Spring is a great time to take college tours. Blooming trees and flowers enhance the beauty of campuses, and the excitement generated by warmer weather and campus activities give students and families much to see and think about.
Families have many questions in their minds. How safe is this campus? How much does it cost to attend? These questions matter, to be sure – so much so that student tour guides include such information in what they regularly share.
But what kinds of questions can parents ask tour guides to dig a little deeper?
Timothy Lewis, director of Undergraduate Recruitment at East Tennessee State University, shares five important questions parents can ask campus tour guides:
Tell me about a faculty or staff mentor or another supporter that you have on campus.
“Mentorship is a key thing to get out of college, so find a campus that is going to
support you, that’s going to challenge you, that’s going to walk alongside you in
this journey,” Lewis said.
Tell me what you and your friends do for fun, both on campus and in the community.
Lewis said that question is a great way to learn what a typical day is like for students,
and allows student tour guides to share unique things about themselves. “The off-campus
aspect of that is also important,” he said, “because when you’re choosing a college
campus, you’re not just choosing the college. You’re choosing the community that surrounds it, as well.”
Have you had a challenging situation in your college experience, and how has this
campus helped you navigate that?
“We tell our families and students this at many stages of the process – college is
going to be hard,” Lewis said. “There are going to be moments where there are challenges,
and you want to find a place that’s good at helping you navigate those challenges.”
What has been one of your favorite moments so far in your college experience?
“Any time you ask a question that allows the tour guide to really express themselves,
you get to see the things that aren’t on the tour. When you’re on the tour, you’re
seeing physical spaces and hearing about those spaces, and that’s important. It’s
good to know that the gym is great and it has free workout classes. But you also want
to get a good idea of the things that you can’t see, and the ‘What’s been your favorite
moment?’ question can help get at that.”
What are some of the best ways your family has supported you while you’re here in
college?
“I love it when families ask that question,” Lewis said, “because it gets the family
thinking about their role in this transition.”
“The point of the campus tour is for the student and the families to really get a feel for who the campus is,” Lewis said. “A lot of times, parents and families will ask questions that are pretty similar across college campuses, such as questions about campus safety and what type of student organizations there are. Those are going to get answered through the tour process, and they’re more or less not differentiators. For instance, college campuses are generally safe.”
Lewis believes that questions families should ask are those that give them insight into things that are unique and the “intangibles” about the institution.
“A family member should walk out of a tour knowing, most importantly, ‘This is the care that my student is going to experience if they choose to come here. These are the types of experiences they have to look forward to if they attend this college,’” Lewis said. “You want to ask questions that really help you feel comfortable as a family member about having your student go there, questions that really help you visualize and get excited about the experience your student might be able to have.”
Schedule a campus tour to learn more about the ETSU campus, and learn more about the university’s New Student and Family Programs and the resources ETSU offers to families during their students’ time at the university.
East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.
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