Would you pay for an off-campus tour?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I’m a student at the University of Pittsburgh, which has a very large and urban campus. Because of the size, most of the school-sponsored tours don’t show you the entire area surrounding the campus.</p>

<p>I’d imagine that most urban schools (NYU, BU, etc.) have this same issue. As such, I’m thinking about starting a tour guide service that goes through the off-campus areas. </p>

<p>The tour would include a walk through off-campus neighborhoods, information on off-campus housing, restaurants, and activities. A student very familiar with the area will lead the tour. All in all, it would be approximately 1-2 hours long.</p>

<ol>
<li> Would you be interested in such a tour?</li>
<li> How much would you be willing to pay?</li>
<li> What would you want out of the tour? What information would you like to get, and what places would you like to see?</li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks for your time.</p>

2

<p>Sort of funny, my son’s three options are now Pitt, NYU, and BU. It would be interesting to have an “insiders” view of off campus. From a parent’s POV, I would be interested in safety and potential off-campus housing. Students are probably looking for things to do, how long to get to classes, food/drink, greek life for those interested (maybe a separate tour for them). We walked around all three campuses a bit on our own but not everyone gets to do that and I’m sure we missed much. For example, I’m curious how safe it is around Carlow area. I also think if you offer it in tandem with a lunch at a local cool dining spot, that would be helpful. The lunch or early dinner could be a forum for the group to discuss the info and further questions. The campus tours move around from palce to palce so much you don’t always have the opportunity to digest the info/formulate additional questions or follow up from other’s questions. Good luck with it!</p>

3

<p>Included lunch is a great idea, especially as a ‘review info’ and Q&A session.</p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback.</p>

<p>As far as the area around Carlow: Chesterfield (right side of Carlow) and Robinson (left side of Carlow) streets are fine, but anything to the north or west starts to get shady - the Hill District, which isn’t a nice area, starts to begin a few blocks from there.</p>

4

<p>Off Campus Tours: College Confidential forum rules state that advertising and business promotion are not allowed.</p>

5

<p>I’m just asking questions for a potential business, to see if it’s worth pursuing. I’m not advertising or promoting a business… because there isn’t one yet.</p>

6

<p>Let him be - this, if it WERE an advertisement, would still be much more interesting than most! We’d probably pay $15 - $20 for a family of three (plus the cost of lunch). I’d want to know safe neighborhoods, and where the bus service is located.</p>

7

<p>It’s worth a shot, but we’re cheapskates who would probably just walk/drive around the area by ourselves anyway. I’d have to see some serious “value added” content to what I could find online and by stumbling around. I’m sure there are some folks who would pay for such a service, though (especially on accepted student weekends)!</p>

<p>You might find that the uni would lean on you a bit to make the neighborhood seem positive so that your tour wouldn’t endanger yield.</p>