I grew up in the US, where it is commonplace for parents to take their teenage kids around to a variety of colleges and universities for tours in their last year of high school. It happens in Canada, but it’s not as much a rite of passage as I saw in the US. That said, March through the summer, UVic campus is abuzz with campus tour groups, families snapping photos, and people looking somewhat lost yet reluctant to ask directions.
Sidenote: They always end up asking me for directions. I must just have that kind of face. The funny thing is I am not super knowledgeable about much beyond the Fraser Building and major landmarks. If it’s on the other side of Ring Road, I generally have to pull up a map and look with them.
What I mean to say is that campus visits may not be the way we keep up with the Jonses in Canada, and they may not be seen as required. However, they are still a thing.
Starting professional school is a different ball game than entering undergrad for the first time. However, the question remains. Should you be among those who tour, snap photos, and look lost but end up asking me for directions? It’s not a must, but it can be a helpful exercise, particularly if you are unfamiliar with campus or Victoria. Here are a few things to consider.
Do you have the time and resources to come for a visit?
If you live nearby, this is a fairly easy question to answer. If you are physically living on Vancouver Island or even in the Lower Mainland, we are easy to get to, and it doesn’t take a great deal of resources to get here. You may not even need to pay to stay overnight.
If you live further away, this becomes a bigger temporal and financial commitment. Flights, hotels, and touring all the cool places add up. This becomes a bigger issue if you are trying to decide between several faraway universities to attend. However, particularly if you are not just moving yourself to attend law school, it may be worth considering a family vacation to Victoria.
How familiar are you with campus?
So much information is available online right now – so, so much. You can even take virtual tours of campus. However, there isn’t much replacement for walking around campus to orient yourself with where you will be. And, while you can read on our website all of the information about our values, and you can get a good sense of the larger community from materials in print, there really is no replacement to physically being in a place to familiarize yourself with not only how to get around but how a place makes you feel.
Are there events to attend?
If you have already received an offer of admission, you might get an invitation from UVic Law to meet with faculty and staff. These events are particularly helpful for people to get a sense of what school might be like at UVic Law. While it is not a requirement that you attend, it might be a helpful way to get oriented. It’s also a great way to connect with other people and share resources about Victoria. If you haven’t received an offer of admission yet, you can still book a tour or plan other reasons to visit (i.e. Ivan Decker or Goo Goo Dolls, anyone?).
What can you get done in person that you cannot accomplish from another location?
So, this is really the big question. Do you NEED to visit UVic before deciding you want to come to school here? We all get it. The economy is awful. Groceries and rent have gotten so expensive. And, even if you have been working, odds are that you will have a budget that mostly goes to, well, school for the next 3-4 years. It may not be a realistic option to cavort carelessly around Victoria for a few days. Will it be harmful to you if you opt out?
The question you really should really be asking yourself is, knowing who you are and how you use your resources, is there anything that you, personally, will struggle to accomplish from a distance?
Tours can help you in your first few weeks at UVic Law, but, honestly, most of us stick to the outside of Ring Road (see my sidenote above) unless we need to venture out, in which case, there are maps. Victoria is a busy city, but it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t know your way around the first day you arrive. For the more adventurous, this might even be fun.
The reality is that pretty much everything that you can do in person you can also do online. For some people, finding housing is tough from a distance. For others, they are able to network virtually with other students and find all the resources they need. Some people cannot visualize and familiarize themselves with neighbourhoods online well enough to understand where a suitable place to live might be.
What it comes down to is whether to visit depends on a lot of factors. Hopefully this helps you at least ask the right questions to figure out if you need to make space to come say hello in person this spring or summer.