Perks of college tours

By Jocelyn Espinosa

We have all heard about college tours and how counselors recommend them for students, yet sometimes there are people who don’t know how to go on one or are aware of the benefits it gives.

College tours are what some might consider in a way a rite of passage because you get to check out dorms, dining halls, social scenes, and academic offerings.

According to the article Here's how to make the most out of your graduate school campus visit, “Sometimes students are invited for preview sessions before they apply. In other cases, a program might invite accepted students for a weekend to showcase…“

A weeked showcase would depend on which college you go to. Leslie let me know that they stay in a hotel a few blocks away from the college.

Students explore the whole campus along with going to some lectures. At night they have free time and can go where they want which is mainly exploring the city/town surrounding it.

Going on campus, you can see the students walking, riding skateboards, or scooters to wherever they need to be. Many young adults are seen walking alone with their headphones in and very few are seen walking with someone.

In SJSU specifically, there seems to be a kid daycare where the parents can leave their children until they are done with their classes. Along with daycare there seem to be tables right outside the event center with people lined up to get information about something.

There are many benefits that come with visiting a college. Some benefits include: a chance to talk to current students, visiting the city around it, and an opportunity for students to ask questions.

The students get to see the college’s classes and resources to see if it would benefit them in the long run. While they’re there, they might even be able to participate in some school activities.

Isamar, a student at Monterey Bay University, didn’t have an opportunity to go on any college tours. She expresses her opinion with college tours, despite never experiencing one. “I think it's a great idea to check out schools, I mean I chose Monterey because it was familiar and close by.”

When asked if she would’ve gone to a different university if she had gone to college tours, she said that she would and that it would challenge her to “live independently, especially with my mom not an hour away.”

When you go on college tours, you see the surrounding city the school takes place in. You get to see if the school meets your needs, and this is important since it’ll be your “home” until your finished with college.

Leslie Alonso, a Yerba Buena high school student says, “I mainly go to college tours because I want to see my surroundings along with which departments they have in the field I want to study.”

While touring, you get to ask questions that might not be on the college website due to their information being very limited. Since the tours are given by students, they give you a better insight on how the college works because it’ll be coming from a student’s point of view.

Another student from Yerba Buena High school, Daniela, goes on tours to “see if they have what will help me [succeed].”

The article College Campus Tours Agency, Fantastic Tours & Travel, Explains the Benefits of Students Seeing Colleges First-hand says, “Nothing compares to firsthand experience when it comes to getting a feel for the campus.”

When choosing what college you want to attend its important to know what each college offers you and going on college tours help you with that when it’s time to apply.