College Virtual Tours: Choose Your Campus Destination

Students from all over the world can check their dream college campus just from the comforts of their homes. Yes, no need to pack your bags yet and travel miles across another foreign land just to visit these colleges. Thanks to technology, virtual tours and interactive maps make this possible. You could either check for websites which specialize in college virtual tours or you could visit each college website individually and click their virtual tour feature to immerse yourself with the environment of the college you’ve been dreaming of.

Choosing which college to go is critical in achieving your lifelong dreams. You could always use some advice from friends and families but nothing beats having your own decisions and assessing what these colleges offer all by yourself. At the end of the day, it is you who is going to spend time studying in these campuses.

College admission these days has a different buzz compared to the years prior. As we are still in a pandemic, students who would normally be spending their spring breaks looking around college campuses will be spending time taking virtual tours. College admission officers who usually conduct events and other in-person marketing gigs to attract students will have to be more creative. Again, technology will play a big part in getting those students enrolled. Before we jump off with the virtual tour selection. Here are some important things to remember on how to maximize your time in doing virtual tours.

1. Ponder, evaluate and decide why you want to pursue college

Before spending time doing the virtual tours, you should have taken the time to assess yourself in terms of how ready you are to take this new exciting yet challenging chapter of your life. This is a huge commitment which takes four years or more of your time and you have to be fully aware and committed on why you want to do this. What do you want to get out of it and what exactly are you looking for at a particular college or university? College should be a good fit for the things that you want to pursue in life. This is important so that prior to you making the virtual tour, you already know exactly what things to look out for while doing the campus rounds.

2. List down the colleges you are interested in, join the mailing list

You may have a couple of colleges in mind so list them down and join their mailing list. This is helpful in finding out what’s new about this campus and if they have other programs or events such as upgraded virtual tours which you can check. You could also start following the social media handle of the colleges you are interested in. This can give you a better sense of the college’s programs and other marketing campaigns.

3. Identify the information you should be looking out for in virtual tours

When doing the virtual tour check the features such as interactive maps, advance search filters, high-definition photos, 360° panoramic view, online customer service assistant, admission, health and wellness, sports, tuition, location, and other pertinent information.

Now, let’s jump back into the best websites out there which provide a specialized service focused on college virtual tours and individual colleges with virtual. Then we will be visiting other college websites which offer virtual tours.

4. Campus Tours

Image Source: Campus Tours’ Website

When you visit their website, you can simply search a campus across thousands of selections using the three filters of the search bar – school name, search by state or province or search by country. If you input a particular name of a school, it provides you with the school’s address, general information, tuition fee rate (2020-2021), enrollment statistics, admission requirements, sports and athletics, and majors/ degrees conferred. In addition, there are also icons for campus map, virtual tour, video, website, and VR/Pics. If you search by state or province, you will have a long list of colleges and universities in the given area. You can also make use of the advance search option for a more granular search of what you are looking for. You can filter your search with the undergraduate population data, gender, women sports and other criteria.

This company offers high definition video production and also uses Matterport True3D Walk-Through experience. Their team also specializes in aerial photography and drone-based college campus shoots, as well as, 360° panoramic shots.

Website: https://campustours.com/productions

1. You Visit College Search

Image Source: You Visit’s Website

Within their website, you can filter your search by choosing the state or territory which is similar to Campur Tours’ website. In addition, you can also filter the institution type whether what you are looking for is public or private, institution years, campus setting, enrollment and tuition fee. Check their website and select from the number of colleges with 360° views. But before you can open each college’s virtual tours, you will have to sign up with your email address first.

Website: https://www.youvisit.com/collegesearch/

1. Niche

Image Source: Niche’s Website

Unlike You Visit which specializes in the college campus search, with the Niche website you can also search for k-12 schools, colleges and graduate schools. It also allows you to compare colleges. Niche provides students and parents with data and reviews which are helpful in making them decide which are the best colleges around the area. You may also find the student loan interesting. This feature allows students to look for loans offered by their lending partners in order to pay for college tuition fees and other related expenses. When you go over the college tab, it brings you a list of the top colleges which you can filter out by college type, cost, specialty, religious affiliations and other criteria. It also allows you to search the college through their campus maps feature. The great thing about their website is that the colleges which offer virtual tours are displayed and you can just add this to your list and come back to it anytime you want to check it out again.

