By Genesis Lemus
New COVID-19 procedures have changed the way tours are being given on campus.
Since March, admissions counselors have had to dust off their tour skills and show prospective students and families the campus.
There have been many challenges when trying to adjust how to make tours as interactive as possible, without having an actual student giving the tour, as it normally would be done.
“Campus tours are going extremely well,” admissions counselor India Dennis said. “Although we miss our lovely tour guides and that touch of the student experience, we’re doing our best.”
Currently, the counselors are taking one family per tour, giving them a personal experience on campus.
“Their entire tour is catered to them, and they are able to ask any questions,” Dennis said.
However, going into residence halls and academic buildings is restricted. If a family wants to view the inside of the buildings they must do so virtually.
“Students are able to virtually tour them using our interactive campus map and look at pictures of a showroom in Coblentz Hall,” admission visit coordinator Payton Mills said.
Prospective students also have the opportunity to connect with current students and staff via Zoom if they are interested in learning what the student experience is like.
“During these virtual experiences, students are able to connect with members of the Hood community, get their questions answered, and learn more about our campus and traditions,” Mills said.
This new way of doing tours has been a way to keep prospective students connected and interested in coming to Hood in the meantime.
“The benefit of us being a smaller school is that we form close connections with prospective students. As a result of those connections, we have been able to work with the incoming class to ensure their questions and concerns are met,” Mills said.
In the coming weeks, the admissions staff is working hard to get Blazer Ambassadors to do a 30-minute student experience discussion with prospective students out in the residential quad.
“Everything will be outside and socially distanced with a mask,” Mills said.
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