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No Time For A Road Trip? How To Explore Colleges From Home!

No Time For A Road Trip? Visit Colleges From Home!
Lindsay Shoemake

'Tis the season for cold weather, finals week and college visits. However, for some students, on-campus visits are sadly out of reach. Due to time constraints, travel costs or prior commitments, you may not have the means to get an in-person preview of the potential college campus of your dreams. So, what do you do? With a little creativity and tech-savvy smarts, your very own version of a college visit can still happen!

Get Online The first resource you should consult for in-depth information about a college is its official website. However, be sure to look beyond the generic facts like campus size, location, courses of study and degree programs. If possible, hunt down a list of student organizations and jot down a few contact names and emails. For example, if you are an upcoming journalism major, contact the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper to get a feel for the campus and student life. Once you get in touch with the editor-in-chief, ask her about the ins and outs of running a college newspaper, how easy it is to become involved with the publication and her thoughts about the school itself, for example. Even if you’re not interested in journalism, a school newspaper is a great starting place to ask a lot of your burning questions about campus life, because the reporters must constantly stay in-the-know about on-campus events, traditions and the overall culture of the school.

Talk to AlumniBrandeis University senior Asya Bashina says that getting in touch with alumni from the school can give students a firsthand account of what it's like to attend there. Most colleges offer an alumni resource page on their website, where students new and old alike can see where alumni are currently working and read about their overall college experience. "I did not visit most of the colleges on my list and I got into some of the ones I did not visit," Asya said. "If your high school has alumni who attend or attended the schools you're applying to, then schedule a time to meet with them to talk about student life and academics. Try to gauge whether the school is right for you from your conversation with them." Talk to your high school guidance counselor about getting in touch with graduates of your high school who attended the colleges you’re considering.

Take a Virtual Tour Another way to get connected to your prospective campus online is through a virtual tour. Many college campuses have picked up on the trend of offering potential new freshmen an in-depth look at their future terrain by showcasing the entire campus via video tour.

"James Madison University actually has a virtual campus tour online, and the student ambassadors who give tours in person give the virtual tour," says JMU freshman Kathleen Kalinsky. "During the 'tour' there are fun facts and 'to-dos' about JMU that are also given on the in-person tours."

Popular sites like CampusTours, eCampusTours, and YOUniversityTV all give upcoming college freshmen a sneak peek into college campuses around the country. CampusTours is the most diverse and informative option; it allows students an in-depth look at their future campus through video tours, photorealistic tours and interactive campus maps. With most of the biggest universities in the country represented, CampusTours has uploaded previews of an assortment of schools in nearly all 50 states.

Click here to read the rest of the article on HerCampus.com.

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Before You Go

10 biggest colleges
1. Arizona State University--Tempe, Arizona: 58,371 students(01 of05)
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Arizona State University has four campuses, but the Tempe location has the largest enrollment with over 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Tempe is in metropolitan Phoenix, so you'll have the experiences of both going to a large university and going to college in an urban city, so if you're a small-town girl, ASU will definitely help you come out of your shell!ASU is known for its football team, the Sun Devils, but their academic renown in engineering and nursing programs attracts scholars from all over the globe in addition to athletes on their way to the professional level. Arizona State boasts more than 13,300 out-of-state and international students, and has a freshman retention rate of over 80 percent, which is significantly higher than most undergraduate institutions. It's been ranked as one of the Top 100 world universities by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, and has top programs in a variety of concentrations. Its Tillman Center also offers one of the best support facilities for student veterans.In a promotional video on ASU's website, Maisoon, a biochemistry major, says that Arizona State offers "such a unique energy" because her classes and extracurricular activities allow her to meet students from every part of the world and expand her own world view as well as theirs. Other students in the video agree - even though the student population is so large, the student body works together as a whole, which makes a large campus less intimidating. (credit:MediaWiki)
2. University of Central Florida--Orlando, Florida: 56,235 students(02 of05)
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Founded as a technical school, UCF now offers liberal arts concentrations in addition to their technical and professional programs. They're recognized for engineering and computer science, business and management and education, but they offer 91 majors, so this is a great place to come if you're undecided about your future career direction.On HC's Pre-Collegiette™ page, students say they love the campus because there are so many opportunities available. One student says she "chose UCF because the school is well-rounded and diverse. College is about branching out and meeting new people and UCF gives you all the means to do this."Others say they love the classic campus feel that UCF provides, with trees and brick buildings, not to mention great weather. One student calls the student towers "the best dorms ever!" Some HC girls chose UCF for the hospitality and business program, or because it's close to Disney World and Universal Studios, but others just love being in an urban area. Whatever the reason, with over 50,000 students, UCF is clearly a great place to be! (credit:MediaWiki)
3. Ohio State University--Columbus, Ohio: 56,064 students(03 of05)
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This fall, Ohio State's enrollment was the largest it's ever been - out-of-state and international students are well represented, and diversity is at an all-time high. Ohio State is well recognized for their professional schools, especially business and accounting (not to mention their amazing football team!).Taylor Evans, an Ohio State student and HC Campus Correspondent, loves going to Ohio State because the large-university atmosphere allows her to join student organizations that she wouldn't have access to at a smaller school. "Going to a big college has given me a chance to join different groups apart of things I haven't been a part of before. OSU is great because it really has a small-town feel. Although there are upwards of 15,000 undergraduate students, I feel like a go to a much smaller college," Taylor says.CORRECTION: This slide previously stated that the Scripps Journalism School was part of Ohio State. It is actually a program at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. (credit:MediaWiki)
4. University of Minnesota--Minneapolis, Minnesota: 51,721 students(04 of05)
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UMN is one of the largest and most academically rigorous research universities in the country. Their liberal arts college, school of education and business school all have about equal enrollment sizes, so they're not specific to one field. If you're looking for a variety of options, UMN is a great school to consider!Edwina Reckel, a student and HC Campus Correspondent at the University of Minnesota, loves going to school in a metropolitan location. "The U of M is great because we are located right in between two large cities: Minneapolis and St. Paul," Edwina says. "Going to a school in an urban area gives me access to internships with well-known companies and gain real world experience. It's great to network with people who are at the top of their field with Fortune 500 companies and corporations based right here, such as Target, Land O Lakes, 3M, General Mills, and more. On top of that, campus is a vibrant community with great student sections atmospheres at hockey, basketball, and football games. The U is a great place to find your passion, gain career skills, and have fun!" (credit:MediaWiki)
5. University of Texas at Austin--Austin, Texas: 51,195 students(05 of05)
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With seven museums and seventeen libraries, UT-Austin is one of the biggest names in public research universities. UT was also named "America's Best Sports College" by Sports Illustrated magazine in 2002. They've won four NCAA Division I championships, and all of their men's and women's sports are top-notch. If sports aren't your deal, they have 18 schools within the university and tons of research grants, so you'll be able to get a quality education at a public-school price.Bernice Chuang, UT student and HC Campus Correspondent, says going to a big school is the best of both worlds, academic and social. "I really enjoy UT because not only is it in Austin, but UT also provides its students with a wealth of resources and opportunities to network since there are about 50,000 people on campus," she says. "I guess I'm not too sure how different it is to be at a smaller university compared to ours, but I do know that there is always something happening on campus- you'll never be bored!" Bernice says she is always proud of UT for ranking high in several aspects, including the McCombs Business School, the College of Education, football and parties.To read the next 5 on the list, click here to head over to hercampus.com. (credit:MediaWiki)
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