By Tatiana Olivera

The pandemic has created a paradigm shift — a “new normal” — in which everyone is learning to conduct their business and continue their education online. To better help prospective students during this unprecedented time, CSUMB has released a brand new virtual campus tour.

Studies have shown that a campus tour is the most vital part of student recruitment, as it allows students to check the “vibe” of a university to see if it is a good fit for them.

“Prospective students fall in love with our university once they step on campus,” said Jasmine Alcones, associate director of admissions and recruitment. “Since we can’t have in-person tours due to COVID-19, we knew having a robust virtual tour would be the next best way to show students how special we are and to explore our campus.”

University Communications, with the help and guidance of Admissions, facilitated the creation of the new tour, which was made by virtual tour provider PeekPeek.

“We decided to go with PeekPeek instead of another tour provider because of the fantastic aerial shots, and the quality of the 360-degree photos makes you feel as if you are standing on campus,” said Sydney Clemann, project coordinator.

Clemann worked directly with Eric Fu, a cofounder of PeekPeek, and was excited to discover that he is a graduate from California State University, Long Beach.

“Knowing that we were getting a great product by a student from the CSU system made us feel reassured that he would capture the feeling of being here in the best way possible,” Clemann said.

And while the tour will surely help prospective students in the short-run, Clemann believes it will be a beneficial recruitment tool long after the pandemic.

The virtual tour is now available on the Explore page.