College Tours from Your Couch

By Lara s. ‘22

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the college process has changed drastically. College students were sent home, almost every school went test-optional, and students were forced to decide where they would spend the next chapter of their life based on a limited online experience. Last spring and continuing into next fall, students will face the unprecedented challenge of picking the school that will be the best fit for them through virtual tours. Without the benefit of traditional campus tours and information sessions, students relied heavily on these virtual tours and student ambassador-led videos. In-person visits have been replaced by Zoom meetings, and students are unable to connect with a school and its admissions team like they have in the past. 

This virtual college tour season has required schools to create online tours to show off campuses that have been emptied out by the pandemic. Information sessions have also transitioned into a Zoom format. While schools are trying their best to show off the unique atmosphere their college provides, they are also struggling to deliver the classic experience. Sunil Samuel, an admissions officer at Hofstra University says,“The hardest thing to recreate is what we call that ‘wow’ moment, when you’re on campus and you’re like, ‘Mom, this is where I need to be’”. Many universities have implemented unique virtual tour experiences to try to recreate this “wow” moment. The University of Virginia lets prospective students see virtual dorm tours and floor plans through software, Baylor Universityallows prospective students to take online courses and has advertised with personal pitches from faculty, while Vanderbilt University is pairing up prospective students with current students for virtual coffee meetings. Many schools are utilizing websites that offer interactive tours and testimonials. 

Here are some helpful websites that are great resources for the virtual college search: 

• The National Association for College Admission Counseling offers information for more than 1000 universities and colleges with links to virtual tours and data for students. 

• YouVisit has been a leader in the virtual tour sector, offering virtual interactive tours with virtual reality tools led by students. They also ask students to submit their information and questions that are sent to schools.

• CampusTours offers virtual tours for almost 2,000 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, China, France, and the United Kingdom. CampusTours also lets students filter by details like desired tuition, sports teams, and location. 

• Another leader in offering virtual tours has been CampusReel, which offers short videos submitted by students at colleges offering insight on dorm life, social life, student life, and academic opportunities. 

• The Chicago HBCU Alumni Alliance has offered virtual fairs with 50 HBCUs. They plan to offer more fairs this summer, and their fairs include information on admissions, scholarships, and unique programs. 

While nothing replaces the traditional in-person college tour, virtual tours played a very important role this year in the admissions process and have provided many  students the opportunity to virtually visit many more schools than they would in the past. This pivot in the college search process has left a lasting impact and shows an inspiring adaptation to challenges, as many schools plan to continue to offer virtual tours, even with some opening for in person tours this coming summer.