You probably wouldn’t want to move for the next four or more years to a new house in a new city sight unseen. So it is with choosing a college, and if you can’t physically make a campus visit due to cost or distance, virtual college tours can be a useful early decision-making tool to sort through colleges and almost feel like you’re right there walking down that tree-lined path by the river and across the lively campus quad. Make the most out of your time and resources — if you're like the vast majority of prospective college students, you plan to apply to three or more colleges, so taking advantage of the advanced technology of virtual tours is exactly what a Generation Z student would do!
Doing a live campus visit is always the best experience, but in the early stages of your college search, you don’t have to settle for a glossy brochure or postcard — 360-degree video tours and even virtual reality tours are becoming the norm for college seekers. Most colleges now post live videos in several formats, so check out your prospective college’s website first.
In addition, YouVisit.com is a virtual campus tour website we highly recommend browsing through to find that perfect fit. Prospective students can visit 600+ colleges for free! Pay attention to the campus size, terrain, residence halls, dining halls, campus recreation, and other notable features of the city, such as nearby mountains or lakes. This digital experience is made for the modern student!
We know that you expect to see more than just buildings, and YouVisit found a unique way to deliver the campus culture and vibe that feels incredibly immersive.
Check out this 360-degree tour of Oregon State University in Corvallis. You can hear the birds chirping and almost touch the trees. If you have VR goggles, you can really elevate your experience! And Oregon Institute of Technology’s virtual tour helps you understand why this college has been ranked first in Oregon for students' return on investment!
Two other virtual college tour sites worth mentioning are eCampusTours.com and CampusTours.com — the interactive campus maps, video tours, and mobile walking tours of hundreds of colleges and universities continue to provide more colorful and authentic experiences. They are not trying to replace the actual college visit, but enhance the experience by allowing students to do more research ahead of time.
Overall, our counseling team at Baker Charter Schools really values the virtual tour as a starting point to explore your college list, especially those that may be out of reach due to time or cost constraints.
Once you have a good feel for the campus, you can weigh your other important factors in this life-changing decision, such as academic programs, admissions requirements, and cost of attendance. For now, save gas and airfare and do that first or second virtual college visit.
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