The Importance of the College Tour

As a parent of three children, I have been on many college tours in the last seven years. Some tours are phenomenal, and others could be classified as a waste of time. I believe I have a unique perspective on the face-to-face college tour as both a parent and a higher education executive. Thanks to my children’s broad interests, I’ve had the opportunity of touring over 10 universities in multiple states. I have often thought admissions counselors need to go on tours of other universities as research. Regardless, many tours are often missed opportunities for institutions to shine and attract students.

We have always told our children that the campus tour is an opportunity to understand the level of academics, programs offered, and get a feel of the culture, or vibe, of the campus and surrounding city. We have encouraged them to start with their specific criteria and then rank each university according to how it performed against the criteria. Ultimately, the decision to apply and attend should be based on a holistic evaluation, just as we would expect for admissions decisions.

As I reflected on the latest round of face-to-face tours for my high school junior, I continued to circle back to the notion of missed opportunities. This reflection led to the article you are now reading. The following sections address what I believe are best practices in tour recruitment. Hopefully these suggestions capture, rather than miss, opportunities for all institutions to shine.

Initial Admissions Presentation

During the last seven years of tours, we have experienced everything from incredible branding in the presentation room (even the chairs were branded) to an empty and plain, white-walled room where we sat and waited 30 minutes for someone to talk to us. Suggestions that capture all opportunities here are as follows. ??

·????????This is the first interaction with the university for many prospective students and parents. Brand the tour room! Make this spectacular when prospective students and parents arrive. You want their first impression to be along the lines of “Wow!” Use this to impress and hook.

·????????During the presentation by the admissions counselor, share more than the standard stats on the slides. We can read the slides. Tell us what we don’t know about the culture of the institution. Explain the mission and how you measure yourselves against the mission. Give us the sense of who the university is in the community, and how it serves its community.

·????????Share the history and traditions; emphasize what is unique about this university. Share student life; after all, the goal is for the prospective students to picture themselves as a part of student life on your campus.

·????????It goes without saying that the slide deck needs to be professionally crafted, with branded fonts, colors, and professionally produced videos (especially for parts of campus you might not see during the tour). The slide deck and videos should engage and invite that student in.

·????????Discuss how you help out-of-state students assimilate to a new environment and/or culture, and what is available to do in the surrounding cities for fun. ?

University Packet

Each of the tours provided some packet or takeaway. These packets ranged from a printout of stats to a slick, very professional packet with multiple inclusions and pertinent information. Suggestions that capture all opportunities here are as follows. ??

·????????Provide a map of campus so prospective students can get their bearings and a sense of the size of the grounds.

·????????Have the packet be extensive and professional – address the stats you want them to remember, student life, campus traditions, the surrounding cities, and things to do. Showcase your alumni and programs.

·????????Have their takeaway be everything you want them to remember from the admissions presentation, plus items for further exploration.

Walking Tour of Campus

The actual walking tour can solidify a decision for prospective students, or it can be fraught with missed opportunities. We have experienced the student tour guide walking backwards with a mic and pointing out everything possible on campus to the student tour guide that spent 1.5 hours walking us to and from the best dorm and the newest building on campus in total silence, missing out on all the other items that should have been showcased along the way. Suggestions that capture all opportunities here are as follows. ??

·????????Ideally, the tour guide would have a portable mic, so everyone can hear and feel like they are an active part of the tour group.

·????????The guide should ask student for names, where they are from, and what they are considering studying. If no one is studying engineering in the group, they won’t be interested in the engineering building. Find out the potential majors of the students in your tour group and make sure you take them to those buildings and classrooms. You want them to “see” themselves there.

·????????The guide should use the tour to discuss everything you are seeing on campus – the statues, traditions, folklore, stories, the academic buildings, etc. If all the guide does is walk campus and point out a few new buildings, they have missed the point of the tour.

·????????Mascots are important. If you have a live mascot, provide students an opportunity to see it. If the mascot is an object and you have the original, show it to them and explain the traditions and how it came to be. You are asking the prospective student to become the mascot. Take the lion, for example – if that is the mascot, you want them to embrace becoming a part of the school and “being” a lion. ??

·????????Like it or not, sports are a major part of many universities. So, show them the sports complex. Take them to the football field; explain if student tickets are included in tuition. Explain how sports are or are not part of the student experience.

·????????You want students to embrace the university. Show them picture worthy spots on campus and encourage them to take pics or selfies and tag the university. This enhances your social media presence and helps the students “see” themselves at your school.

·????????Dorms, food options, and the workout facilities are important for first time freshman. Show and discuss all. If you cannot show them the gym or intramural facilities, make sure it is covered extensively in the admissions presentation or there are virtual tours online. Students want to see more than just academic buildings and classrooms. ?

Follow-up

Finally, use this as an opportunity to continue to engage with the students. Our experience has been everything from t-shirts and branded materials being given out, to a quick goodbye with zero options for follow-up. Suggestions that capture all opportunities here are as follows. ??

·????????At the end of the tour, give students a t-shirt or something that is university-branded. The more your brand is out there, the better.

·????????Provide a QR code and ask for specific tour feedback. Students are your tour guides, and you want to know if they are representing your brand well and encouraging prospective students to join the school.

·????????Follow up with an email that shares more information on why the prospective student should consider the school.

·????????Follow up with a school note for those students that need to be excused from school. The little touches matter and are part of the overall experience.

As a higher education executive, I know that no university is perfect. However, if we want the prospective students to know who we are, what we stand for, and why they should select us, then the tours need to address this. In an ideal world, the prospective students walk away from the tour and can visualize themselves thriving on that campus.

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