Spend Some Time in the Shenandoah Valley
Visiting a college is the perfect way to determine if it fits your needs. There are so many aspects to consider when looking at various colleges, it can be daunting. But visiting a campus, sitting in on classes, meeting other students, and experiencing the actual life of the college can be a real game-changer. When students and their families visit Christendom, they leave deeply impressed with the joyful nature of the student body, the personalized education given by the impressive faculty, and the breathtaking beauty of the college’s rural campus.
READ VP for Enrollment Tom McFadden’s “6 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your College Visit.”
After seeing the college community in action, visitors can more easily imagine themselves participating in Christendom’s time-tested, Catholic liberal arts educational program, immersed in a vibrant Catholic community. Students are invited to visit the campus in many different ways:
- A Day Visit: This includes a personalized campus tour and your own student ambassador. Your visit also includes meeting with the Admissions Director, attending a class, going to 11:30 am Mass, and eating lunch with the community. Please see Day Visit Policies below! Request a Day Visit.
- An Overnight Visit: This includes a personalized campus tour and your own student ambassador. Your visit also includes staying in a residence hall overnight, meeting with the Admissions Director, going to Mass, attending multiple classes, and eating all meals with the community. Please see Overnight Visit Policies below! Overnight visits will be available for the Fall semester beginning September 1, 2024.
- An Open House event: This is a great way for parents and prospective students to receive an overview of Christendom through many informative presentations, a campus tour, and sitting in on a class. Our next Open House will take place on Saturday, February 24, 2024. You can register here!
- Homeschool Visit Day: Similar in format to an Open House, this annual event is geared toward homeschooling students and families. Learn why homeschoolers thrive at Christendom (and make up 60% of our student body) by touring campus, attending a class, and hearing informative and relevant presentations. This year’s event took place on Saturday, October 28, 2023.
- The “Best Week Ever” Summer Program: Students who are rising high school seniors spend a week on our campus, taking classes, enjoying the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley, meeting others from around the country, taking part in many fun social and enriching spiritual activities, and experiencing the life of a Christendom student. Click here to learn more.
Day Visit Policies
To make a one-day visit, without an overnight stay, please submit a Day Visit Request at least one week beforehand. Day visits are available Monday through Friday, every week of the semester which classes are in session.
Day visits tend to run from around 9:15 am to 3 pm, depending on your ambassador’s class schedule, but we are flexible about arrival/departure times. If you have specific arrival/departure time requests, please include these in your visit request.
Your day visit to campus will consist of class(es), 11:30 am Mass, meal(s), as well as a meeting with Admissions. There will be a tour of campus included in your visit schedule if this is your first visit to campus or if you specifically request a tour. A detailed visit schedule will be emailed to you 2-3 days prior to your visit. Your designated student ambassador will help you navigate to and from all events on your scheduled.
Accompanying family members are welcome to attend Mass, the tour of campus, lunch in St. Lawrence Commons, and the meeting with Admissions. Meals are complimentary! Please let us know if you have any special food allergies. Due to space limitations, parents/siblings may not attend classes.
Overnight Visit Policies
All prospective students are limited to two (2) official overnight Admissions-sponsored visits to campus. For the fall semester 2023, overnight visits are limited to current seniors only, or those entering college in the fall 2024. To be classified as an official Admissions-sponsored visit (which includes transportation to/from airport and complimentary meals), students must sit in on classes and meet with the Admissions Director, among other things. If a student has friends/relatives on campus and would like to visit or stay with them instead of making an official Admissions visit, these types of visits are arranged through the current student, not the Admissions office.
PLEASE NOTE: The College requests a minimum of a two-week advance notice for any overnight visits. We do not offer Overnight Visits on Friday or Saturday nights. Further, the College requires that you read, complete, and sign its Overnight Visit Policy Form. You will not be allowed to stay overnight without this form.
Your overnight visit to campus will consist of classes, 11:30 am Mass, meal(s), as well as a meeting with Admissions. There will be a tour of campus included in your visit schedule if this is your first visit to campus or if you specifically request a tour. A detailed visit schedule will be emailed to you 2-3 days prior to your visit. Your designated student ambassador will help you navigate to and from all events on your schedule. If you have specific arrival/departure time requests, please include these in your visit request.
Accompanying family members are welcome to attend Mass, the tour of campus, lunch in St. Lawrence Commons, and the meeting with Admissions. Parents/siblings may not attend classes or spend the night in the dorms. The Traveling to Christendom page lists local off-campus lodging options for accompanying family.
Your student ambassador may have obligations including classes, studying, meetings, sporting events, or even work-study obligations, and therefore, visiting students may be spending time doing quiet work, or getting to know other students. Visitors are asked to have a flexible attitude!
What to Bring
Items for a visit to campus should include the following:
Professional clothing for class. Students at Christendom observe a professional dress code for classes, Mass, and lunch. You can view the particulars of the professional dress code in the Student Handbook. Outside of classes, Mass, and lunch, you may wear casual clothing which fulfils our modesty dress code.
Bedding (overnights only). Please bring twin-size sheets, blanket, and pillow. An air-mattress will be provided. Please remember to bring a towel as well!
Reading/Study materials. There may be free time during your visit. Please bring homework, reading, etc. to read/study during these times.
Ambassadors
For many prospective students, spending the night on a college campus can be daunting and intimidating. Yet, visiting different colleges and touring campuses is one of the most important ways to determine which school is the right fit. Christendom has a unique Student Ambassador program in place to ensure that the visit process is easy and low-stress for our prospective students, and that all our visitors are extended gracious hospitality as they seek to experience a day in the life of a Christendom student.
Visitors are paired with a student ambassador who serves as the visitor’s host during the stay. Visitors will then shadow their student ambassador and observe an average day at Christendom by attending class, going to 11:30 Mass, having lunch in the St. Lawrence Commons with all the students and faculty present, participating in extracurricular activities, and spending the night in a residence hall. All of these opportunities give visitors the chance to get to know Christendom and its faculty and students on a personal basis.
Each ambassador is chosen for their friendly demeanor and welcoming personality to ensure that every visitor enjoys themselves and leaves with a greater understanding of Christendom’s distinctive Catholic liberal arts education and vibrant campus culture. You can see all of this year’s student ambassadors in the photo above — meet them all for yourselves by scheduling a visit to Christendom today!
Transportation and Lodging
Christendom can accommodate overnight student visitors only. For accompanying family members, Front Royal offers many places to stay. Please see our Traveling to Christendom page for more information on local lodging.
For Admissions student visitors, flying in without a parent/guardian: Christendom’s transportation department can pick up and drop off students (free of charge) at the Dulles International Airport (IAD) and the Vienna Metro Station (orange line), between the hours of 8 AM-8 PM. Please submit all flight information to the Admissions Office at least 10 days prior to your arrival.
