Focal Point of the Campus Visit - The Campus Tour!

The Focal Point of the Campus Visit.

The Campus Tour and each of its’ elements, are a critical Admissions tool that if done with excellence can significantly improve matriculation.

Student Tour Guide
The most indispensable part of the campus tour is the student tour guide.

For visitors, the tour guide becomes the face of your institution. In fact, in a StudentPoll survey, 76% of the polled students said having a student-led tour made an impact on their final decision.

What the guide says, what he does and how he carries himself as he engages with the tour group largely determines whether prospective students and their parents leave campus with favorable or unfavorable memories of their visit.

For better or worse, it cannot be emphasized enough: the tour guide can himself or herself alone directly impact to what degree your institution is considered an option by each student.

Student tour guides more often than not are the most important people in the admissions process.

An Ideal Tour Guide is one who…

• is a master storyteller, helping prospective students and parents ‘feel the spirit’ of the institution.
• is conversant, friendly, genuine and able to easily relate to students and parents.
• gears the tour to the audience, because in a StudentPoll survey, 90% of students seeing facilities of interest to them, stated that it was the most important aspect of the campus visit. 
• creates an engaging, more spontaneous and organic experience for their guests.
• leans more toward personal, “authentic” stories, rather than facts, figures and data.
• uses personal stories that are more identifiable to prospective students, to help them develop connection with the organization.
• provides interesting, memorable anecdotes or tidbits.
• makes his audience feel that he is just like them, that they too can be a valued part of the campus family just as he is.

An Ineffective Tour Guide is one who…

• gives tours that are boring, formulaic, and predictable.
• fills the tour with facts, data and figures.
• follows the same paths and spouts the same historical and statistical jargon at every turn.
• glosses over questions being asked.
• speaks inappropriately.
• highlights institutional weaknesses.

The Disney Experience
The idea is to produce campus tours that are positive and memorable.

It is imperative to stand out from the crowd, and like Disney, institutions are using their tours to sell memories.

Tours have become “Events,”  and these “Events” must engage guests from beginning to end.  Guests expect a “wow factor.” All members of the campus should present a “Disneyland Mentality” for a truly efficacious tour.

As part of this well-orchestrated campus visit and tour, it is critical to capitalize on this by creating “Signature Moments” to leave a lasting and memorable impression on each prospective student. These “Individualized Signature Moments” forge exceedingly important emotional connections to the institution.

Examples include:

1. Parking in a personalized parking spot.
2. Receiving a personalized program with a backpack and notebook to take to class.
3. Attending a class of their choice.
4. Attending Chapel.
5. Having lunch at the school’s dining hall with their Admissions counselor.
6. Meeting faculty members from their prospective major.
7. And finally creating those extra-special “Signature Moments” that can occur in a variety of ways.  Some may include promo while others may not, but all will include the goal of creating a memory and a connection with the university!  An example of this would be various photo ops, such as:
   • In their Freshman dorm with a new t-shirt and a sign that reads “Ready to Go! Fall of 2020!”
   • At the mail room, they receive their first package - a quality gift like an embroidered beanie
   • On the gym floor with the Mascot and a new t-shirt and a sign that reads – Go Wesleyan Tigers 2020!
   • At the school coffee shop with a new quality tumbler and a sign that reads – First cup – Class of 2020!

In every instance, it’s making each and every tour and visit an incredible experience for the students and their parents. The entire campus should know the days tours are run and do their part in making every guest on campus feel welcome.  

By eye contact, smiles, nodding of the head in greeting.  By saying ‘hello’ or ‘welcome’ when appropriate and not interrupting. By holding doors open for the guests, helping someone who appears lost. These simple gestures along with a campus visit team that strives for excellence everyday – rain, snow, or shine- will make a huge impact on the percentage of visitors that enroll.

In fact, when you achieve an excellent enrollment rate from your campus visits, the question will then become how to get as many accepted students as possible to come and visit campus. How can we make it so attractive that the circle of attendance becomes that much larger?

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