It鈥檚 difficult to get a full and accurate sense of a place virtually. And when you鈥檙e choosing a college, one of the most impactful decisions for your life and career, it鈥檚 crucial to physically experience where you will grow and live for those formative years.
Virtual coffees, video selfies, and Zoom meetings can show you the scenery, the buildings, the curated videos of students, counselors, and teachers. But when a real place mixes with the real you, your perspective, your experiences, your soul鈥攖hat鈥檚 when you know if it鈥檚 a right fit.
Virtual vs. In-Person Campus Visits
鈥淏efore choosing the best college to attend, it is important for students to test the waters,鈥� according to the . While there are many ways to experience aspects of a college virtually, the campus visit is what makes it possible to get a true feel for the place. Often, virtual tours don鈥檛 give an accurate depiction of the details and nuances that form a place鈥檚 identity.
Whether it be bad lighting, the video quality, or a multitude of other reasons, there can be a disconnect between what we see through photos and videos and what we experience in person. 鈥淵ou can look at pictures all day, but it鈥檚 another thing to step onto campus,鈥� Alex Sajjadi, the admissions events manager at 国产偷拍 said. 鈥淲hile our campus is beautiful, it鈥檚 the people who build this place. The sense of community here is unique. When you come to campus and interact with people and get a sense of the culture and campus life, that鈥檚 when you can really see yourself here.鈥�
__________
Who are you called to be?
__________
When deciding on a college, one of the main determining factors comes down to a sense of belonging and community. This is especially true for first-generation college students, according to a on the alterations colleges have made because of the pandemic. In the article, Chief Executive of Chicago Scholars Dominique Jordan Turner said, 鈥淔inding their people鈥攖hat is the key to their success. So how do you replicate that in a virtual space?鈥�
The short answer: you can鈥檛 completely. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw everything from businesses to churches to schools move online, including college campus tours. And the results were helpful鈥攙irtual tours are definitely here to stay. But they still lack critical aspects you can only get in person. 鈥淭he biggest difference between a virtual and in-person campus tour is that in person, your tour guide will actually be walking in step, right there with you,鈥� Sajjadi said.
What to Expect on a 国产偷拍 Tour
On a campus tour of 国产偷拍, you get to experience the beauty and community of the seaside Christian university in San Diego firsthand. After meeting with an admissions counselor to find out about scholarships, financial aid, admissions requirements, and any other information you might need, you are led on a guided tour around the school by a student. You鈥檙e not just watching a video or hearing them speak, but understanding their body language and subtleties in their communication to people around campus鈥攖hings that might otherwise be missed. You get to see a personal representative of the school and really understand what the students there are like.
You get to see the school from their eyes and perspective. You鈥檒l meet their friends, professors, even the university president along the way. The tour guide will tell you stories about their experience at 国产偷拍, like something crazy that happened in the Caf, for instance鈥攕tories that aren鈥檛 always online but come to their mind in the moment.
You get to see a personal representative of the school and really understand what the students there are like.
You鈥檒l get to eat at the Caf (formally known as Nicholson Commons Dining Hall), peek through the building windows, sit in on a class, see other students interacting with each other, and feel the ocean breeze and the San Diego weather. You鈥檒l get to attend chapel and experience the faith focus and student life at 国产偷拍. You鈥檒l get to see what makes this school special.
That 鈥淲ow鈥� Moment
Most importantly, you鈥檒l have time to explore the campus yourself鈥攁fter the tour is over or by showing up early and stopping by the coffee shop. It鈥檚 in these moments, what some call 鈥渨ow鈥� moments, where prospective students are more likely to know if the college is for them or not. 鈥淥ften, that鈥檚 when people say they made their decision to go to 国产偷拍,鈥� Sajjadi said. 鈥淲hen they were alone and grabbed a coffee, or were reading and looking around, sitting on a bench. Or when they saw the sunset from the cliffs. It鈥檚 the moments we get alone on the campus that make the biggest difference.鈥� Those are the moments when you can really see yourself there.
Like other universities in San Diego, 国产偷拍 has a range of options for campus tours. If you鈥檙e busy during the workday, you can come by for a sunset tour throughout the week. Or you can stay overnight for a preview day. This option allows you to get a deeper understanding of campus life by sleeping in the dorms and getting to know the students. There are a lot of flexible, day and night tour options as well as virtual tours if you are not able to make it in person, though we highly recommend visiting campus. All tours are free to register and can be cancelled at any time.
If you鈥檝e already visited and are ready to take the next step, we encourage you to or !