Virtual College Visits

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes to our world, quickly. So when you think about how you are going to visit college campuses this year, you may be thinking how you can do it safely and/or virtually.

Virtual college tours, a great example of them can be found here, are a good first start. Many of the colleges you may be considering have some sort of virtual tour experience. What I like about virtual tours is that you can hear from a virtual tour guide about the campus, “see” the buildings and get a feel for the campus, also my favorite part is some virtual tours have 360-degree experiences where you feel like you’re right in the middle of campus.

Social media is another way to learn more about colleges that you are visiting. Also, it’s a pretty relaxed way for you to do your college search over time. Like or follow some colleges you’re interested in, or check back on their pages periodically, and see what they’re posting about. Sometimes campuses have multiple social media handles, so if you’re really into one college you may want to follow more than one of their most popular channels.

A third way to explore virtually...and if you’ve got the courage...is to reach out to your admissions counselor and set up a virtual interview. I know this may sound intimidating but think of it more as a conversation, not an interview. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about the college and get your questions answered from the source. College admissions people love talking to families, especially when the student leads the conversation.