How do you plan on connecting with colleges this fall? More and more colleges are creating virtual ways to “visit” their campus. This can be beneficial if the college is across the state, across the country, or not holding in-person tours. This is a good way to get more information and assess if the college may be a fit for you. These virtual options can come in different forms.
1. Self-Guided – A college may offer a self-guided online tour of their school. This may include views of the buildings, classrooms, and other important parts of the campus. A self-guided tour will take you step-by-step through what the college wants to highlight.They may even offer a map that lets you click to see more info about a certain area. Self-guided tours are a low-pressure way to explore.
2. Small Group – Usually when you have an official college visit, they begin with a presentation about the college. Some colleges are continuing this tradition but moving it online. This means they have a specific number of slots to sign up for at a specific time. You can reserve your spot, log on, and connect in a similar manner to a normal in-person visit. This type of tour has a lot of value as you will learn many things about the college and be able to ask questions. You may even learn something about the college through a question from another participant.
3. One-on-One – Since college visits are online a college may switch to a more one-on-one approach. This means you will have either an admissions officer or a current student who leads your virtual tour. This can be great because you can receive the personal attention that comes with being the only one on the tour. In this case it is even more important to have a list of questions ready for the tour guide.
4. College Fair – Did you know that even college fairs have become virtual? A college fair is usually where an admissions officer brings a bit of the campus visit to your high school or area. The virtual college fair is a way to visit lots of colleges virtually at once and have conversations with admissions officers. Be prepared with your questions just as you would for an in-person college fair. Ask colleges about the ways they connect to prospective students using technology.
The best place to begin with any virtual option is to go to the admissions page of the college you want to visit. There, they will list howto contact the admissions office and they may list some of these options. Colleges usually want to make this step easy so that students are encouraged to participate. Reach out to the Right C3 coaches if you want to discuss more about your colleges and how you plan to connect.
