RESTON, Va., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether it's the annual trek to Aunt Martha's or a vacation in a more exotic locale, the summer months provide an excellent opportunity for families with college-bound children to incorporate a preliminary visit to a college or university into their travel plans. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030617/SLMLOGO-a ) "Nothing equals the experience of visiting a college in person," says Martha Holler, spokesperson for Sallie Mae, the nation's leading saving- and paying-for-college company. "The summer months are a perfect time to accomplish this. Visitors will likely find more one-on-one attention from campus representatives, as well as be able to explore what the school has to offer at their leisure." Even though many college campuses are not bustling with activity during the summer, you can still get a "feel" of college life. Before the actual visit, contact the school's admissions office and request an interview with a school representative. Decide beforehand what you want to learn about the school, putting together a list of key questions. Use a similar list for every school you eventually visit so you can make comparisons. Each campus has its own personality so, if time allows, families should try to explore both a large and small school or go to one urban and one small-town campus. To make the most of a summer visit to a college or university, Sallie Mae offers the following pointers: -- Ask questions. No one can tell you more about a school than the students currently attending. If a particular campus you visit has ongoing summer sessions, ask students you encounter about the campus, what they like about the school, what dorm life is like, what campus activities are offered, etc. Your campus tour guide also can be a great source of candid information. -- Visit a class in session. If possible, find out if you can sit in on a summer class. Better yet, meet with a professor who teaches in your area of interest. -- Trust your instincts. Pay attention to first impressions. Ask yourself if this is where you want to live and go to school for the next four years? Drive through surrounding neighborhoods and get a feel for the community. Make notes to jog your memory when decision time comes and when something catches your interest follow up with a phone call or e- mail. -- Send a thank-you note. After visiting a college, remember to send thank-you notes to everyone you met with on campus. It is a courtesy that will help get you noticed later on. Campus visits can be exciting and informative. To help students and their families plan a successful visit this summer, Sallie Mae's College Answer Web site (http://www.collegeanswer.com/) offers a number of resources and checklists. SLM Corporation, commonly known as Sallie Mae, is the nation's leading provider of saving- and paying-for-college programs. The company manages $150 billion in education loans and serves nearly 10 million student and parent customers. Through its Upromise affiliates, the company also manages $17 billion in 529 college-savings plans, and over 7.5 million members have joined Upromise to help save for college with rewards on purchases at nearly 70,000 places. Sallie Mae and its subsidiaries offer debt management services as well as business and technical products to a range of business clients, including higher education institutions, student loan guarantors and state and federal agencies. More information is available at http://www.salliemae.com/. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030617/SLMLOGO-a http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Sallie Mae CONTACT: Erica Eriksdotter of Sallie Mae, +1-703-984-5628 Web site: http://www.salliemae.com/ http://www.collegeanswer.com/

Copyright