Helping Families From Around the World
“This is Why I Enjoy What I Do”
During Spring 2017 I received an email from a mom in Russia. She explained to me that her son had been admitted to several U.S. colleges and they were headed here to visit them, so he could make his final decision about where to attend.
No Campus Tours Available During Spring Break
Unfortunately, they were not able to register for the campus tour at Virginia Tech on April 12. It was completely booked—hundreds, if not thousands of parents and students were expected to descend on campus during spring break week — the week when they too were scheduled to visit. The university had even added extra campus tours and expected to host 100 people for each session!
The mom explained that she could not alter their travel dates. Her son needed to return home immediately after this whirlwind trip, so he could take his IB exams.
The only event that she was able to register for at Virginia Tech was the information session for the College of Engineering.
She wanted to know if there was any way that I would be able to arrange for them to have someone meet with them and/or show them around campus.
If not, they would have to do a self-guided tour. She was hoping that I would be able to arrange an overall campus tour that included the following:
- A visit to an engineering lab and technical facilities
- A visit to a dorm
- A tour of the School of Performing Arts, as her son would like to minor in Cinema Production
- A stop at the Cranwell International Center
With such short notice (and it is such an incredibly busy week on campus), I wasn’t sure if I could meet all of her requests, but I got right to work! After numerous phone calls and emails and assistance from administrative staff in several university departments, I was excited to present my mom and son with their itinerary for their day at Virginia Tech.
Detailed College Visit Itinerary
9:00 am – 11:00 am
A one-on-one campus tour with a current student majoring in an engineering discipline. As part of his tour, the admitted student would have a chance to meet up with another engineering student to chat and get an additional perspective about life at Virginia Tech; visit one of the dorms; stop at the International Center.
11:15 am – 12:15 pm
College of Engineering Information Session
12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
A meeting with an assistant professor of cinema production, followed by a tour of the School of Performing Arts with a current theatre/cinema major.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Information Session and tour of the Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) department/facilities
I was thrilled that I was able to put together this schedule of activities for them, knowing that the student would be able to then make an informed decision based on his in-depth visit.
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