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COVID 19 has made the the college search much more difficult. For the most part, it is not possible to do in person college visits, tours or information sessions. So how can you make an informed decision when choosing a college? Many universities have been offering new ways to get information about their schools available to potential future students to help with the college search.

Virtual Tours

Virtual tours are one tool many colleges are using to visualize their campus.  The virtual tours often include interactive maps and programs that give you a 360 degree view of different areas of the campus.

Videos

Some schools offer videos to provide a view of the campus, details of their programs as well as interviews with students about their experiences. Videos are great way to visualize a campus and get useful information about a college.

Virtual Information Sessions

Virtual information sessions are another tool colleges are using to get information out about their schools. These rage from large sessions over Zoom with an interactive chat available for questions to smaller Zoom sessions where the participants are encouraged to use their cameras and audio for questions. Colleges often offer general sessions as well as sessions for specific majors, for example the engineering department. Info sessions are not offered all the time and need to be reserved in advance on the college's website.

Virtual Class Trials

Many schools are also providing opportunities for prospective students to try one of their classes. These limited class sessions are often held online on common school holidays to give an idea of what a class at that college is like. These classes are run by actual professors in different subject areas and need to be reserved in advance on the college's website.

While it is more difficult to do a college search during a pandemic, colleges have been coming up with ways to explore their schools virtually. Provided are links to virtual tours and virtual information sessions at colleges with engineering programs.

As a result of COVID-19, the college search for an engineering school has become more difficult. In person college visits, tours and information sessions can't occur in most cases. This is both challenging and frustrating for both high school seniors and the parents of them. As parents of a high school senior, we have been going through these frustrations ourselves. Every day things seem to be changing. So how can you make an informed decision when choosing a college for an engineering major? Many universities have been rising to the challenge by instituting new ways to get information about their schools available to potential future students. Virtual tours and virtual information sessions are two ways to visualize a college and learn more about them. Another great way to get more questions answered is to schedule virtual or phone interviews with college representatives. Signing up for info sessions and interviews does more than get you information. It shows demonstrated interest in the school.  This is something many colleges look for when choosing who to accept. Check our links to colleges with engineering programs that offer virtual tours and virtual information sessions.

Due to COVID-19 the traditional college search has changed. Since campus visits can't happen, many colleges now offer virtual information sessions. These sessions are done in different ways. Many are offered in a webinar format with interactive chat for questions. Some are prerecorded slideshows of information. Some schools offer just general information sessions, while others have general sessions and sessions on specific majors. Most also offer a virtual tour of the school so you can get a better visual of the campus. Virtual info sessions are often found on the Visit Campus Page of a college's website. In addition, many colleges look for demonstrated interest in their school from their applicants. Traditionally, this would be shown by college visits and interviews, but with today's changes, signing up for virtual info sessions are also counted. Here are links to several schools with engineering programs that currently offer virtual information sessions.

Additional colleges offering information sessions can be found on this previous blog post.

Case Western Reserve University SUNY Buffalo
Colombia University SUNY Stony Brook
Cornell University University of Arizona
Drexel University University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Duke University University of Maryland
George Washington University University of Michigan
Northeastern University University of Pittsburgh
MIT University of Rochester
Ohio State University University of Texas A & M
Rice University University of Virginia
Rochester Institute Of Technology University of Washington
Stanford University Vanderbilt University
Stevens Institute of Technology

Many colleges are now offering virtual information sessions due to COVID-19. These sessions are a great way to get information about a school when you can't actually visit the campus. The sessions are often conducted in a webinar format with interactive chat so you can ask any questions you might have. Some schools offer just general info sessions, while others have general sessions as well as sessions on specific majors. Many also offer virtual tours of their campus. This is a great resource to look for to help with the college search. In addition, many colleges look for demonstrated interest in their school from their applicants. Traditionally, this would be shown by college visits and interviews, but with today's changes, signing up for virtual info sessions are also counted. Virtual info sessions are often found on the Visit Campus Page of a college's website. Here are links to a few schools with engineering programs that currently offer virtual information sessions.

Georgia Tech 

Carnegie Mellon University 

Perdue University 

Virginia Tech 

Johns Hopkins University 

University of Wisconsin 

Many schools offer virtual college tours. The virtual tours are done in different ways incorporating video or photos and useful information. This is a great way to see a school when you can't physically go there. Below are links to the virtual tours of many colleges who have engineering programs.

Arizona State University Tempe SUNY Binghamton
Boston University SUNY Maritime
California Institute of Technology SUNY Stony Brook
Case Western Reserve University Syracuse University
Colorado School Of Mines Texas A & M University
Colorado State University Tufts University
Columbia University Union College
Cooper Union United States Millitary Academy West Point
Cornell University United States Naval Academy
Dartmouth College University Connecticut Storrs
Drexel University University of California San Diego
Duke Universitry University of Colorado Boulder
Florida State University University of Deleware
George Washington University University of Florida
Georgia Tech University of Houston
Hofstra University of Illonois Urbana-Champaign
Iowa State University University of Kentucky
Johns Hopkins University University of Maryland
Lehigh University University of Massachusetts Amherst
Manhattan College University of Miami
Massachusets Institute of Technology University of Michigan
New York University University of Minnesota Twin Cities
North Carolina State University University of Missouri Columbia
Northwestern University University of Pennsylvania
Ohio State University University of Pittsburgh
Penn State University College Park University of Rochester
Perdue University University of South Florida Tampa
Princeton University University of Tennessee Knoxville
Rensselar Polytechnic Institute University of Virginia
Rochester Institute Of Technology Vanderbilt University
Rutgers University New Brunswick Virginia Tech
Stanford University Washington University
Stevens Institute of Technology Wentworth Institute of Technology
  Worcester Polytechnic Institute

After deciding which engineering field you are interested in, it is a good idea to visit schools that have that program. Every college has its own personality and all schools do not follow the same programs of instruction. This is something every student needs to consider when deciding if that school is the one for them. When you go on some college tours, you will start to see what aspects of schools you like, or do not like. This is the best way to start narrowing down choices of schools. By going on different campuses you will get a feel of what each school is like. The size and look of the campus, what the facilities and classrooms are like, and what the class sizes are will give you an indication of what is best for you. Try to take the engineering school tour at each school, if possible. An engineering tour will give more insight into what the curriculum is like and what life as a student in their program will be like. In addition, talking to current students and speaking to administrators about the specifics of the program you are interested in will give you more information. The administrators can also provide more specifics on the requirements for admittance to their program.

If you are not sure where to begin, first start exploring colleges that may be a short distance from where you live. This is a great way to start narrowing down what type of schools you are interested in without spending a lot of time and money.