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So many everyday activities in modern life are done over the internet.
This includes everything from buying clothes to watching movies to even applying for admission1 to college.
Almost every college and university in the United States now offers some form of internet-based application. And future students can see photographs of schools on their websites. Some even provide video tours.
Candidates2 can find all kinds of information about the schools they hope to attend all over the internet.
But Ed Bustos argues that students miss out on a lot when they only use internet information to make their college decisions. Bustos is the director of international admission at Rollins College, a private liberal3 arts school in Winter Park, Florida.
Bustos says the best way to get a detailed4 look at what life is like at any college or university is by visiting the campus5.
“We all sound alike6 on paper and, I think, on websites,” he told VOA. “So what makes us a lot different is when a student can actually visit us, because I think that’s when they see the true differences and uniqueness of each campus.”
School visits are very common in the U.S., Bustos notes. Most students begin visiting colleges and universities of interest in the summer before their final year of high school.
But, the majority of colleges and universities let interested students and their families visit their campuses7 at almost any time of year. Busto suggests that students contact the admissions8 offices of the schools that interest them. Then they can join other visiting candidates for a free guided tour of the campus.
Current students usually lead the tours, Bustos notes. Their job is to provide information, offer advice and show future students all the different parts of the campus, such as housing9 and classrooms. So students should prepare plenty of questions.
Bustos adds that students should not limit their questions just to tour guides. He suggests that students should also try to plan a meeting with an admissions official on the same day they come for a tour. Most schools keep a record of all the exchanges they have with candidates, he says. And trying to meet with officials in person to ask them questions shows interest on the part of the applicant10, which schools like to see.
Bustos also notes that it is never too early to visit a school. He says students should consider visiting any college or university they can. This could be years before they even start thinking about the application process. And it does not matter if the school they visit is the one they have interest in attending, he says. Simply witnessing the college experience in real life can be helpful for young people.
That is why Bustos always enjoys seeing applicants11 bring any younger brothers and sister they might have with them on visits.
“It’s very beneficial for them because maybe they can think, ‘Wow, I really need to take my grades seriously, because this is actually achievable,’ he said. “They …always hear about it. But when they actually step on a college campus and get to see it, they’re like, ‘Oh wow, I really need to take this seriously because I need to make this happen. This could be me some day.’”
Still, Bustos argues, there is more to visiting a college or university than taking a tour or meeting administrators12. After all, he notes, most tours take place over several hours during the morning or middle of the day. That is when most of the current students are in class, so it can often seem like there is no actual student life going on at all.
That is why Bustos says Rollins began offering night tours in 2017. That way visitors can see students, professors and employees involved in social activities and sporting events that happen outside of class hours.
But he also notes that many colleges and universities in the U.S. are publically operated. This means anyone can enter the campus whenever they want. So interested students can take it upon themselves to see a different side of a school without a representative only showing them what they want people to see.
“Pick up the newspaper,” said Bustos. “Go to, maybe, some collegiate events out there. … See what it feels like to go to a play. See what’s going on around campus … Talk to students. Ask them their perspective13. Yes, we all train our tour guides to give the best possible tour and show the best side of the university. … But when you go walk on a campus and talk to random14 students, I think that is a great way to learn … because you’re going … to hear a ‘true’ perspective.”
However, Bustos admits that visiting schools may not be a choice available to everyone, especially international students. And he says administrators understand this.
So, he says, schools do not punish applicants for not visiting their campuses. Also, if a student is applying to several schools that are similar in size or environment, Bustos suggests visiting only one. That will still help the applicant imagine what it would be like to live and study at such a college or university, while cutting down on travel costs.
Finally, for students who are unable to visit any schools they hope to attend, Bustos says there is one additional15 resource: social media. Many schools use Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to advertise themselves. Current students are often contributors to these social media accounts.
Bustos says schools will permit some students to post videos and pictures that show what their daily lives are like at college. These can provide applicants with a view that is almost as good as being there in person.
I’m Dorothy Gundy. And I’m Pete Musto.
Words in This Story
apply(ing) – v. to ask formally for something, such as a job, admission to a school, or a loan16, usually in writing
campus – n. the area and buildings around a university, college, or school
uniqueness – n. the quality of being unlike anything or anyone else
tour – n. an activity in which you go through a place, such as a building or city, in order to see and learn about the different parts of it
beneficial – adj. producing good or helpful results or effects
grade(s) – n. a number or letter that indicates how a student performed in a class or on a test
achievable – adj. able to be done, earned or reached by working hard
perspective – n. a way of thinking about and understanding something (such as a particular issue or life in general
random – adj. chosen or done without a particular plan or pattern
contributor(s) – n. someone who creates something, such as a story, poem, or essay, for a publication
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admission
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| n.允许进入；承认；入场费，入会费，入场券 | |
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candidates
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| n.报考者( candidate的名词复数 )；申请求职者；攻读学位者；最后命运或结局如何已显然可见者 | |
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liberal
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| adj.心胸宽阔的；自由(主义)的；慷慨的 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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campus
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| n.大学校园，学校校园；大学 | |
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alike
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| adj.同样的，相像的；adv.一样地；同程度地 | |
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campuses
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| n.（大学）校园（campus的复数形式） | |
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admissions
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| n.准许进入( admission的名词复数 )；入场费；入场券；承认 | |
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housing
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| n.房屋，住宅；住房建筑；外壳，外罩 | |
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applicant
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| n.申请人，求职者，请求者 | |
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applicants
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| 申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 ) | |
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administrators
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| n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师 | |
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perspective
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| n.视角，观点，想法 | |
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random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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additional
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| adj.添加的，额外的，另外的 | |
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loan
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| n.贷款；借出的东西；借；vt.借出；贷予 | |
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