For the class of 2021 and now 2022, there has been a new way of going on college tours. With the pandemic, it isn’t easy to travel to the school of choice and just walk around campus. There had to be a more COVID safe way. 

     Virtual school, virtual work, virtual sports competitions, most everything has been offered on an online platform now. Making college tours virtual allows students who may want to attend an out-of-school state more within reach.

     The colleges around North Harford that are within a reasonable driving distance are University of Maryland, Towson, UMBC, University of Delaware, York College, Goucher, etc. But for the students not as interested in the schools nearby, their college search just became easier to do, even from their living room. 

     Colleges across the nation have been using platforms such as YouVisit, a 360-degree video, showing you every angle of the spots on campus where the cameras are located, giving that in-person feel. An admissions officer at Hofstra University told The New York Times, “When you’re doing these college visits, you go and sit somewhere on campus with your mom and dad next to you and you watch the kids. You can hear the sounds and smell the smells. You can see yourself being there. We’re trying the best we can to deliver that virtually.” 

     Students at NH are looking at colleges that can range from Towson University to Colorado State University, but with virtual visits, there is no travel time in between you and the school. Emily Messick, junior is expressing interest in southern schools like Auburn University. 

     Messick explains, “Virtual tours allow me to see the school when I’m unable to go in person. It certainly is helpful that I can see the school before visiting in person to know what I am expecting and find what I want/don’t want in a college.”

     The New York Times stated, “Many universities closed their campuses in March of 2020, prime season for accepted high school seniors deciding where they will spend the next four years, as well as juniors deciding where to apply. Carefully planned road trips with parents have been suddenly scrapped, leaving many students to wonder how they will experience campuses’ true vibes on the internet.”

     According to YouVisit, “Our unmatched virtual tour software allows us to create, customized virtual college campus tours, which can be accessed from school Websites, Facebook, mobile apps and college selection Websites.” They add, “Prospective students, faculty members and their families can explore your grounds from the comfort of their computers or smartphones.”

     “What I like about virtual tours like YouVisit, is that I can get a feel and a 360 view, like I could in-person for the schools. However, I don’t like the fact I can’t directly ask questions to someone or physically be there to get a feel if it is a good fit for me or not,” added Messick. 

     YouVisit also stated that their views are tracked and measured. Previous trends showed an 80 percent increase in interest, 30 percent increase in physical campus visits, increased diversity with visitors spanning more than 100 countries and higher conversion rates for applications and enrollment at certain colleges, who use YouVisit’s virtual platform.