How colleges can make college tours better!!!

[ChicagoBear]

We completed a tour of several southern schools over spring break.

Clemson: Free parking near the visitors center and after the honors college meeting, current students provided "business cards" with their contact information for any follow-up questions.

South Carolina-Columbia: Free parking, a personalized agenda and welcome package, a discount on university gear at the bookstore and free drinks for the walking tour.

North Carolina-Chapel Hill: Missed getting one of the free parking spots, but close-by parking was available for a nominal fee. Free lunch in the dining hall for the student and a discount on university gear at the bookstore.

Duke: Free parking was available. However, the AdCom speech seemed to go on forever. The tour was fine except it was the only school that did not include a dorm room on the tour or have a model room available. When asked if we could tour a dorm room the guide said: "that would be weird, people live there".

[Modadunn]

Our worst tour was also Brown. Parking was a nightmare. And far away from Admissions. This said, we waited for nearly 45 minutes for the tour guide and so S was pretty much over the school before we began. I did, however, really like their info session at the end so you had a change to formulate some pertinent questions.

I agree with the "last kid picked in gym" problem at Tufts. Of course, that they made us fill in an entire card WITH the option to reveal your stats before you had even applied (are they weeding out people they don't want to deluge with mailings?) begs the question of Why they don't just have a list right there that lists the tour guides majors/interests and have people sign up for the tour guide without actually "seeing" them?

S's small LAC has info sessions for particular majors but mostly in the summer. However, those kids that are there for the morning session are always welcome to visit actual classrooms in the afternoon. Same with the Arts.

Water Bottles - most schools are going carbon-neutral or at least making the pretense of being "green." Plastic isn't green. Only Colgate sent a Colgate embossed reusable water bottle... but they didn't send that until acceptance. However, this would seem an ideal product placement if you ask me.

The thing about giveaways etc is that they have to get paid for through something and as someone who is paying the semester bill out of my own pocket, I don't want to see spending that would be better served in the classroom for the kids who are enrolled. If a school needs to "buy" you, I don't think I'd want what they are selling.

As for after a kid has applied and been accepted to send you a coupon for a free or reduced sweatshirt or little logo-embossed gift? Well, that too is just good marketing.

[paying3tuitions]

On showing dorm rooms: cute idea at NYU was urging students to stretch out on the bed and imagine themselves in college. (model room, not belonging to any current student).

We toured Oberlin 2 years apart, for S and D. The first tour showed the "least" room on campus in the dullest 1960's building (East Hall), commenting, "We're showing you this one on purpose. If you attend, your freshman room will be this or better." Two years later, the tour instead went through the most magnificent dorm on campus (Talcott Hall), commenting in the lobby, "This is our most beautiful dorm building; the room itself is fairly typical." They were honest both times, and I suppose just trying to show something more appealing yet manage expectations.

[diana2012]

My worst tour was Oberlin. I realized as soon as I got there that I absolutely hated it (tiny, ugly, way too isolated) but my dad wanted me to take the tour since we'd driven out from Boston. The highlight was when the guide started talking about how at the end of the school year, she and her friends dump their pets (fish/frogs/etc) into one of the school's fountains to die instead of driving them home. The info session was awful too.

Other than that, my tours have been fairly ambiguous, except for Tufts--- I actually really liked the "choose your tour guide" system because I got to have someone with my major/interests, making the tour a lot more relevant.

[Marsian]

Good:

1) Students to show you to every session at an open house, even if you could easily find your way around. The more contact with current students, the better.
2) Free meal in the cafeteria, especially if the food is good.
3) Departmental presentations with both faculty and students that show that they have a rapport.
4) President/Chancellor's welcome, as long as it is VERY SHORT. It shows that the big wigs care enough about prospective students to take time out from their schedules to come.
5) Enthusiasm from the students, faculty, and administration. They don't need to be "rah rah" all the time, but they do need to demonstrate that they actually enjoy being at the college.
6) Talk about what makes THAT college unique. Everyone has study abroad, student research, and the blue lights (that never have to be used, of course. ).

Bad:
1) Long speeches by administrators about the "esteemed history" of the institution.
2) No tour if it rains. Even if it is pouring, some students have come a long way and want to see the campus regardless. Unless there are dangerous conditions like lightning or an approaching tornado, there should be a choice to tour or to stay inside.
3) Few students on campus during a Saturday open house. Do whatever it takes to have students on campus for the weekend. Pay them, offer a student store giftcard, give them service hours. DON'T bring prospective students to a deserted campus.
4) Tour guides who can't seem to find shade.
5) Being apologetic for not having a football team or a lot of Greek life. Many students are visiting because they LIKE that about your school. Make this a positive in your spiel.

