By Beverly Bartlett, Building Kentucky
Virtual tours can be a convenient, affordable way for students to “try out” a lot of different schools – without running into prohibitive travel costs. For many families, a virtual tour will remain a good “first-look” opportunity at different college options – even after the pandemic subsides.
MedQuest College has been offering virtual tours for more than a year. They have offered these tips for students who want to get the most out of their tours!
Bring A Parent, Older Sibling Or Other Trusted Advisor
It helps to have an extra pair of eyes and ears to take it all in. Plus, parents are often less shy about asking questions!
Luckily, virtual tours are also easier for parents to participate in. They can just log on during a work break – rather than taking a couple of hours to do an on-site tour.
Expect Live Interaction With A Tour Guide
Videos and photos are important, but a virtual tour should be more than a video. You should be able to ask questions and get live answers from someone who knows about your program.
Make sure they go over “next steps” with you as well. What’s the deadline for applying? Who do you need to talk to about financial aid? How can you reach out if you have more questions?
Ask About In-Person Learning
Most colleges are planning for in-person classes this fall – but they may have also permanently expanded online options.
Ask for each school’s best estimates on what the virtual/in-person learning environment will be like. For example, at MedQuest College was always able to bring students into the classroom to learn hands-on procedures. That’s important in health care careers! Most students are relieved to know they won’t have to learn how to draw blood just from watching it on Zoom.
In today’s economy, some sort of post-high school education will be important for most people. Whether a student is looking for a ten-month certification, a two-year or four-year degree, it’s important to explore all the options. Virtual tours can help.
If you want to tour MedQuest’s Lexington or Louisville campus, you can sign up here.
