It's so interesting how being in college for a year can affect your judgment and perception. Once upon a time, I hated having to speak up pertaining important things unless I was around my family or friends. While that may have to do with me being a bit socially anxious, part of it was simply me being too embarrassed to speak up, out of fear of saying the wrong thing. Today, however, I am not afraid to ask a question or speak up; I prefer being comfortable knowing what's going on than uncomfortably confused. I guess with age and time, these things get better. 
I look back and think about when I first began to apply for colleges. There's so much that you can find online, and that is basically how I did my research and made a lot of my decisions. However, not everything can be found out online, and a prime example of that is when you're working with financial aid. There were times a call needed to be made to a university - and if you know me, you know that I have a strong dislike for talking on the phone - so I had my mom handle that. And when I went on college tours, I generally let the tour guide talk and I stayed to myself, listening. My mom tended to be the one to ask questions. 
As a college student, I am realizing how that is actually normal, and I wasn't the odd one out. There are so many tours happening on campus throughout the year, and I have observed how seldom potential students do not ask questions, leaving it up to the parents and guardians. I began to think about why this was the case - is it because of shyness? social anxiety? not caring? But one thing that stuck out to me was that maybe - just maybe - high school students do not know what to ask. So much information is being thrown at you at once while you're trying to take in the campus and students, so it's understandable that you're not particularly concerned about what questions to ask. But alas, I'm here to throw some knowledge your way. Take these questions and morph them however you want to fit your college tour, Just be sure to ask; after all, if you choose whichever college you decide to tour, you'll be living and studying there for the next 4 years!

1. What is the best and worst dorm to stay in on-campus as a freshman? 

Remember that tour guides can be pretty bias, and to take their response with a grain of salt! Heed to it, but also remember their experiences don't have to necessarily be yours. When I toured Iowa State for the second time, I met a really nice girl and my mom asked her about the dorms. She told me that Maple-Willow-Larch is not a great place to stay because they're "party dorms." If I would have listened, I probably wouldn't have met my best friends or experienced such an awesome dorm. Honestly, a dorm is what you make out of it - any one can be a "party dorm" and any one can be a laid-back dorm.

2. Realistically, which meal plan is best? 

I wish someone would've told me that I didn't have to get the standard Gold meal plan because I'd waste about 60 meals by the end of each semester. There might be alternatives for you to take advantage of, such as meal blocks instead of a complete plan. Explore all your options!

3. What is it like being a POC/LGBTQ+ at this school? 

This question is specific for minorities who decide to attend predominately white institutions, or for anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+. It's an important question because you'll need your other POC or LGBTQ+ friends as a support system, and it's pretty important to know if your school has a history of being discriminatory, racist, homophobic, etc. This information is best to get from a student because they're more likely to be honest with you than staff.

4. How do most students get around here? 

Bus, train, bike, by foot, car? Stanford is a huge biking campus, whereas here at Iowa State, we travel predominately by CyRide, which is our bus system.

5. How are the extracurricular activities and social life on-campus?

This may or may not be important to you; it was very important for me! Coming from a big city, where I can do pretty much whatever I want, I didn't want to move somewhere that there is not much to do. Personally, I decided not to go to Michigan Tech because of this reason. Iowa State is a nice in-between. Figure out whether the school is a party school, or do most people do athletic things, or is there a diverse set of activities to get involved in.