Let’s just say that, after going on a few gazillion campus tours … first as a college admissions counselor and, more recently, as a parent … I decided to write an open letter to admission offices everywhere to suggest some ways that these tours could be improved. … suggestions that would help to make them more worthwhile and less predictable. What items do CC members think I should put on the list?
While not always practical, When we did tours a couple years ago, I found my son got more when the tour guide was a student in a field at least somewhat closely aligned to his interests. Having a music major take an engineering prospect on a tour is just silly.
Some common sense. Like when it’s raining give your spiel under cover or inside. Provide water on hot days. It’s cheap considering. Love signing up online rather than having to call. Student and parent panels. Opportunity to eat in student dining facilities and see at least one dorm room.
Train tour guides on how to deal with a parent who questions the tour guide as if s/he were an admissions officer or asks constant detailed questions that are specific to their student.
I love it when the website has parking information. I am also a big fan of bottled water on hot days.
-Split up the parents and students at least once on the tour. Many students are embarrassed to ask questions in front of their parents and thus avoid asking questions about the social scene, changing majors, etc. If that’s not possible, allow for anonymous written questions during the sit down presentation.
-Don’t force students who were already admitted to the school to sit through a presentation on how to get admitted
-If the guide doesn’t know the answer to the question just admit it and either leave it at that or have him ask the head office at the end of the tour. I’ve been on two tours where the guide just made up information rather than answer honestly (and I knew the statistics or later found out the real answer)
-In the pamphlets, discuss at least one truly unique program the school offers, or some outstanding statistic about the university
I like umbrellas (big ones) on rainy days. And don’t let the tour groups get too big. If we can’t hear the guide due to group size, you need to either do a better job of scheduling students for tours or get more tour guides.
Show us a dorm room.
Great suggestions so far and a special “Amen” to this one. Sometimes it’s even the students themselves who monopolize the guides, asking countless questions that are specific to their own situations, though it’s certainly more often a parent.
I’ve also been surprised by how often the tour doesn’t go inside a dorm room (about half the time, I’d estimate … maybe a little less). I’d like to see at least one room and also a bathroom and some of the common spaces. And I’d also like to see an upper-classman’s dorm if it’s significantly different from the freshman dorm or, at the very least, hear some description from the guide of both on- and off-campus housing options for returning students, perhaps with a little anecdotal information about where he or she lives … and why.
From my experience so far with 4 schools- Talk loudly so everyone can hear, ask to make sure of it. Don’t walk too fast. Allow time for questions. Don’t spend all the time on 1 student but at the same time try to personalize it for everyone. Go in buildings and not just on the 1st floor. Don’t focus it all on you. Realize you may be dealing with a diverse group and you are an ambassador of your school so don’t say racist, sexist, classist, ableist or otherwise offensive things. Examples “Only black kids work in the dining halls, these rooms are for the wheelies(wheelchair accessible rooms-all were but some had special tables.), this is where the welfare weirdoes hang.”