Website: https://www.niche.com

1. College Confidential

Image Source: College Confidential Website

Their website offers you a list of forums to join and read through the discussions, the colleges tab for you to check the best colleges in town, and articles related to college living and studying. To maximize your search, sign up with your email in order to start your search. Included in the list of colleges are the acceptance rate, and the in-state and out-of-state expenses.

Website: https://www.collegeconfidential.com/

1. Campus Reel

Image Source: Campus Reel’s website

Unlike the other websites mentioned, Campu Reel specializes in creating campus videos. This is an engaging way to visit college campuses for students and families and those who are taking up higher education. The website offers a virtual campus tour of the colleges you are interested in. Simply create an account using your email address and start checking out which admission you’d like to take. Campus Reel has been featured and recommended by big names such as TechCrunch, Forbes, USA Today, and The New York Times. There are plenty of videos you can watch. This includes the Ivy League Reels, the Large University Reels, and information about California Scholarships. If you are part of a college admission team and plan to work with Campus Reel, click the ‘schedule demo’ on their website and connect with them. They have worked with a number of colleges which include the Harvard Business School, Bloomsburg University, Springfield College, The University of Vermont and a lot more. So if you are after a video solution provider for your college and if you look forward to improving your recruitment statistics, get in touch with Campus Reel.

Website: https://www.campusreel.org/

1. Cappex

Image Source: Cappex’ Website

Their website is dedicated to providing students with helpful articles related to recruitment and college admissions. The company generates about 1.2 million new users on an annual basis. The company helps students and colleges communicate with each other. Included in their feature are a list of colleges with the best virtual tour experience, scholarship grants, majors subjects, and transfer information.

Website: https://www.cappex.com/

1. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Image Source: University of Minnesota’s Facebook Page

Check out their website and get to know more about their admission process, their academics overview and special programs, life at Minnesota, the cost of living and other aids you can get, school counselors and resources for families and parents. You can visit the site virtually by either going through their online campus tours, booking on their weekly information sessions or having a one on one virtual appointment with their admission officers. Virtual individual appointments are done via Zoom, Google Hangouts, email or through a phone call. They also offer a self-guided virtual tour along the east bank, west bank and St. Paul area. If you are looking forward to having companions while taking the tour, join the virtual group session for groups of 10 or more. There is also an option for student-led Minneapolis Campus Walking Tour and Student-Led St. Paul Campus Video Walking Tour.

Website: https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/visit/virtual-tours-and-visits

1. Harvard College

Image Source: Harvard University’s Website

Visit Harvard University any time of the time, any day of the week through their virtual tours. The virtual tour is accompanied by an audio which provides you with additional information on how to navigate around the campus. Everytime you move to another location, the audio gives out important information related to the location. This panoramic Harvard campus tour is powered by You Visit. Once you have toured around the campus, you can book an hour-long information session for your inquiries to be addressed. There are also student-lead virtual tours which you can check out. This is perfect for undergraduates who are interested in programs under the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Website: https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/explore-harvard/virtual-tour

1. Georgetown University

Image Source: Georgetown University

Georgetown University offers virtual and in-person visits, as well as campus virtual tours. Their virtual tour is powered by Youvisit and allows you to pause around 20 campus stops. It comes with a narration as well so anyone taking this walking tour is provided with the right information. You can use any device to view the virtual tour as it is compatible using phones, desktops or laptops. You can also opt for the self-guided tour and browse over their campus map.

Website: https://uadmissions.georgetown.edu/visiting/visit-options/

1. Stanford University

Image Source: Stanford University’s Website

To get the best virtual tour experience around Stanford University campus, use your mobile device or your VR headset. Immerse yourself in this student-led virtual tour which runs over 10 minutes. After going around the campus with the 360° video tour, you can take the virtual campus walk. The high-definition photos and in-depth information will bring you closer to Stanford! You could also check the garden tour and read through the information provided in every slide. Learning more about how it is living inside the campus through the virtual tours of the student’s residential areas, places where they study, eat and lounge. Campus photos give you an idea not just what is within the campus but also the things, people and culture you can experience outside the campus and nearby areas. After going through all the virtual walk-around, book an appointment with the admission officer and start firing out your questions!

Website: https://visit.stanford.edu/tours/virtual/