How This Startup Is Revolutionizing the Way Students Tour Colleges Online

Between sitting for Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams, finalizing summer plans, and preparing for fall college applications, the spring of junior year is a crucial time for high school students. Among the many items on the to-do list: college visits.

This spring, campus closures have left prospective college students to rely on online resources to complete their college research. From virtual tours to admissions webinars, universities across the country have created a plethora of online content for students to learn about their schools. Reading school-published content has many advantages: virtual tours highlight campus’ best attributes, information sessions allow students to familiarize themselves with schools’ pedagogy and values, and application-specific webinars outline schools’ application requirements and timelines.

But a university is a business, and part of the admissions office’s responsibility is to market the school and to essentially sell a product: a perfect university where students will reach their full potential. To gain a more realistic perspective on a school, prospective applicants can take advantage of current undergraduate student opinions. 

This is where fellow Forbes 30 under 30 list maker CampusReel steps in. CampusReel is a free online resource that features student-produced vlogs from colleges and universities all around the nation. Prospective students can filter by categories such as Ivy League, schools located on the West or East Coast, liberal arts schools or enrollment size in order to find schools to learn about. Students can also find schools’ admissions rates, financial aid information, average SAT and ACT scores of applicants and the ratio of female to male students. In vlogs, current college students cover topics like “What’s a Quad Anway…?”,  “Avoid the Freshman 15: Gyms and Rec Centers”, “Brutally Honest Food Reviews,” and share tours of their dorm rooms, different housing options, favorite dining halls, and give advice to prospective applicants and current college students who may be interested in attending that school. These videos answer some of the most frequently asked questions that virtual scripted tours don’t address. 

According to Rob Carroll, the co-founder of CampusReel, the site has seen a spike in traffic as a result of campus closures and cancelled tours; a 300% month over month increase in new sign-ups, and a 70% month over month increase in video consumption. In the month of April, users came from 194 countries. It’s clear that students all over the world are seeking ways to learn more about their prospective schools. 

Resources such as CampusReel allow prospective college applicants to use this time wisely to research the schools they are interested in applying to. This uncertain time poses many challenges to both applicants and current college students. CampusReel, however, allows prospective students to see colleges through the eyes of their current students without leaving the comfort and safety of their homes. It’s difficult to anticipate the college experience, especially without a college tour, but CampusReel is a valuable resource to this end.