Saw a dorm room:

Northeastern
BU
BC
VT
Drexel
U of Penn
U of Del
Villanova

Not Shown a Dorm Room:

UMD
Tufts
Amhert (although we did see the inside of the dorm and sitting areas)
WPI
UConn

Anonymous wrote:The dorms are currently occupied, OP. But the information you're looking for is probably online, and if you call ahead they may accommodate your request to look at a student's actual living quarters while they're trying to study.

We see sample dorm rooms at most colleges even when dorms are occupied PP. They are not occupied by anyone and set up by a local store with donations and their signs hanging up in the dorm.

I always remember seeing a dorm room. I believe the schools ask for volunteers to show prospective students or like an RA's room.

It was the rare exception during the regular tours we did. Now as a parent of a college kid, I understand why! DC is in a fabulous dorm but it's still not enough room for all the "stuff" despite some effort to corral it. I wouldn't show that to anyone either.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU and VT don't show dorm rooms

VT did during last spring's Hokie Preview.

We went to the open house on Oct 8, and they didn't

Anonymous wrote:JMU and VT don't show dorm rooms

VT did during last spring's Hokie Preview.

My mom used to sneak us into buildings (not ones shown on the tour) and then just wander the hallways asking to see the dorm rooms. I was so embarrassed, but it gave us a more realistic view than admissions wanted us to see!

JMU and VT don't show dorm rooms

The last tour I went on our tour guide was a RA so he showed us his room.

We've been doing tours for a few years, first with older child and now with #2. I've noticed fewer schools showing actual dorm rooms and having a mock dorm setup instead. The exception seems to be attending a "Junior Day" or some other major open house that is only once or twice during the year. For these more extensive programs, dorms are usually on the tour. For the regular Monday through Friday tours though, they aren't. Makes sense to me though; it would be a hassle to have a student's personal space available every day of the week (sometimes twice or three times a day).

Some showed dorm rooms, some did not. Basically if they had one all decked out to show, it was nicer than the one a freshman would actually get. I preferred to see the ones of actual students and those were rarely shown, except on special days. Otherwise, we tried to connect with a student from our HS to see their’s.

Anonymous wrote:The dorms are currently occupied, OP. But the information you're looking for is probably online, and if you call ahead they may accommodate your request to look at a student's actual living quarters while they're trying to study.

My daughter signed up to be a “show room”...she gets an email every week of when the tours will be coming around and then knows to either not be in the room or to be doing something like studying. There’s a few show rooms so she only has tours 3-4 times a week.

We have been in dorms about 50% of the time.
I think students who have the potential to be in honors colleges or the like get shown the shiny new dorm more often than students who are touring reach schools.

The dorms are currently occupied, OP. But the information you're looking for is probably online, and if you call ahead they may accommodate your request to look at a student's actual living quarters while they're trying to study.

Up until we went on our last few college tours, most places showed us a set up dorm room, some classrooms, the dining hall, etc.. Then all of a sudden we hit a few that didn't show us the inside of dorm buildings at all. One, the entire tour was outside except the admissions building - which I was pissed because I could have easily done a virtual tour.

So I am curious how in depth some of these tours get. I am thinking of starting to call/email some locations but wonder if it depends on what time of day/year you go, as to what type of college tour you get.