Each Spring Break, families pilgrimage to colleges reasoning that by visiting a college campus their teenagers will be motivated to select colleges.
However, since many colleges are still conducting some classes online or not requiring in person attendance, in order to mitigate the on-going risks due to COVID, families may not experience students milling about the campus or even congregating in libraries, the usual hustle and bustle of campus life.
Therefore, postponing campus visits may be most prudent. Families can save resources and still gather information about universities, exploring campuses virtually for now.
Since Spring 2020, when colleges summarily shuttered their campuses, admissions officers were forced to develop a slew of virtual resources, which have only increased in quality and variety.
Some campuses livestream tours, where visitors can interact with student guides. Also, admissions officers regularly conduct Instagram livestream or reply to prospective students’ questions in TikToks.
Furthermore, members of parent groups on social media, like Facebook, can offer advice for prospective families or even just a scroll of current news to understand the university experience, like how administrators are managing the current COVID-induced disruption of college life.
Additionally, virtual college fairs are prolific, as admissions officers’ travel is no longer an impediment. Plus, sessions are often recorded, then posted for potential students to view at their convenience. Also, many admissions officers are available to schedule one-on-one virtual appointments to answer more individual questions.
Simultaneous to any investigation of colleges, with their families, students should reflect on their needs, considering questions like: what kind of teacher is most effective or do I want to live in an urban, rural or suburban location. Then, while researching colleges online, families can assess the educational merits of each college for an individual student.
With patient, methodical self-reflection in conjunction with comprehensive research of each college, families can conscientiously select campuses for application where a student is most likely to discover even more about their aptitude, as well as fits the budget of the family, reducing the risk of educational malinvestment.
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