There are many opportunities for students to explore their college options. There are in person options as well as virtual visits. Upcoming events will be listed first, and the full virtual list of schools follows.
*Neumann University College Fair: March 31, 2022, 9-11:30 AM and 6-8 PM Students will have the opportunity to visit a diverse range of colleges from across the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. Contact Christine Gibble- gibblec@neumann.edu with any questions. Visit neumann.edu/collegefair to register.
*Penn State York Spring Open House: Saturday, March 26 beginning at 9:00 a.m. (ET) Students will learn about the admissions and financial aid award processes and timeline, meet our faculty and students, and enjoy a virtual campus tour. In addition, students can choose to attend a variety of small-group breakout sessions to learn about Penn State’s 2 + 2 plan, academic programs, and student activities. Students will receive a $65 application fee waiver if they attend the event. Students can register online or call 717-771-4040.
Colleges across the country have announced opportunities for virtual visits, chats with students in various majors, and admissions information sessions as a result of schools being closed. We will add links, information and opportunities for you to make the most of virtual college visit opportunities. Check back for updates!
Along with the list of individual schools are fantastic guides for how to choose a college when you can’t actually visit it!
As you conduct your virtual visits please use this form to compare schools: https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/CollegeComparisonWorksheet.pdf.
Individual College Information:
American University has many virtual experience opportunities. They encourage everyone to enjoy a virtual experience of AU.
BLOOMSBURG Bloomsburg University of PA is currently offering students the opportunity to participate in daily virtual as well as in-person information sessions and tours. In order to learn more and register for a visit they are more than welcome to visit this link, https://admissions.bloomu.edu/admissions-aid/visit.
Bowdoin: As you start to identify your college wish lists, you may be searching for ways to better understand a college. While our campus is closed* to visitors, our admissions counselors and students are ready to connect with you virtually.
DREXEL Drexel’s Undergraduate Virtual Experience. This online opportunity is a great way for students and their families to get answers to their questions and learn about everything Drexel has to offer through live chat sessions with admissions representatives, virtual information sessions and tours, videos, student stories, downloadable brochures, and more.
EDINBORO University Explore how Edinboro University can help you strive for more. Schedule your virtual visit by selecting from the many virtual weekday and Saturday options that are available here.
Elizabethtown College (Etown) Come check out our beautiful campus or take advantage of one of our many Virtual Visit opportunities. If you would like to have a more individualized conversation about your college search, consider scheduling a Virtual Meeting. We can’t wait to learn more about you!
George Washington COVID-19 has changed the way we learn, live, and work. It also impacted your ability to visit GW and for us to meet you at college fairs this spring. We are very disappointed to not have the opportunity to share what we love most about GW. Therefore, we are launching GW Virtual Visits.
HACC As we all experience the new “normal” with COVID-19, HACC is here for you. We are planning lots of information sessions for you to learn about HACC, financial aid, specific programs and more.
Harcum College Although we can’t meet with you on campus, we are still available Monday-Friday to meet with you virtually to discuss your educational goals. They have created a video to help you Get to Know Harcum College. They are also offering virtual information sessions by major. See the Vet Services tour here.
IUP Culinary Program Events– Our virtual visit to the culinary campus features an admissions presentation and campus tour. Meet our students and faculty, and learn about degree options, job placement, student life, and more! welcome.iup.edu
Kutztown University– We are excited to show you what makes KU the perfect place for you to call your home away from home! Learn more about their virtual visit options here.
MARIST is offering offering multiple virtual events each day. Both virtual and self-guided opportunities are available to see campus, as well as safe opportunities to engage in information sessions and tours on-campus.
Millersville University Conduct virtual tours, information sessions and more!
Monmouth University Looking to explore our historic campus? We have several ways for you to “visit” us –including in-person tours throughout the week and weekend and virtual visits which allow you to connect with us from wherever you are. Register now for an in-person campus tour, or choose from one of our virtual options.
Moravian College How do you figure out if Moravian College is the right fit for you? Check us out for yourself! Experience Moravian College with one of our virtual visit options, allowing you to still feel connected to our college community without even stepping foot on campus!
Neumann University Nothing beats a real campus visit, but you can sneak a peek at our classroom, studios, dorms and dining hall in this virtual tour, complete with 360-degree videos. Take the Tour
Norwich University campus tour experience is coming to you, right here via your keyboard or touch screen, so you can get the answers you need to feel right at home.
PENN STATE Even during these challenging Covid times, we are continually offering fun and informative ways for our students, counselors, and families to virtually visit our campuses, all from the comforts of home. Our Experience Penn State page is a wonderful resource for students, counselors, and families who would like to know more about Penn State. Visitors can view available events and resources by academic college or by campus. Available sessions include virtual info sessions, Zoom appointments with admissions counselors, campus tours, student panels, and more!
Our Experience Penn State page specialized information sessions focusing on financial aid, housing, study abroad, career services, undergraduate research, disability resources, international students, and transfer students. Events are added regularly.
Point Park’s Admission Office will assist students via phone, email, live chat and web to help keep you on track. Click here for more information or a virtual visit.
Seton Hall University Although we cannot currently host you on campus, we’re excited to offer you this opportunity to get to know Seton Hall and learn about your next steps to become a Pirate.
Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University: Our staff is ready to meet with you through virtual appointments and meetings. We have created virtual tours and many other offerings to allow you to feel connected to our school and to learn all about the incredible programs at Tyler and Temple University.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology has many virtual options for you to explore. You can attend a Virtual Open House, schedule a Virtual Walk & Talk, schedule an Enrollment 101 session or choose a Self-guided Virtual Tour.
