How to Plan Your Virtual College Attendance
Due to the closure of college campuses and the remote operation of admissions offices, prospective students may not be able to attend in person for the foreseeable future.
If you are in middle school or high school, that means you cannot sample food in the cafeteria, sleep in the dorm, and attend classes. But with a little preparation, you can do almost everything else virtually.
In fact, virtual visits do have some benefits. For example, you may “visit” more schools than you could in person; you are not limited to specific days or hours set by the admissions committee; and you can even see more of the campus than on the official walking tour.
Here’s how to make the most of your virtual college visits.
Prepare as if you were there in person
The fact that you are not physically present for a tour or information session does not mean that you do not need to prepare. Study each school that interests you and write down the questions ahead of time. Know what you want out of your virtual visit before it begins, and write down what you learn carefully to help you separate one from the next.
“I think now virtual college visits are converging even more because students are losing their ‘campus feel’ or their sense of place,” says Lifehacker Jamie Park, a college planning consultant at Advantage College Planning .
Check out virtual reception events
Many college admissions offices have moved their prospective student information sessions online. Park says schools are using Zoom to enable students to ask questions in real time. Virtual classes can provide potential students with more opportunities to interact with the school, she said.
For example, typing text in a chat can be less intimidating than raising your hand during a personal event, and you will be able to contact an admissions representative directly via email or Zoom after that happens if your questions are unrelated. t answered.
Search your school’s admissions website for live broadcasts, Q&A sessions, and Zoom meetings, and be sure to register or schedule ahead if necessary.
Explore multiple virtual tour platforms
There is no shortage of video and photo content on social media covering campus tours and student life, but there are several platforms dedicated to virtual college tours. Check out some of them to find out about your future schools from different perspectives.
- YouVisit : YouVisit offers interactive virtual tours of over 600 US colleges. You can take an official 360-degree tour of the campus with a guide’s narration, view additional photos, videos, and panoramas of each stop, and track your location on Google Maps.
- CampusReel : CampusReel publishes short reviews and guided tours prepared by students, from quick tour of dining rooms and lecture halls to food reviews and socializing. You need to register (it’s free) to watch the full videos if you access them from the institution’s website or profile page.
- CampusTours : CampusTours brings together official virtual tours, videos, interactive campus maps, social media accounts, and school statistics for colleges and universities in the US, UK, Canada, France, and China. Search by school or state to narrow your list.
- YOUniversity : YOUniversity’s interface isn’t as clean – and the videos aren’t as high quality – as the other sites listed here, but it does have the ability to sort by (non-scientific) rankings, from the coolest hostels to the safest campuses. Click the College Video Tours drop-down menu to narrow your search.
- YouTube: YouTube is obviously not a dedicated travel site, but you will find a lot of content created by both schools and students. Just search for the school of interest to view campus tours, videos of daily life, and more.
Take notes for later
On a private tour, you will have the opportunity to stop and ask questions, but the pre-recorded virtual tour may not offer the details you are interested in. Pak recommends writing down questions to explore later or ask them in a virtual information session.
Also, virtual tours may not follow a logical route, especially for large campuses, so it is helpful to have a campus map or Google Maps to follow.
Narrow your focus
The sheer volume of information can be overwhelming, so don’t be afraid to focus on the places, programs, or opportunities that really matter to you. Skip the virtual tour to see sports facilities, chemistry labs, or freshman dorms. Look for videos about restaurants, Greek life, or full-time bands. And contact students, faculty, or admissions officials in advance with questions – if you are interested in a specific sport, academic program or club, a general information session is unlikely to touch on these topics.
“It’s very important to find content or students that match you and hear what they are experiencing,” says Rob Carroll, co-founder of CampusReel. “It’s all about adapting it as best as possible to what you are looking for and to your experience.”
Use social media
Pak recommends looking for official (college-led) and unofficial (student-led) accounts on Instagram. You can find accounts for specific admissions offices, as well as channels for academic departments, student organizations, sports teams, and more.
This gives you “an idea of what life is like for a student at this university and how active their interests are on campus,” she says.
Explore the surroundings
An important part of visiting a college is getting to know the surrounding city or village, and no virtual tour can replicate this experience. However, you can use Google Maps. Zoom in to view restaurants, bars and attractions around campus, switch to Street View to take a virtual tour of the city’s neighborhoods, and connect specific locations to see how long it takes to walk or move from place to place.