Prospective students taking a look at MTSU through daily campus tours
Spring, with warmer weather, is a great time for prospective students and parents who want a more intimate look at the Blue Raider campus to visit Middle Tennessee State University in person.
Erika Sanders and her mother, Karen, discovered that recently, when they came Murfreesboro from Hendersonville, Tennessee, to check out the university on one of the daily campus tours.
High school and prospective transfer students have an abundance of opportunities to come in-person and examine the campus of the largest Midstate university, even as masks, social distancing and other coronavirus-related safety protocols remain in place for all to follow.
Daily campus tours are offered four times a day (9:45 and 11 a.m. and 12:15 and 1:30 p.m.) Monday through Friday throughout the rest of the spring and some Saturdays, too. One prospective student can bring up to two guests.
Considering MTSU and its School of Nursing from among the top two colleges on her list, Erika Sanders, 17, a senior at Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, said she “thought the tour was pretty interesting. I learned a lot about everything.”
She quickly added, “so I’ve heard” when it was mentioned the MTSU Nursing program is among the best in the nation. “MTSU is pretty high up there, and I’m going to make a decision soon,” she added.
Sanders met the Dec. 1 application deadline to receive a guaranteed scholarship, which she has been awarded and will help defray her educational costs.
Sister and brother Nicole and Evan Sanders attend MTSU now, with both in the Department of Engineering Technology. Nicole, a senior, is pursuing a mechatronics engineering degree; Evan is a freshman studying mechanical engineering technology.
A tour guide’s perspective
The Sanderses took a tour led by senior biology major Jillian Sherer of Murfreesboro. She’s in her third year of guiding prospective students and their families around campus — and never took a campus tour herself, declaring that “MTSU was the only school I applied to.”
“I love it. It’s super fun,” Sherer, 21, said of leading tours. “I like being part of peoples’ decisions and I really enjoy talking to students.”
Sherer, who is in the middle of applying for medical schools, sports a special tattoo — words her father, Brad Sherer, often says: “Make it Happen.”
Susan Sherer, her mother, has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MTSU.
About daily campus tours
Guided campus visits include an approximately one-hour walking tour led by a Blue Elite member (current students) and an opportunity to speak with an Office of Admissions representative at the end of the tour.
In-person tours, which can accommodate up to 20 people per group are held rain or shine and are a main attraction. To learn about coronavirus precautions, to register and more, go here.
CBAS Science Saturdays
For the science-minded, the College of Basic and Applied Sciences continues to offer CBAS Science Saturdays to showcase the various buildings for 10 departments.
At least two dates — March 27 and April 10 — remain, with 9 and 11 a.m. tours available each day. To register, go here.
Participating MTSU departments and schools include Aerospace, Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Concrete and Construction Management, Engineering Technology, Geosciences, Mathematical Sciences and Physics and Astronomy.
Masks are required and group sizes will be limited to allow for social distancing.
Virtual tours
Virtual tours became vital to recruiting efforts in 2020 because of COVID-19. Media Arts provided the newest — a “Magic Media Tour” via Zoom that Chair Billy Pittard said will be live several more times in upcoming weeks.
To learn about the upcoming live Zoom events, which feature Media Arts faculty and facilities where students receive hand-on training on state-of-the-art equipment, email [email protected].
A number of other MTSU virtual tour opportunities are available here.
Coming this fall
MTSU plans to return to in-person True Blue Preview days this fall. Two events are scheduled: Saturday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 6.
Visitors can enjoy the full campus experience, with top university officials welcoming future Blue Raiders to campus.
Opportunities are available to participate in academic and department presentations, receive information on financial aid and scholarships and choose from many different special interest sessions.
The annual True Blue Tour will return with in-person events planned for nine cities across Tennessee, plus also taking MTSU on the road to Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama; and Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky.
Prospective high school and transfer students will meet with advisers, deans, Provost Mark Byrnes and President Sidney A. McPhee — and have an opportunity to win prizes. More details to come.
