscape and safe environment.

“It’s a nice, techy kind of campus,” said Yoo.

Although Yoo enjoys the campus lifestyle and environment, the fact that it was only 10 minutes away from home doesn’t appeal much to him.

“I didn’t really like how the school is close by because I don’t want my parents to randomly visit me,” Yoo said.

Senior Michelle Lyu applied to the University of Pennsylvania’s Early Exploration Program, otherwise known as PEEP. Lyu along with 86 other students who were accepted into the program recently traveled to UPenn free of charge from Oct. 12 to 14.

While dorming on the campus for two days, Lyu noted how the architecture included many brick buildings, adding a very historical feel to the overall campus.

“The buildings were tall and stately and just amazing. I felt like I was in a whole different time period,” Lyu said.

The distinct change of seasons at UPenn also caught Lyu’s attention.

“There were orange trees and leaves changing color and it just actually felt like fall there, we don’t really get to experience fall in Southern California,” Lyu said.