The college process can be stressful, from the applications to the finances and the acceptances, but touring colleges allows students to prioritize their top choices. Tours allow students to get a real sense of the college. By talking to guides, walking the campus, and eating the food, students are able to narrow down their list to find the right school for them.
Questions:
- Why do you go on college tours?
- What was the best tour you have been on and why?
- What do you look for on a tour?
- What advice would you give younger students about college tours?
Yael Roll (’20):
1. I go on college on college tours to really get a better feel for the school and see if I could envision myself there. It is hard to tell if you love or hate a school just from the website and what you have heard from other people. Going on the tours really helped me individualize the entire college process.
2. I think the best tour I went on was at Syracuse University. This was the best tour because of the tour guide I had. He was super honest and funny. It made the tour more enjoyable and gave me a realistic view of the type of students at the school.
3. I just look for a campus with a positive vibe. If the campus feels dreary or just unenthusiastic, it sticks out a lot to me.
4. I would tell younger students to keep an open mind with college tours. It is really hard to come to a campus and put aside everything you know about the school, but it really does make all the difference in the long run. Also, take pictures of the school to look back at!
Joshua Charleston (’20):
1. I went on several college tours because they are very useful for getting a feel for a school. It is not always enough to see pictures and facts about the campus. Sometimes, you need to be there and get a feel for what the campus is like. It can avoid me staying at a campus that I do not like for four years.
2. The best tour I have been on so far is from Quinnipiac. The campus was nice. The tour guides were very good and also very informative about the campus.
3. What I look for in a tour are very interactive and hospitable tour guides, a nice looking campus, and up-to-date facilities.
4. My advice to younger students is that college tours can go a long way in deciding to commit to that university. It can be the difference between loving or disliking a school.
Lilah Steinberg (’21):
1. I go on college tours so that I can get a feel of what campus life is like for students who attend the university and so that I can get more information about the school from the students themselves.
2. The best tour I have been on was the one at Boston University. It was the best because we got to see the inside of a dorm, one of the key study spots for students at the school, and their beautiful libraries.
3. I generally look for places I could see myself on tours. This means that I try to envision myself in the places we look at. Additionally, I try to sense the “vibe” of the school, and see if I fit that vibe.
4. When you go on college tours, make sure you ask any questions you want. The tour guides are students at the school and the best fountain of information about what the school is ACTUALLY like. Also, make sure you eat lunch/dinner in a restaurant near/on campus. If you are a student at the school, you need to be able to eat food you like!
Russell Moskowitz (’21):
1. I go on college tours in order to get a feel for what life on a college campus is like. I want to be able to go to college with some idea of what to expect regarding both academics and overall college life.
2. The best college tour that I have been on was the University of Maryland. This was my favorite tour because the presenters and tour guides made sure to include information about both the academic and the non-academic components of their school. Many college tours that I have been on only provide information about academics, so UMD impressed me with the variety of information that they presented.
3. I look for a college tour that will give me the best feel for what life on their campus is actually like. This gives me the best ability to be able to picture myself at their particular college.
4. I would advise younger students to always have an optimistic outlook when attending college tours because having a bad attitude going into the tour will simply ruin the experience. Give the presenters a chance to win you over.
