Making the Most of Virtual College Visits 充分利用线上大学游的资源

By: Beth McKenzie

Touring prospective college campuses is an exciting part of the application process. Students can envision themselves at a school as they see the facilities, observe the community, and talk with their tour guide and admissions representatives. However, for some international students, it has never been tenable to schedule in-person visits at schools that are half a world away. Even domestic students often don’t have the free time or resources to visit all the schools that pique their interest. Luckily, this year, colleges around the world are adjusting to pandemic restrictions to enable students to visit their campuses and connect with admissions departments virtually.

参观心仪的大学校园是申请过程中激动人心的一环。当学生们看到校园内的建筑，观摩社区，并与导游或招生代表交谈的时候， 可以想象自己在这所学校的情景。 然而对于一些国际生来说，安排一场跨越半个地球的实地校园参观一直是不太可行的。即使是国内的学生，通常也没有时间或资源去参观所有自己感兴趣的学校。但今年幸运的是， 世界各地的大学根据疫情限制做出一些调整，使学生能够通过线上方式参访校园并与招生部进行沟通。

Many schools now offer a virtual campus tour through their websites. There are even organizations like YouVisit that offer VR tours of select campuses for the lucky few who have access to the necessary equipment! Most tours are 360° visual experiences that allow viewers to pan over the grounds and facilities that comprise the campus. Some offer a guided route that mimics how a tour guide might shepherd students around campus, along with recordings about the design, features, and purposes of each location. Viewers can also browse at their leisure, choosing to hop between buildings from a dropdown list.

现在许多大学都通过他们的网站推出线上校园之旅。甚至有像 YouVisit 这样的机构，为 少数有幸获得所需设备的人提供特定校园 VR(虚拟现实)参观。大部分游览都是 360 度全 景视觉体验，观众可以俯瞰校园周围场地和设施。有些学校提供既定的参访路线，模仿导游带领学生在校园内游览的情景，并提供每个地点的设计，特征和用途的录音。参观者也可以通过选择下拉列表里的建筑物，自行浏览。

In addition to viewing and listening about the campus, many schools also offer virtual chat rooms that allow visitors to communicate with current students and admissions representatives. These chat rooms allow prospective students to ask the important questions they would discuss during an in-person visit. If you’re chatting with a current student, you can inquire about their personal experience like why they selected that particular school or how their Freshman year transition went. You can also ask them about their life on campus, like their living arrangements or what types of campus groups and extracurricular activities they participate in. You can also ask broader questions about the school, like what the graduation rate is, or whether students have access to work-study programs. This might also be a great time to learn more about campus services that are available to students like health centers, writing centers, career centers, counseling, IT support, and commuter services.

除了参观和聆听校园介绍外，许多学校还提供线上聊天室，方便访问者与在校学生和招生代表进行交流。在聊天室里，潜在学生可以提问他们将会在实地访问大学时讨论的重要问题。 如果你正在与一名在读学生聊天，你可以询问他们的个人经历，比如他们为什么选择这所大学？或者大一那年是怎样过渡的？你也可以问问他们的校园生活， 比如他们的生活安排，参加了什么类型的校园团体或课外活动。 也可以问一些关于学校的更广泛的问题，比如毕业率是多少，学生是否有勤工俭学的机会等。这也是了解更多校园服务的好时机，如健康中心，写作中心， 职业中心， 咨询服务， IT 支持和通勤服务。

The best way to be prepared for these chats is to spend some time researching the school beforehand. Take some time to browse course catalogs to read the descriptions of mandatory classes and electives. Check out if there are internship opportunities that you can do for college credit. Look into the housing options for incoming freshman to see if you will be required to live on campus, and what types of living arrangements you’ll be able to choose from. Colleges also offer all types of dining options, like dining halls, cafes, and restaurants. By spending some time researching both the academic and residential options at a school, you may discover that you have specific questions that a current student or admissions representative would be able to answer.

准备好这些谈话内容的最佳方式就是事先花时间了解这所大学。花时间浏览课程目录，并阅读必修课和选修课的说明。查看是否有可以算作大学学分的实习机会。调查即将入学的新生的住宿选择，是否必须要住校，可供选择的住宿安排有哪些等。大学还提供多项就餐选择，如食堂，咖啡馆，餐厅。通过花时间研究一下学校提供的学术和住宿方面的选择，你就会发现一些具体的问题， 这也正好是在校学生或招生代表能够回答的。

Beyond these virtual college tours and chat rooms, there are other great ways to learn about the academic profile and everyday life at a school. You should follow school’s social media account to learn about the community and events. If you’re interested in a specific major or club, you can search to see if there’s an account dedicated to those students with a common interest. Another great way to learn about the current events at a school is to read the school newspaper, student run newsletters, magazine, online publications, or blogs. Reading these materials will give you an inside perspective about recent achievements of students and faculty, current issues on campus, upcoming celebrations and events, and even information about local businesses that students want to support.

除了这些线上大学参观和聊天室，还有其他非常棒的方式来了解学校的学术概况和日常生活。建议你关注学校的社交媒体账号，了解关于社区和活动方面的信息。 如果你对某个特定专业或社团感兴趣，可以搜索一下，查看是否有专门为那些有共同兴趣爱好的学生开设的账号。了解校园时事的另一个好方法就是阅读校报、学生开办的时事通讯、杂志、在线出版物或博客。阅读这些材料会让你对了解学生和教师的最新成就，校园当前的状况，即将举办的庆祝活动和事件，甚至还有学生希望支持的本地企业信息等有一个深入的了解。

Virtual college tours, chat rooms, and acquainting yourself with college publications are easy, fun ways to experience a college from the comfort and safety of your own home. But there is an added benefit for each of these experiences. Every time you follow a college’s social media account, subscribe to a newsletter, and sign up for a tour or chat, you are digitally signaling that that you are specifically interested in that particular school. This is referred to as “demonstrated interest”, and many colleges value it highly. Therefore, consider these virtual visits not only as a great way to learn about a school and build excitement for your own college experience, but also as a way to add an extra component to your application when it is finally time to apply.

线上大学游、聊天室以及熟悉大学出版物等都是轻松有趣的方式，让你在舒适、安全的家中体验大学生活。 但是每一次的体验都有额外的好处。 每次你关注一所大学的社交媒体账号， 订阅时事通讯，并报名参加一次参访或聊天， 你都在以数字信号的方式表达你对这所大学特别感兴趣，这就是“展示兴趣”，很多大学都非常重视这点。 因此，这些线上大学游不仅是了解一所大学、建立大学兴奋体验的一种好方法，也是当你最终准备申请大学时， 为自己的申请额外添加的重要组成部分