For Staff
CAMPUS VISIT PREP
professional development
workshop.
Professional Development: College Visit Prep and Implementation Training
Turn campus visits into "Aha! moments"
for your students
College visits are one of the most valuable (and often overlooked) parts of the college search process. Sure, plenty of students tour campuses, but how many actually know what to look for or how to connect what they see to their educational goals.
That's where Mapping The Journey: Professional Development for College Visit Implementation comes in. This training builds internal capacity for evidence-based college visit prep programming. It includes assessments, and a ready-to-use curriculum built for educators and advisors who want to help students get the most out of their campus visits—from preparation to reflection and everything in between.
What Your Team Gains:
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A 6-Session Implementation Framework: A roadmap (three modules, two sessions each) that equip staff to guide students from pre-visit research through post-visit reflection with confidence
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Ready-to-Use Lesson Plans: Clear, step-by-step guides that simplify facilitation, outlining timing, materials, and clear learning outcomes and takeaways so staff can focus on delivery, not prep
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Engaging Student Activities: From the "Candy Bar Selection" preference game, to the "Interview Question Mix and Match" interview prep exercise, each activity is designed to help facilitators bring complex concepts to life while reinforcing college readiness skills.
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Generative Discussion Strategies That Stick: A trainable discussion method (adapted Socratic Circle) that gives staff a replicable approach to fostering critical thinking about college fit.
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Facilitator-Friendly Resources: Printable, easy-to-use worksheets and handouts that make it easy to scale activities across groups, plus Mapping the Journey Student workbooks as an additional resource and for student self-pacing.
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Flexible Program Design: Built to adapt to your context. Perfect for a one-day workshop, weekly sessions, or folded into an existing program.
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Track Student Growth with Built-In Assessments
See the difference your program makes.
Unlike other college visit tools, Mapping the Journey comes with ready-to-use pre- and post-surveys to measure student growth in nine key areas, including:
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College decision-making confidence
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Campus visit prep skills
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Interview readiness
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Research know-how
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Communication comfort
You’ll also get a Data Comparison Guide that makes it easy to see progress at a glance. It breaks down question-by-question results so you can track growth from start to finish.
Perfect for:
✔ Grant reporting
✔ Showing ROI to administrators and funders
✔ Evaluating your program’s impact
✔ Continuous improvement
Turn great stories into hard numbers with measurable data that proves your students are building the skills they need to choose the right college.
Who's This For?
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College access and readiness programs
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High school counselors
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GEAR UP and TRIO teams
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Independent college counselors
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Community-based organizations
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College bridge initiatives
Why It Matters
This is a professional development investment that strengthens your team, builds long-term program capacity, and delivers measurable student outcomes you can showcase in grant reports. Plus, it replaces the need to juggle multiple curriculum buys, saving both time and resources.
Why It Works
Most students stroll through campus tours without really taking it all in. Mapping the Journey helps them flip the script:
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Prepares them before they step foot on campus
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Guides them in-the-moment during visits
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Helps them reflect and analyze what they’ve seen
They’ll walk away with confidence about what feels like the right fit—and why.
Additionally, the comprehensive assessment system allows program leaders to demonstrate concrete impact and continuously improve their implementation based on real student outcome data.
Created by Danielle Marshall, founder of The College Visit Journal, this resource is built for all students but is especially helpful for first-gen, low-income, or those unsure where to start.
Make Every Campus Visit Count!
What's Included:
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2 hour staff training session (virtual or in-person)
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Complete Mapping the Journey Curriculum implementation guide
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Mapping the Journey Student Workbooks (20-pack)
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Pre/post assessment system with data analysis training
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Follow-up support during first implementation
Mapping The Journey - College Visit Curriculum: A Guide for Educators and Advisors
A 6-session curriculum that helps students get the most out of every college visit. Perfect for advisors, counselors, and program directors guiding the next generation of college-bound students.
The workbook is designed so students can work through it individually while participating in your group curriculum, giving them a personal record of their college exploration.
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