Sam Tate, the co-founder of SchoolScoops reached out to tell me about the platform. SchoolScoops is a service that connects high school students with college students for private college tours. Since I wanted my son Sean to receive a personalized campus tour of Columbia, my alma mater, I bought a tour for him.
(The one in the black jeans is my son.)
Before Your SchoolScoops Tour
You simply go on the site, choose the school and then choose from the guide options. The platform offers a range of student guides. This allows you to choose one that aligns with your teen’s interests.
You will receive an email confirming your tour. Then, your guide will reach out to you by email letting you know anything additional. (For example, our guide Madoury needed to send us QR codes to get on campus, since Columbia is currently a closed campus.)
You’ll also receive a reminder email close to the start of the tour. Along with meeting point instructions, it includes a curated list of questions to ask on your college tour to help students prepare for their upcoming tour.
I appreciate that the tours are personalized for each student. For instance, Sean was very concerned about the dorms and the dining halls. (What can I say? He’s like his mom – rest and food choices ARE important!) Of course, specific requests depend on the school’s rules, which your guide can check.
During the Private College Tour
In addition to showing us around campus, Madoury gave us a choice of which dining hall to eat at. Things – including food options – have changed A LOT since I was a student. There are so many options – including Ramen, Pizza, Halal and Kosher food. Sean chose the pizza option, so we went to Carleton.
Sean and Madoury were able to chat more while they ate and Madoury answered all of Sean’s questions well. He also shared some insider information like the best places to study; where “Spider-Man was filmed on campus and the easier Calculus professors. (Madoury also answered my questions. Yes, the core curriculum is still in place and so is Columbia’s swimming requirement.)
Madoury also tried to get us into his dorm. Unfortunately, the guard stopped us. (It turns out that you have to be 18+ to visit inside the Columbia dorms unless a special event is taking place.) It was fine though, because I was allowed to go up and take a video of the dorm room and common area so that Sean could see them.
The dorms are a big change from my time at Columbia too. Back then, freshmen received the best dorms and sophomores received the worst picks. Now, freshman dorms are just alright – not awful but not great.
Roar, Lions Roar!
Sean is considering medical school in the future so it helped that Madoury is a pre-med student. From a cultural standpoint, it also helped that Madoury was a Black male freshman. He could have been one of my sons. When I visited a dorm with Madoury, one of his friends asked him if I was his mom. (How sweet!)
Sean hasn’t decided whether or not he’ll go to a CUNY, SUNY or private school like Columbia (if he gets accepted). There are pros and cons to each option. The tour with Madoury helped Sean get a feel for what freshman life at Columbia would be like though.
I highly recommend using the SchoolScoops platform if they have guides at the school(s) your teen is interested in. It is a useful, reasonably priced (currently $75) service. The time could help students see if the college would be a great fit for them.