​Are college tours actually helpful?

Meenakshi Sathish
Staff Writer
   
   The pressure is on to create the perfect transcript to send off to colleges; ergo students are recommended to visit colleges and figure out where they want to go. College tours are one out of the many ways students can decide what school they want to attend. By going to these campuses, students have the opportunity to talk to other undergraduates at the school, see the environment, and learn about what the school offers. The concern is whether these tours are worth the gas price? Some students say they do not prioritize visiting college campus because the schools do not emphasize points that students want to hear in order to get into their prospective schools. College tours are often seen as advertisements rather than informational presentations of what it takes to be a student at the respective university.

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      Students want to hear about the college’s acceptance rate or the percentage of alumni that receive a job within five years of graduation, not what year the buildings were constructed in and the significant impact they have made on the school’s greenery. By giving such trivial information, the student learns nothing about the school. It also does not help that the tour guides are just students. They are not expected to know about the admission process or what a student should do to prepare for coming into the school.
      Not giving students the full information on admissions is understandable because a requirement of seven AP course with a stellar 5.6 GPA can be little off-putting for prospective students. So while they may be vague about what they want, college tours can be helpful in other ways. Many students find that they are more motivated in their classes in order to get into a school that they liked while others realize that their dream school is not what they hoped for. While campus tours may not answer the important questions, they are a great opportunity for students to ask questions they feel are important to know.
      College tours have their place in figuring out a plan for after high school and are why counselors recommend attending one. If college tours do not sound appealing, there are other ways of learning about college. Some include talking to counselors, looking on the internet, and talking to college alumni. If anything, college tours serve to avoid kids from stressing out about college.