Campus tours rely on virtual reality for prospective transfer students amid COVID-19
A global pandemic projects transfer rates at the university to decrease
The number of undergraduate students who transfer to the University of Nevada, Reno are expected to drop due to the COVID-19 pandemic closing campus, but officials will provide virtual tours instead.
Transfer students make up nearly 10 percent of the student body at UNR and the numbers could drop without the personal experience provided by on campus tours. Current transfer students credit the campus tour as a key factor in making their decision to come to UNR.
“You will know if you belong here as soon as you step onto the campus”
“The campus is an easy one to sell,” said Monica Ramirez, a UNR student who transferred from a junior college in California in fall of 2019. “I found UNR my second year at my junior college in Livermore, Calif. and looked into the school through websites and was able to take a tour of the UNR campus.”
“You will know if you belong here as soon as you step onto the campus,” says Kari Emm, director of transfer recruitment at the university. With campus completely shut down, in person tours are not an option. “I have had to cancel Transfer Nevada Bound which included over 300 students from Northern California and over four workshops and transfer fairs throughout Northern Nevada,” states a worrisome Emm. The campus is easy to sell, but students who don’t get the opportunity to step foot on campus before making a decision might not see that.
Transfer students need support from the university. That comes from meeting with advisors, walking around campus, and being able to ask questions face-to-face. In 2017 College Transfer conducted a study on transfer students and found the university received 2,480 applications and 1,255 chose to attend. Over half of the students admitted went onto attend UNR the following fall.
“The tour was a crucial part of my decision and I was able to receive more information and talk to an academic advisor in person. I don’t think a virtual tour would have been as effective for me,” stated Ramirez. What the tour provides can not be experienced virtually.
The walk through the historic quad, the atrium in the Reynold’s School of Journalism, or the bustling student union filled with student interaction can not be experienced technologically. Emm and university admissions hope the virtual tour will be enough to persuade transfer students, however, they are prepared to see transfer enrollment numbers drop. As unfortunate as this is, COVID-19 is forcing us to live in a world where virtual reality is the new normal.
Emm strategizes targeting markets in an attempt to persuade students looking to transfer to UNR through programs like Transfer to the Pack and Peers at Work. “These events are the turning point that transfer students attend when making their decision,” says Emm. With these programs forced to be cancelled or put to a halt in response to campus closure during spring semester, this is where Emm foresees transfer numbers declining. Prior experience causes Emm to know “Transfers need a lot of attention and they don’t want to go somewhere they are not familiar with nor comfortable.” These events serve the purpose of doing exactly that.
Transfer students bring a unique aspect to campus life and are important in student involvement. If a transfer student is having a difficult time deciding to attend UNR without having the in person experience, this is your sign to attend. UNR is a Tier 1 university with Division 1 athletics, professors that root for your success, and every walk to class is guaranteed to make you feel thankful you chose UNR to be your home away from home.
