Summer College Tours: The New Normal

Summer has always traditionally been the time of year you head off on a couple whirlwind college tours visiting a mix of different schools with your rising junior or rising senior in high school. These were amazing experiences I had one on one with both of my kids. From the shores of the Great Lakes visiting The University of Michigan with my son to the beautiful North Carolina coast exploring UNC-Wilmington with my daughter. Ironically, neither went to either. Nevertheless, the experiences were invaluable bonding opportunities and fun for this mom that never set foot on the campus of the school I attended that was 12 hours away from home until 2 days before the start of classes at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Lucky for me I loved it and they were some of the best years of my life.

[Photo Credit: Wix Stock Photos]

These days, my experience may be the norm for students involved in this summer college tour cycle. However, mine was completely blind except for a fancy color brochure that came with the application attached where you mailed it in with a check (oops, just dated myself ) . Colleges have had to rethink this experience just like rescheduling or cancelling graduations and finishing semesters online this past spring. So what is available? It varies from school to school. You want to narrow your list down like you traditionally would as the common app opens on August 1 which is a super important date if you are a rising senior. Once you know what schools you want to investigate the following is what typically will be available for students.

To start with virtual campus tours. These have been a part of the online experience for kids who couldn’t travel to campuses directly but now it is the only option. There may be some exceptions to this as rules vary wildly with the reopening of states and economies. They also may change even from this current time frame to a month from now so staying up to date and frequent check ins on YOUR school list is recommended. If a chance pops up to go in person run don’t walk to get there. It is the best way to get a true flavor for a school. However, universities and colleges are going out of their way to get creative. Some have enlisted overhead drones to give a prospective student a birds eye view of what the campus looks like. Zoom was a mainstay for spring semester classes and now for virtual meetings with admission counselors an other pertinent department administrators. Vanderbilt University has paired prospective students with current students for virtual coffee meetings to learn more. ( Love this!!)

The reality is everything looks different now and some schools will not be on campus for classes in the fall either. So fall visits to some schools will not be an option if you were hoping to wait it out. Other schools such as NC state, UNC Chapel Hill, USC (South Carolina) will all have students returning to campus in the fall but new guidelines will be in place regarding class size and safety regulations. Schools such as these that are sending students back to campus in the fall may offer in person tours so be on the lookout but the fluid and changing nature will require you to keep close tabs on whats happening and what schools are offering.

I would also strongly suggest talking to any friends or friends of friends that attend a school you are interested in. All kids have different experiences so don’t base a decision on one person’s opinion just because they attend a school you are interested in but rather use it as another piece of information you are compiling to make the best decision you can about where to apply when the common App opens starting the new cycle for the next round of college admissions. Good Luck!

XO & #StayCurious