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Schools provide plenty of opportunities to help potential enrollees get familiar with their campuses. Orientation meetings, campus open houses, and meet-and-greet events give new students an idea of their school's general feel and vibe.
However, these activities don’t exactly tell you the ins and outs of daily life on campus. This is where high school campus tours come in handy. If you're wondering what the benefits of a high school campus tour are, read on below for five reasons successful high schools include such an activity in their recruitment efforts.
Learn Beyond the Brochure
Websites and brochures provide valuable information about a particular school. But bear in mind that these are the school’s efforts to put its best foot forward. Going on a campus tour provides a much more accurate picture of what happens inside the campus.
Of course, a school-organized tour may not show you the whole truth, but it's better than just reading about the school in a brochure or website. On a school tour, for example, you can personally inspect the quality of the facilities and the cleanliness of the school. By observing its facilities and surroundings, you get a picture of how a school generally operates.
You may think you know what a school is like based on what you see on its website or brochure, but to get a more accurate picture, a visit to the school enables you to further explore its campus. You may find that the image of the school you have in your head is very different from how it actually is.
For instance, it’s difficult to determine the size of a space based on a picture. So when you see a photo of a school campus, you may think that it’s quite small, but when you actually go there, you may be surprised at how big it is.
Better Sense of Life Inside the Campus
When students go on a campus tour, they get a sense of what it’s like to spend a day there. They will be able to experience sitting inside classrooms and visiting the library, laboratory, and cafeteria. A campus tour also exposes potential students to those already studying there.
Interacting with current students gives you an opportunity to ask questions and seek information beyond what is available on the websites and brochures. In fact, students or officials of the school conduct most of its tours. These individuals know a lot about the school and can provide knowledgeable answers to your questions.
Go Outside of the Campus
Joining a campus tour also allows students to explore the surrounding area. If they decide to go to that school, they’ll spend a lot of time within and outside the campus. It would be beneficial to get to know the town better and its relationship with the school. They may also discover other available activities for students outside of the campus. Seeing what the town offers can influence the student’s decision to enroll in the school or to look for other options.
Help for the Undecided
If you’re having difficulty choosing a school for your child, then a campus tour can help you decide. Even if your heart is already set on a particular school, it's still a good idea to give other schools a chance by going on several tours. It’s challenging to assess a school based on its website or brochure because these materials don't give justice to all that a school can offer.
Of course, it's also possible that going on a campus tour will lead to unfavorable discoveries about a particular school you had high expectations of. That is why it is so important to visit the school and talk to officials, teachers, and students so that you can make an informed decision.
Get a Feel of the Campus
When students go on a campus tour, they will get a feel of the campus. In seeing the school's facilities, students can assess the size and quality of the classrooms and decide whether or not they would feel comfortable learning in those environments. They can also check on other school facilities such as the library, gym, and laboratory to see if the facilities and equipment are up-to-date. After all, choosing a school with modern facilities almost always guarantees quality education.
Meeting school officials, staff, faculty members, and current students will enable you to ask questions about the school, curriculum and campus life. They may even get an opportunity to sit in a class, so they will know firsthand how classes are conducted there. The tour will give the students a feel of what the community is like, and they can then decide if this is a community they want to be part of. They may feel an instant connection with the campus or experience that feeling of being at home in that school. If you’re a parent, it's important for you to choose a school that your child feels comfortable with. Keep in mind that your child will spend some of his most important years in that school.
St. John Bosco provides various opportunities for students and their families to experience life on our campus, including on-campus tours. The admissions team leads campus tours, which give participants a detailed overview of St. John Bosco's sprawling 36-acre campus. The tour provides a detailed introduction to different academic programs and enables visitors to experience campus life. Since the on-campus tour is by appointment, you can easily schedule a tour by calling St. John Bosco or sending them a message.
Apart from campus tours, St. John Bosco also holds the “Brave a Day” program, where seventh and eighth grade students learn about everyday life inside the Bosco campus.