Here’s some advice on visiting colleges from the book “How to Survive Getting Into College” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95), straight from people who’ve done it:

“Never visit on a weekend morning. Several of the colleges were dead when I visited. No one was on campus and there didn’t seem to be any atmosphere. Then it hit me: Everyone was still asleep. Now that I am in college, I completely understand why everyone is sleeping. The most important time to visit is later in the afternoon on a spring day. There are more people on campus and I could get a feel for what the school was really like. Spring is amazing: people lying in the quad getting sun, everyone is happy. That is the best time to visit.”

“Trust your first impressions. When I visited Michigan, I didn’t really like it. But I went there anyway and was miserable. I went to high school at a small private school and I wasn’t into the whole party scene at Michigan. And the academics weren’t what I wanted. I left for Brown.”

“My parents took me on college tours, though on several occasions they dragged me on tours of schools I had no interest in. You, not your parents, should pick your tour itinerary.”

— Colin Campbell, Charlottesville, Va.; University of North Carolina

“A bad visiting experience doesn’t mean you won’t be happy at the school. You might have a bad tour guide or host, or the weather might be gross, making the campus look uglier than you had imagined it. So if you’re not sure, visit again; it’s worth a second trip to make sure you’ll spend the next four years in a place where you feel comfortable.”

— Elana Brownstein, Baltimore; University of Maryland, College Park

“I visited the campus with my dad during the summer. It was early in the morning and there were no students on campus. I did not get a feeling for the actual atmosphere. I do remember my dad commenting on how nice the flowers on campus looked, way nicer than they did when he was here 30 years ago.”

“Make sure that there are enough faculty and courses to satisfy your needs.”

“I visited several schools and I liked the fact that the University of Cincinnati was an urban school with a lot to offer around campus. Later, I gave campus tours, and I was told that most students decide within their first 20 minutes of being on campus whether they want to consider that school or not.”

Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share.