As a teacher, you know the importance of instilling in your students the value of graduating from college.
The problem is that college has so many barriers. Tuition costs, academic requirements, and leaving family and friends behind are just a few of the hurdles your students face. You know that visiting college campuses and making college graduation part of your classroom culture is a major step in your students’ success. Your goal is to show students just how accessible college can be.
At GL Travel, we have sent tens of thousands of students to visit college campuses. Keys to Planning the Best College Campus Visit for Your Class
The first question we will answer is, why plan a campus tour? This one may seem obvious, but you may find yourself convincing students, their parents, and administrators.
Next, we’ll teach you how to plan a college visit. (Hint. Plan Early)
After that, we’ll share what you should expect on a college tour. (and when the best questions are asked by your students)
Finally, you’ll learn how to prepare your students for college visits. (front load)
Why Plan a Campus Tour?
Odds are your class is a mixed bag. There are some students who know exactly where they want to attend college after high school graduation and others who haven’t even thought about post-grad life. To help these students explore other options or just see what’s out there, you can take them on a college campus tour.
Seeing a campus in person can give students a better idea of what daily life as a college student is like and is an opportunity to meet and talk with current students. It gives students an opportunity to ask questions about admissions, scholarships, sports, and more to open a dialogue with university administrators and make informed decisions about their next educational step.
They can meet with professors of the field they're interested in and gain a deeper understanding of the curriculum and educational opportunities at that particular school.
All in all, your campus visit helps your students learn about the realities of college life, puts them in contact with the right people to answer their questions, and introduces them to some of the instructors they might spend the next four years with.
How to Plan Your Visit
The first step is to contact an admissions officer. This will be your point of contact at the university. Explain why you’d like to bring your class, how many students you have, and a proposed month or week you’d like to visit the campus. The admissions office can help you pick a date and time to bring your class.
We know teachers have enough on their plate without the added work of planning, organizing, and executing a college visit. So let GL Travel take care of the work!
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Step-by-step guide on how GL Travel does college visits
Choose specific activities you’d like to do with your students. This might be sitting in on a college class, attending an event in the Student Union, or having an open forum with a university representative.
Arrange for a guide to take you around campus so you can learn as much as possible on your trip. This also gives your students someone who can answer their questions and provide advice. Our recommendation is to give the students space when questions are asked to the guide. Without their teachers around students are more vulnerable and ask questions ranging from social life to mental health on campus.
What to Expect
College tours can range greatly depending on what you hope to get out of them. Some might be an hour-long excursion while others could be a weekend trip. Make sure you know what to expect when you arrive for your trip. There are two typical approaches to tours that colleges will take:
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Information session: talking to high school students about opportunities at their university and answering common questions.
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Campus tour: this could take anywhere from a few hours to an entire day depending on the size of the campus. Students might get to explore different buildings, have lunch in the dining hall, and speak to student ambassadors. Each tour varies, so be sure you ask for an itinerary from your tour guide.
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Keep in mind some campuses have moved to virtual tours or virtual information sessions to try to limit the number of visitors on their campuses. You want to be sure your campus visit is scheduled for an in-person experience before you bring your class to campus.
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Step 1 — Planning your college trips. Starts here.
Prepare Your Students
Take some time to get your class excited about the college campus visit!
Spend a class period or two talking about the history of the university you’re visiting, the different academic programs they offer, and even the sports teams.
Have your students create a list of questions they’d like to ask the tour guide or locations they’d like to see during the visit.
Your Best College Campus Visit
And there you have it, our keys to planning the best college campus visit for your class.
At GL Travel, we’re all about creating memorable experiences for our students and teachers. We do that by taking the hassle and frustration out of planning travel. If you’d like to take your class on a college trip, let us do the heavy lifting! Contact us today to see how we can help you plan and execute a great campus visit.
