The Culture of a Campus

Between campus tours, virtual tours, YouTube videos and reviews, there are many different ways to preview a campus. How do you know if a campus is indeed a good fit for studying and living on a daily basis? Ultimately, the best indicator is an in-person visit where you can spend time walking around, and not just the immediate campus, but the surrounding neighborhoods. Certainly, when on the tour if the student guide doesn’t bring the topic up, make sure you ask why they selected the school. What stood out to them? Where do students spend time outside of class? Annual events and traditions can tell you a lot about the culture of a campus, but walking around the school grounds, as well as the surrounding area contributes to the feeling of a campus. For example, when I visited the University of Hawaii Mānoa , I was struck by the amazing school grounds, especially the presentation and feel of the open air format of the Campus Center and Mānoa Bookstore. The campus has several expansive green spaces, coupled with beautiful buildings and landscape. In fact, UH’s 320-acre campus features more than 4,000 trees and more than 500 tree species. The UH Mānoa campus is also an accredited aboretum and a recognized worldwide, and just recently was named by Architectural Digest in April 2024 as one of the prettiest colleges in the nation. The school’s website reports, “UH Mānoa was the first institution named on the list of 64 schools selected out of nearly 3,900 nationally. The list noted UH Mānoa’s “many beautiful buildings” and the view of Lēʻahi (Diamond Head).” Your school campus should inspire you and feel like your new home away from home.

What are the favorite food or drink locations on or around campus? If you can check out the local scene, it may provide some insight on whether you can see yourself waking up on a Saturday morning at this school. Beyond our campus tour at UH, we stopped at a local bakery not too far from campus called Leonard’s based on a tip from our Uber driver. The bakery has been around since 1952 and is known for their Portuguese-inspired donuts called malasadas. Apparently, the ones with the pineapple filling are not to be missed. These donuts were amazing! A manageable walk from campus, so if I was a student at the University, I’d be treating myself to a malsadas after a mid-term. It can be treasured traditions and neighborhood attractions that create a shared experience and make a college campus endearing for its students and alumni. Finding out about these gems of information could add to your decision for the best fit.