Schools are putting 3-D models of their campuses, buildings, dorm rooms, and streets online, and you don’t even have to put on those special 3-D glasses to view them.
Through the schools’ websites, you can virtually tour campuses, with maps that use 3-D, Google Earth, and satellite views. It’s another way that schools are trying to help students who live across the country or world learn about their campus, if they’re not able to visit before applying.
More schools are offering this 3-D campus tour option, knowing that you want to know as much about the school as possible, even before a visit.
Here’s a roundup of five colleges using 3-D and other technology to show off their schools to students like you (Hint: You’ll need to install Google Earth on your computer or smartphone):
University of Rochester (Rochester, N.Y.)
Its 3D model provides an insider’s view of life on campus, with dorm room tours, panoramic view and building information. When you click on a building, you’ll see photos and information about the private school.
The private institution gives students the feeling like you’re walking through its gothic arches or into Cameron Indoor Stadium, its basketball arena, through its 3-D map. There are 3-D models of 325 buildings across its campuses, and it also includes videos and photos about what goes on inside the buildings and information for prospective students.
Its interactive campus map uses 3-D and other media to show future students about the campus, its cultural diversity, and its global learning opportunities in 69 countries. You can jump across campus, seeing views of the private research university, and get descriptions and location details for each building.
This evangelical Christian college, affiliated with the Missionary Church, shows buildings, parking lots, and other key spots on campus in its 3-D map. Click on a building, and you’ll see a photo and more info.
The YSU campus buildings and objects use 3D and Google Earth for an interactive experience that show off buildings on campus, dorm rooms, and even stadium seats. There’s also video clips and information about buildings on the public university’s campus.
Other schools, such as Hofstra, Boston University, Haverford College, Regis University, University of Colorado Boulder, and UMass Lowell, have them, too. Check out CampusBird to see if schools you are considering are listed there.
Also, if you’re already been accepted into a school, this is a fun way to look at your dorm selections and to get to know the campus before you’re officially on campus.
Your dream college may be looking at information about you on your Facebook page (24% percent of colleges said in a Kaplan Test Prep survey they do). So use social media to your advantage to find out information about the school you may be attending.
Here are 10 things you can learn from a college’s (official) Facebook page.
1. Campus happenings.
You’ll get a sense for big events on campus and what their student organizations are doing – it can be a big help as you try to envision what it may be like to be a college student at that school.
2. Big news.
From new majors to sports victories, you’ll find updates that show how this school is doing more for students and being successful, too. They’ll also have news about alumni – UCLA’s Facebook page, for example, congratulated 1990 graduate Alexander Payne who directed “The Descendants,” which won the Golden Globe for best drama in January.
3. Basic information.
If you’re touring a school and need the address for the GPS, it will be there. Or get directions, phone numbers, official website urls, and even a contact e-mail for more information.
4. Photos.
From shots of campus landmarks to student activities to sports teams, it’s a great place to see what this campus is like.
5. Videos.
Relive big moments or watch interviews with professors and students to learn more about the college.
6. Events.
Learn about events for prospective students and current students so you can plan a campus visit or tour.
7. Student activities.
In addition to information about student groups and activities being posted on the wall, you’ll find the “likes” section on pages like the one for Spelman College, a historically black college and university for females in Georgia, can have links to campus organizations, fraternities and sororities, and other school Facebook pages.
8. Other social media connections.
On the Facebook page, some schools will have listed their Twitter username, so you can follow them there, too.
9. Deadlines.
From application info to big dates throughout the year, some colleges have these details posted on Facebook
10. Answers to questions.
Students may post questions about activities, financial aid and tuition, majors, or other topic that you may be wondering about, too. The answers on Facebook show another way that schools are connecting with students and applicants today.
Those are some big reasons to add Facebook to your research when you’re looking at prospective schools.
Here’s the scene I saw recently at a public university: Students spread out with laptops perched on tables or their knees, reviewing course material, doing online research, and of course, logging onto Facebook.
It may not be much different than what you see in the halls of your high school or at libraries or coffee shops.
A few of the college students had iPads, Kindles, and Nooks. But for the most part, the majority of them had the essential gear for a college student – a laptop – as they crowded into cozy booths near a coffee shop, claimed cushy chairs around TV screens, took a break to eat at tables in and near restaurants, and even sat on the floor near the stairs.
