College visits are some of the most important things a student will do in high school. Looking forward to college and seeing different campuses can motivate and inspire students, but Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) only allows three excused absences for college visits per year. Does this encourage students to be as involved in their future as they should be?

“I feel like people need more than three [excused absences] if they have many options they’re considering because looking around the campus can be very important when deciding where you want to go,” stated Taylor Gray, a senior at Dunbar who will be attending, Middle Tennessee State University next year.

FCPS excused college visits also require documentation and approval by the school’s principal in advance. If there was any trouble getting the approval of a student’s principal in time, that could leave the trip unexcused.

For people planning on going to college out of state, this limit on excused absences could impact or limit their options and opportunities. After narrowing down the list of colleges and universities a student may consider attending, they may have to minimize their list even more, to make their three excused college visit absences more worthwhile. Tough decisions are being made even more complicated by this restriction on visits.

Attending campuses also helps students find their best career path and what institute of education fits them best. Limiting the excused visits for students to try and find the best place for them could deprive them of an excellent opportunity to see where they may want to be for the next couple of years. College visits allow students to find they want to avoid continuing a career through college and may want to go to a trade school. College and career coaches provide lots of help, but some things must be seen firsthand. Many students need to see for themselves what their future could be before deciding, so extending the amount of excused college visit absences would be for the better.

Going over the number of approved absences means they may not be excused, which could harm a student’s grade and make them unable to do past due work they missed from that day(s). A reasonable number of college visits should be much higher, like 8 or 10. This wouldn’t allow students to take all their visits for granted but to find where they’d like an education best. The number is limited, so it cannot be abused, but it’s enough to give students an idea of where they’d like to go.