Virtual Visit? Make It Count!
Elton Lin
In the good old days – which is to say, just about any year before 2020 – a hallmark moment for high school students applying to college was going on a trip to visit the schools that they might want to attend. This year is different, obviously, and it’s changed the college application process more than a little.
So – for this year at least – packing your gear into the Volkswagen Beetle for a road trip or jumping on a plane ride cross-country may not be so feasible. But as a student, you want to see the campuses of the schools that you’re thinking of applying to, and as a parent, you want to make sure that your kids have the chance to experience what a college looks and feels like. But how can you safely do that during winter break of 2020 or spring break of 2021?
The answer is to take advantage of online offerings, which – in direct response to the pandemic – have exploded. Every major school now offers options not only for online, distanced learning, but for virtual campus visits.
Yes, there are a very few universities continuing to conduct in-person visits, such as Texas A&M, but for this December break – and the rest of the winter – you can expect your college visits to take place through your modem. Colleges have tried hard to personalize these “virtual visits,” and in many cases, they are the same as a campus tour – where a presenter actually logs on at a particular time and walks you through the campus, virtually.
However, that’s far from the only option. There are many different ways to virtually visit a college, including “touring” at your own pace. These self-guided virtual visits are readily available and can be easily found on services such as YouVisit. Search your favorite school there!
Many schools guide you every step of the way. Stanford University, for example, has a webpage full of ways to virtually engage and connect with the campus. Harvard University offers countless virtual options – which, COVID-19 notwithstanding, is honestly the best way to tour its Boston campus around Christmas. Yale and Princeton both have virtual visits and virtual info sessions, where prospective students can talk with current students – most of whom lived on-campus for at least a semester in 2019. The list of top-notch universities – and the fabulous virtual options they offer – can go on and on.
But how to get the most out of a virtual visit? In a lot of ways, it’s similar to getting the most out of a real-life, in-person experience. If you visit a college but don’t talk to anyone, you aren’t going to get a lot out of your visit. The same goes virtually. In a virtual visit, be sure to interact with current students and ask them about their experiences. Find out what dorm life was like – and ask about sports and academics, both before and after the pandemic hit.
Clearly, a virtual information session is a must – just like a real-life info session was a must when college visits were face-to-face. These virtual campus tours allow you to see the beautiful places where you may one day be living – all without leaving the safety of your home today. And, in many ways, a virtual campus tour is actually better than a real one since you can choose a self-guided option and see things at your own pace and linger where you’re most interested. In an in-person tour you might be whisked right by something – like the biology lab or the arts center – that you wanted to know more about.
It’s easier than ever to register for an information session. Stanford, Princeton, and Yale all offer online information sessions three days a week (with Princeton’s starting January 7). Or, go to the website of the college you’re thinking about applying to and explore their virtual offerings and events. With virtual admissions events, you don’t have to struggle to run from school to school, fitting it all into a tight schedule. You won’t find out that the admissions office closed earlier than you thought and – since you live a thousand miles away – you missed your chance to talk to them. With virtual visits, none of this is a problem!
Certainly, in-person campus life is an essential part of the college experience, and it’s going to come back as soon as it’s safe to do so. But the college tour – rushing around just to spend a few minutes on every university’s campus – was never, if we’re being honest, the most efficient or enjoyable way to explore possible schools. We look forward to the day that Zoom-only classes are a thing of the past, but we hope that virtual visits are here to stay.
Embrace them!