It’s easier than ever to learn about a prospective college choice through virtual and alternative college tours. But, nothing beats visiting a campus in person. You’ll see the grounds and buildings, interact with students and faculty, eat in a dining hall, sit in a classroom, explore the residential option–in other words, get a real sense of what spending four years there might be like. Click here for our suggestions how to best visit a campus.
Sometimes, time, travel, or cost limitations make a live visit and interview impossible. While not a replacement for a true visit, conversations with college reps and virtual campus tours can help narrow your college list or supplement your research until you’re able to visit.
College Representative Visits
Many colleges will send admissions representatives to high schools to meet with interested students in small groups. These reps provide a personal contact at the school, share program-specific details and even give advice on admissions and/or scholarships. Check with your school counselor for a calendar of visits to your school—you’ll usually need to pre-register to attend. Bring a list of questions with you—here’s a list.
Virtual and Alternative College Tours
- Many colleges now offer virtual campus tours, including interactive maps and other tools. Most have a social media presence including postings by campus organizations, teams, student government, and more. Some academic departments (generally larger schools) have websites and a social media outreach. Some schools include virtual tours of residence halls, suites, and other housing options. You can also look for the school newspaper and alumni association’s online presence.
- CampusReel includes more than 17,000 videos, tours, and commentary from student ambassadors from more than 35 colleges and universities. These videos have been vetted for viewing by prospective students. You can select schools by size, location, rating, region, or an interactive map.
- eCampusTours.com includes 360° tours of 1,300+ colleges. You can search by region, state, or setting, or by the type of school, programs, admissions, and/or tuition costs.
- YouVisit includes 600+ colleges and can be filtered by state, public or private, campus setting, enrollment, and/or tuition costs. Colleges can be viewed as a 360° experience or with a virtual reality headset.
- The College Tour is now filming its fourth season, The College Tour tells the inside story of 30+ colleges through student-driven segments.
It’s always best to put your feet on campus before making a final decision, but these options can help you save time and money (and keep you from missing high school classes!) while you narrow your list of choices.
