Virtual college tours for high school students are the new norm, replacing physical tours. The aim remains the same: getting familiar with the schools you would like to attend to make a good academic decision. The method of facilitation differs though from the former system, and you now have a live video in place of an expert guide. There are advantages to this new system, though.
Students can now travel as far as another continent without having to leave their homes. That’s safer and risk-free! What could go wrong? Probably data exhaustion and continuous writing. In addition, these new college campus tours take much less time to complete. However, the major con is that most are not yet familiar with virtual living and don’t even know where to start. This article is to help you get started at the right place. If you could attend classes and submit assignments online, why not this?
5 Popular Schools Offering Virtual College Tours In The UK
The main purpose of the exercise is to pick a school, no? It is only logical that we start looking at some of the popular colleges that currently allow virtual tours. Here we go.
- University of Glasgow: Find out even more than you will on a physical tour, thanks to the school’s absorbing virtual tour of the campus, library, residential college, and many more!
- University of Leicester: Go through the University of Leicester, exploring the park-like campus and beautiful setting.
- University of Manchester: See more about the University shared by the red and blue sides of the city and get to find out if the campus and classrooms are shared between both colors.
- University of South Wales: A perfect opportunity to see another country for kids in London. Find out how the classrooms and laboratories look, and if they teach golf too.
- Blackburn College: Check out the campus, library, and classrooms at Blackburn College! Discover what makes the college such a great place for your education.
College Visit Tips For Making The Most Of Your Virtual College Tour
The purpose of your college tour is to decide the best school for your appropriate course of study. But don’t forget that visiting a college is not enough to actually get into one. College tours can prepare future students for entry exams and provide more information on values of various information. With the help of this information and writing experts from Writix, your personal statement and any entry essay or exam will pass with flying colors. That’s why college tours can’t ever be scrapped, even if only an online version is available.
Now, virtual college tours are easy to sign up for, as you may have noticed. All you need to do is have a shortlist of schools and use any of the five websites above to start your tour. However, it is more than that. How exactly are you going to make sure the experience is impactful as a physical tour would be? Keep reading to see ways to ensure your virtual college tours help you select the right school.
Take Notes Throughout
A virtual college tour is not an experience you have sitting in bed with a duvet over you. It has to be treated as a lesson, so you must take notes of places as the camera shows them. This way, you can always note what’s important. Failure to take notes will make it difficult to remember the relevant details when you need them, especially if you visit more than one school.
Consult With Students In The Schools
A great way to be sure of the notes you’ve taken is by confirming with existing students of the schools. You can surely make mistakes with your notes or require more information on a subject that the online tour guide has briefly mentioned. Consult with seniors you are familiar with, and if there are none, you have to ask on social media platforms, especially Facebook. The school website may have a forum for students and prospects too.
Get Your Priorities Straight
Usually, students know the discipline they want before going on a college tour to find your university of choice. However, it is common for them to be swayed by the facilities available in a school and therefore select that school even if the facilities are not the best for them. Some students would rather select a university with more general facilities than a specialized one with less general facilities but more resources for their course of study.
Resources For Taking These Tours
Now that you’re aware of the schools that allow virtual tours, it is necessary to check out how to take these tours. Below are four websites you can visit to find live/pre-recorded tour videos of whatever school you choose.
1. YouVisit
You can either get the view of 600+ schools with the help of your smartphone or use an augmented reality device free of charge for panoramic view. Both private and public universities are available for a virtual visit.
2. eCampusTours
Over 1300 campuses are available on the website in 360 view mode for online visit. Apart from colleges, the website can also provide helpful information for parents and students.
3. YoUniversityTV
Unlike the other websites, YoUniversityTV features various categories of schools to visit online.
4. CampusReel
In the CampusReel quest for college video material, more than 15,000 students are at the forefront of the community to share their live experiences with high school students. By exploring diverse viewpoints, they provide genuine and frank insights into a campus life.
Note that some of the schools have the tour videos on their official websites, so you may as well visit their websites.
Wrap Up
Virtual college tours are a great substitute for physical tours. They are far more affordable, easier, and faster — and perhaps equally impactful. Some students believe that an online experience cannot be as good as being there physically. While it is hard not to see reason with them, you should realize that it depends on the level of attention paid by the students. High school students who go on a physical college tour can make the wrong decisions, so those on a virtual tour. That’s the reason for the emphasis on getting your priorities right.
