A major part of the college admissions experience is getting to visit and tour campus. However, the pandemic has stopped many prospective ETSU students from doing so. ETSU admissions is tackling this problem by bringing the college visit experience to them.
Bucky’s ETSU Road Trip kicked off Sept. 7, and admissions counselors will continue the journey across several states, including Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky.
“We’ve talked to many students over the past six to eight months who feel like they’re having difficulty exploring colleges and really seeing what colleges have to offer because of the pandemic,” said Caleb Bennett, ETSU assistant director for recruitment. “As we were kind of brainstorming how can we effectively show ETSU to these prospective students and let them experience all we have to offer, we thought why not bring ETSU to them?”
Admissions counselors will be setting up tents in various indoor and outdoor spaces and will be discussing scholarships, campus activities, student organizations and more with prospective students.
They will also be providing informational brochures and books, as well as some ETSU swag items such as t-shirts and magnets.
All staff will be following campus and regional pandemic safety procedures.
Tables are set up for social distancing, allowing only one or two families at a time, and it will take place mostly outdoors. Staff will also be wearing face coverings and guests are encouraged to as well. Hand sanitizer will be available at every table.
As students begin the college search this year, ETSU admissions is hoping to guide them through this unconventional time.
“We just want to show students that we’re here to support them in their college search process,” Bennett said. “We think ETSU is a perfect place for many, many students, and we don’t want our pandemic to stop them from experiencing our university.”
For more information, check out www.etsu.edu/roadtrip.