[missypie]

I just thought of another one. If a student has the opportunity to sit in on a class, have someone walk him there, at least part of the way. Giving a kid a map of a strange campus and saying they have 5 minutes to get there doesn't make a great impression. (Then when the class is discussing rape and your student is the only guy in the room....well, that's another story....)

[familyof3boys]

^^ Yes, MissyPie, I agree. Two schools my DS toured made certain that there was always someone to escort him to his next stop. Along with helping to make sure he found his way, it also gave him the opportunity to chat with another current student.

[Pizzagirl]

I hope that your alma mater puts some thought into the visitors center parking. We found parking at Northwestern hard to find and signs were very confusing. Ended up with a $50 parking ticket. (we loved everything else about the school, though).

I agree that parking at NU is difficult, and it's been so great with my son there that we are "in the know" and I know where all the little hidden parking lots are. It's also hard to describe how to find the parking lots to someone who isn't familiar with the campus. I felt like such a stud on move-in day, directing all the confused other parents around :-)

One of the stupidest design moves ever made was when beautiful lakefront property was given over to the two-story parking lot. Yes, parking was needed ... But why should the parked cars have the beautiful views, and not buildings where students or visitors congregate?

[thumper1]

I don't know if this has already been said or not...but....I would have separate tours for the students/parents.

The info sessions should highlight things from THAT school...not things that are uniform for all colleges. Brief is better. I found that my KIDS really didn't care much for the info sessions...we often skipped those altogether.

U of South Carolina had an awesome tour. Their student guides gave the "info session" while you walked the campus. My kid LOVED that.

Claremont McKenna (sorry Xiggi) had the worst tour from all of our perspectives. First of all, the guide looked like she had slept in her clothes...and even for my kid that first impression stuck in a negative way. Also the guide (a freshman) kept saying "there is NOTHING like this at ANY other college"....repeatedly. My DD finally said "mom, how would she KNOW that? Has she BEEN on every other college campus?"

DD became a student ambassador and tour guide at her college and did it for 3 1/2 years. She gave very few tours as a freshman...but did work the desk that year. She said the most important thing from HER perspective was to know her audience. She said that the tour groups varied quite a bit. She had a standard "speech" that was part of her training, but had to feel out when to add more or allow more time for questions depending on how the group responded. She also always had a q and a time at the end of her tour and would stay as long as anyone had questions.

[mathmom]

^Having freshman give tours is another pet peeve of mine. They just haven't been around long enough. The only tour where I didn't mind a freshman was when she was being trained by another student who was also there. So we got the standard tour from the freshman, but we had two students to pepper with questions.

[Everythingbut]

If the tour is leaving from an admissions office with the beautiful older style buildings add more bathrooms to the building to accommodate larger groups.

[lspf72]

With third child heading to college this fall, we have been to tons of info sessions - Ivies, LACs and state schools - enough that I've lost count. Part of the reason for that is a lot of them end up sounding pretty much the same -__-

That said, the two that stood out the most were American U. and SUNY Purchase. The girl at American was incredibly enthusiastic about her school and a very engaging speaker. The fellow at Purchase was more methodical, obviously knew his stuff, and left no question unanswered, yet it was probably the shortest session we've ever attended.

Worst was probably Hampshire. Several students were invited to speak, two of whom spent most of the time telling us how non-mainstream they were. It/they seemed a bit self-indulgent and pretentious, and we left liking the school less than we had before attending the session.

[charlieschm]

It seems that everyone that visits Brown gets a parking ticket, apparently for 2 hour meters during 2 hour and 5 minute events. I've read many people say that. Maybe they should just list the $50 parking ticket next to their application fee.

[SteveMA]

Freshmen giving tours--personally I would like to see more freshman involved in that process. Yes, a senior has been through more of the school but often have forgotten what it was like freshman year, especially with what down times were like, weekends, etc. We've been on tours where the senior says, everyone stays on campus all weekend but if you talk to the freshmen they will tell you a different story. In an ideal world you will have a freshman and a senior on your tour, or at least available to ask questions.

[Sop14's Mom]

@charlieschm--you're exactly right, except my D was so turned off she didn't even apply to Brown!