A lot of college students will understand that making a decision about which college to attend requires a ton of careful consideration. One way to learn more information that factors into a final decision about which college to attend is by visiting the college in person and taking a college tour. Sure, you can see photos and videos of the college online and read about what the college has to offer, but the opportunity to talk to a current student and see the college in person is invaluable.
I’m fortunate I could tour Amherst before I decided to commit. Although most people tour colleges during junior or senior years, I toured Amherst the summer before my sophomore year. My dad was visiting Boston for a work conference, so the rest of my family and I decided to tag along and take the opportunity to visit some colleges. So, I toured many colleges around Boston and toured Amherst since I was interested in attending a liberal arts college. I’m grateful to have toured early on in my high school career because, starting the spring semester of my sophomore year, the pandemic made it hard to travel, and many colleges, including Amherst, stopped offering in-person tours, opting to offer virtual tours instead.
Truthfully, I don’t remember much from my Amherst tour because it happened more than 4 years ago (wow, writing that made me feel old!), but I remember bits and pieces that stuck with me. One thing that stood out was that the Amherst tour guide was willing to answer questions with their own experience and personalized the tour. They were super friendly and easy to talk to, making the tour stand out from the other tours I attended at other colleges. Another thing that stood out from the Amherst tour was the architecture of the buildings. I distinctly remember walking into the Science Center, Greenway Dorms, and Beneski Museum and being blown away by the design. My memories of these buildings greatly influenced my decision to attend Amherst.
As a current student at Amherst, I’ve seen the value of a tour from a college student’s perspective. Sure, it might feel strange to be sitting in a classroom and see a group of touring students walk past your classroom, but I know many students who work as tour guides, and all of them are passionate about Amherst and know so much about the college. I love getting to wave to them and seeing them on tours out and about on campus, and it’s always great to see how much fellow students want to help out high school students with their college decisions!