University of Alabama In lieu of on-campus visits, we have a virtual information session available. Many of the individual colleges also offer virtual sessions for students who are interested in learning more about Arts & Sciences, Business, Communication, Engineering, Honors, Human & Environmental Sciences, and Nursing. Students and families interested in participating can click this link to sign up.
University of Delaware developed the Preparing for College website, an easy-to-use resource for sophomores, juniors and seniors. On the website students can find advice on writing essays, resources for exploring majors, a timeline for students to plan their senior year—and much more. See a virtual tour with this link.
UMASS Learn more about UMass Lowell at our virtual info sessions. Students and their families are able to schedule a one-on-one meeting with an admissions counselor
University of Pittsburgh- Bradford has developed a simple, virtual open house webpage. Instead of one long virtual event or video, we have developed a series of short videos from which students can pick and choose (or skip). I like to think of it as a Choose Your Own Adventure Open House.
University of Virginia While we can’t host visits on Grounds at the moment, we offer a few ways for you to explore UVA from a distance. The best way for prospective students to get to know the University of Virginia is to attend an information session and tour: Monday/Wednesday/Friday/select Saturdays: Virtual Information Session and Tour
West Virginia University: No matter where you are, you can connect with West Virginia University from the comfort of home. Click this link for a virtual tour and other resources.
Wilkes University: Juniors and sophomores may have originally planned this spring for visiting campuses and finding out more about their top schools. We have a solution! We’ve created a virtual experience just for underclassmen to learn more about Wilkes, without ever leaving their home. Students can even schedule one-on-one virtual meetings with counselors, in addition to learning about campus life, current students, academic offerings, and more!
Williams College- We can’t wait for you to experience it all in person. For now though, we hope you’ll take advantage of all the ways you can visit virtually and connect with us from afar.
Choosing a College When You Can’t Visit Campus
(A Guide for Students)
Question 1: How supported and satisfied are freshmen?
Look at the retention rate for full-time students in the Retention and Graduation Rates section of College Navigator. The Retention Rate describes the percent of full-time students who returned to the college as sophomores. Think of the Retention Rate as the “freshmen satisfaction score,” because it describes the percent of students who were satisfied with and supported by the college enough to return as sophomores.
Question 2: How many students make it to graduation?
This information is also in the Retention and Graduation Rates section of the College Navigator. Pay particular attention to the Graduation Rates for Students Pursuing Bachelor’s Degrees section, where it indicates what percentage of freshmen make it through to graduation at that college in four or six years. Also make note of the Transfer-out rate, which tells you the percent of students who transferred to another college before graduation.
Question 3: How likely am I to have close interactions with professors?
You can find the student-to-faculty ratio up near the top of the page in the College Navigator. Colleges with lower student-to-faculty ratios tend to have more small classes, while colleges with higher ratios tend to have more large lecture hall type classes.
Question 4: How many other students are in the major(s) I am interested in?
In the Programs/Majors section of the College Navigator, you can find how many people received bachelor’s degrees across all of the programs offered. Review this list for two reasons. First, ensure the college offers programs you are interested in. Second, take a look at how many students graduate with degrees in the areas you are interested in. The number of students graduating with the degrees of interest to you can lead to other questions. For example, if only three people graduate with a degree in a program you are interested in, you may want to find out why.
Question 5: How diverse is the student body?
In the Enrollment section of the College Navigator, review the Undergraduate Race/Ethnicity information to see how ethnically diverse the student body is. While most of the categories here make intuitive sense, note that the “nonresident alien” category refers to international students.
Question 6: How much will it cost to attend this college?
The best source of information to answer this question will come from the college itself, communicated in a financial aid award notification to you. If this isn’t available, use the net price calculator for the college or information provided in the Net Price section of the College Navigator to estimate first year costs. Other questions to consider when thinking about costs are: “How do I maintain scholarship eligibility?” and “How much are costs likely to rise over the next few years?” These are questions a financial aid or admission counselor from the college can likely answer easily. Also, try to think about the difference between price and value as you reflect on your findings. For example, if College A ($12,000/year) has smaller classes and more programs of study you are interested in than College B ($10,000/year), College A may be the better value for you even though it has a higher price. When you have a good idea of how much each college will cost, take it a step further on your own and figure out what your monthly loan repayment will be.
Question 7: What is the average salary of graduates?
Collegescorecard.ed.gov shows the starting salary range for graduates. Navigate to the Fields of Study section and review the Highest Earnings for the 10 top earning majors at the college. You may be able to find a specific major of interest by exploring this website further.
Debunk College Myths
Myth 1: “The college I choose determines the next four years of my life.”
Fact: Students can and do transfer from one college to another all the time. In fact, about one in three students transfer at least once before finishing a degree. Of course, it’s easier if you do not transfer colleges. Transferring may lead to lost credits and delay your graduation, for example, but to think you can’t change your mind later is not helpful or accurate.
Myth 2: “I have to decide on a major before I get to college.”
Fact: Knowing what you want to study can be helpful, but it’s OK if you aren’t sure. Most colleges give you time to explore before formally declaring a major. About one in three students change their major at least once. In most majors, you have time to explore and figure out what you want to study and still graduate within four years, although some STEM majors are an exception.
Myth 3: “There is only one college that is right for me.”
Fact: There are many good colleges; making a college choice is a good problem to have. You are likely making a choice among many good options. You are more responsible for your success than the college you attend. You create your own success; the college does not create it for you.
Myth 4: “A college education is not worth the money.”
Fact: People with a bachelor’s degree earn $502 more each week than people with a high school diploma. That’s about $24,000 a year and nearly $1 million dollars across a 40-year career. College is expensive, and we all wish it were cheaper, but it is a sound investment for most people.Use this chart to record your answers.