A lot of them had pricey physical textbooks and required books for class out with them, too.
It’s great that these colleges are making an effort to curb the high costs of textbooks for students. But one big question is what type of prices can be set for the e-textbooks, and if they can truly be less expensive than traditional textbooks.
Other challenges still exist, such as making sure the e-textbooks are compatible on a laptop, smartphone, and tablet. The students at the colleges in the pilot e-textbooks program will use Courseload software to print, access eTexts on tablets, smartphones, and computers, and use annotation that can be shared with classmates and instructors.
Throughout your college experience, textbooks are going to be a big part of your budgeting each semester and anything that can be done to reduce costs can be helpful. And even better, those bulky backpacks filled with traditional textbooks may no longer be something you have to lug around.
What do you think — is the e-textbook a great idea or tech overload?
Yes, the same network that made the phrase “It’s T-Shirt Time” famous, brings you a unique Facebook application called My College Dollars. The app scours the web for scholarships opportunities based on the information in your Facebook profile — genius! Using the app also qualifies you for a chance to win tickets to the VMAs and cash prizes.
What’s really cool about the app isn’t so much the information (which has always been available online), but that it’s geared toward users who might not otherwise be aware of all the college financial aid opportunities and information out there. My College Dollars was the brainchild of Devin Valencia, winner of the Get Schooled Affordability Challenge contest. Her winning entry gave her the opportunity to work with designers and a $100,000 budget to create this app. MTV worked in collaboration with The College Board, the Get Schooled campaign, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to launch the app yesterday.
In addition to the scholarship alerts, there’s also a FAFSA guideline, a deadline calendar, an “ask the expert” feature, and links to other resources. And, because MTV is involved, would you expect it to not be enhanced with super star power? The app is peppered with inspiring messages about the importance of education from music artists, actors, and athletes.
Check it out here, and let us know what you think of it.
Ah, 2011. We had a nice run, didn’t we? But it’s time to move on. Before we do, let’s take a look at some of the college-related blog posts that were most popular with our readers this year. Did any of your favorites make the list?
Thursday is Bill of Rights Day and it’s a day for you to possibly get bills – dollar bills, that is – for college. Singers Ke$ha and Blake Shelton are among the celebrities involved in a Dec. 15 tweet-athon, in celebration of the 220th anniversary of the Bill of Rights and its First Amendment. Let’s hear it for free speech!
The “Free to Tweet” effort encourages students ages 14 to 22 to share on Twitter how they enjoy their right to free expression. The best student Tweets – using #freetotweet – will win one of 22 scholarships, for $5,000. That’s a total of $110,000 in scholarships, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Other singers – Brad Paisley, Frankie Ballard, Darius Rucker, Joe Nichols, John Oates, Wynonna Judd, Sarah Jarosz, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Elenowen, Jana Kramer, Joanna Smith, and The Civil Wars – will be joining in with their tweets.
To be part of the scholarship contest, your tweet can stand alone or be linked to original content on a website or another type of social media. A panel of educators and First Amendment experts will review the entries and choose the scholarship winners.
So celebrate Bill of Rights Day – created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 – by expressing yourself via social media and trying to win cash for school. We’ll be watching your tweets from @CollegeBoundNet!
We’re back with one of our favorite recurring blog topics! Take a look at some of the interesting, thought-provoking, or just plain silly things that college-bound students are tweeting about these days:
You don’t have to look far on a college campus to see how Steve Jobs (ironically a college dropout himself) has helped revolutionize higher education.
During just two hours today at the University of Georgia, where I am an adjunct journalism professor, I saw many students serving as living reminders of Jobs’ creations:
• A female student jogging on the perimeter of campus, with an iPod attached to her arm under a T-shirt and those omnipresent white Apple earbuds sticking out of her ears.
• A group of students huddled in a classroom hallway watching a video on the small iPhone screen.
• Groups of students texting or reading Facebook or Twitter messages from their iPhones while waiting for campus buses outside the football stadium and student center.
• A guy sleeping in the student center with a MacBook Pro in his lap and iTunes piping music into his earphones.
• Students with MacBook screens open, finishing assignments or assigned reading from their laptops, able to squeeze in the work before class begins.
• Mac desktops lined up on workstations in classrooms, where students are learning video editing using Mac software, updating class blogs, working together on group projects and completing other assignments.
