Campus Visits? Not So Fast.

For those rising seniors (current juniors), the spring is traditionally often the time to visit prospective college campuses.  However, in these extraordinary times, that may not be quite as feasible.  Many colleges and universities either close their campuses to the general public, or, if you’re able to walk around their premises – you won’t get much out of it since you’re unlikely to talk with students, faculty or staff there.

Fortunately, there are many virtual college tours available. They are either hosted individually by the schools, or sometimes by regional or national associations such as the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) or Western Association of College Admission Counseling (WACAC), which are usually in the form of college fairs – similar to a physical visit of university and college representatives to your school, except they’re all virtual and remote. Other organizations such as Campus Tours may also offer various college tours as well.  You can also do research on schools via sites such as eCampusTours.com but you may not get to interact with a school representative as you would with other sites or going directly to the institution’s own site.

So use this opportunity to research some schools you may be interested in; while it may not be as engaging as a live visit, on the other hand, you are able to explore far more campuses from the safety and convenience of your home through virtual tours.   Hopefully after the public health conditions change for the better,  you can visit in person the campuses which you’ve sampled virtually.