• Professors and students toting iPads loaded with apps, textbooks and assigned reading, often making it more affordable to buy the downloadable version instead of a traditional textbook.
The technology advancements that defined Jobs’ career help make the college learning experience more vibrant, in the moment, and even affordable. When I required my magazine writing students to subscribe to a magazine this semester, one iPad owner discovered the iPad subscription was cheaper.
Earlier this week, I sent a message to students about a class assignment, and within seconds, a student responded via iPhone. That accessibility is something that professors and students often appreciate, turning learning into a 24-7 experience.
Many students are bringing Apples to classes these days–and they’re just not giving them to the teachers.
Stop the insanity! If I have to hear about one more person’s nude photos getting “leaked” onto the Internet, I’m going to Super Poke my eyes out. (Which, by the way, I hear Facebook is thinking of getting rid of poking?)
I’m no Steve Jobs, but I do know a little bit about computers. And I know that when you delete something from your laptop or from Facebook, it’s never really gone. The same goes for cell phones. And the thing about hackers is that they enjoy hacking just about anyone’s cell phone. So while it’s embarrassing that Scarlett Johansson‘s personal photos ended up on websites all over the place, chances are we’ll forget all about it when she delivers her next incredible film performance.
For the rest of us “regular” folks, however, we need to be doubly careful. Sure, if my phone or computer gets hacked–not that I have incriminating photos on either of them, mind you–most of the world won’t know or even care. But the people I care about will be affected if I’ve gone and taken any stupid photos, and even more importantly, my actions could have a negative, lasting effect on my life. I could forever be known as “The girl who…” by everyone from my boss to my neighbor to my first grade teacher.
Really, the thought of it sends shivers up my spine.
Without an ounce of goody-two-shoesness in my tone, I’m telling all of you college students: Don’t be stupid. And if you are, keep it off of Facebook. And Twitter. And YouTube. There are currently too many “I told you so” lessons being taught right now, and unless you want to be the instructor of your own lesson, learn from other people.
Just when you think you got high school figured out, it’s time to start thinking about college. Many high school students are wasting no time at all and are starting their college search during their sophomore year.
A recent study by Eduventures finds that 42 percent of high school students start looking at colleges as early as the second year of high school. The Boston company quizzed about 11,000 high school juniors and seniors in the U.S. to get their results.
Starting early is not a bad idea. In fact, getting a jump start on discovering which colleges and majors are of interest to you and how much it could cost to attend can help relieve some of the college search stress during your last year of high school. So go ahead: start thinking about whether a community college, public university, or private college is best for you. And don’t forget: starting early gives you more time to visit schools.
But starting early doesn’t mean students are narrowing the choices down more. The survey found:
• Almost 20 percent of students are now applying to 10 or more colleges and universities. (That’s a LOT of application fees!)
• The mean number of applications for high school seniors increased from 6.3 to 7.3 since 2008.
At the start of your search, you may be lured by a college’s glossy brochure showing a picturesque campus and giving an enticing overview of the reasons that you would want to attend. But as students get closer to high school graduation, the survey found them relying more on websites to get information about schools. The survey also says something you might have already suspected: Social media outlets are becoming more common among juniors and seniors. In fact, a whopping 44 percent are using YouTube channels and 41 percent are using Facebook pages.
Did you start looking at colleges as a sophomore? How much have you relied on Facebook, YouTube and other social media in your college search?
Find out more about the popular Twitter chat, #CollegeBound, which can connect you with college respresentatives and others who have the same goals, struggles, and questions you have. Every Monday at 4 p.m. EST on Twitter. Get detailed info here.
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Follow our smart and savvy CBN bloggers as they guide you through every step of your quest to find the right college. Whether it’s figuring out that FAFSA, making sense of the SAT, or simply dishing gossip about celebrity smarty pants, they’ve got you covered. But be warned—these bloggers are fully caffeinated and know how to use their social media powers for both good and evil! So, whaddya’ say — do they get an A+?
Schools are putting 3-D models of their campuses, buildings, dorm rooms, and streets online, and you don’t even have to put on those special 3-D glasses to view them.
Yes, the same network that made the phrase “It’s T-Shirt Time” famous, brings you a unique Facebook application called My College Dollars. The app scours the web for scholarships opportunities based on the information in your Facebook profile — genius! Using the app also qualifies you for a chance to win tickets to the VMAs and cash prizes.
