COVID-19: On Campus Admissions Tours Update

On-campus tours are among the most critical factors in a prospective student’s decision about college. Since last spring, due to the pandemic, we have offered only virtual tours which, while effective, do not adequately convey the real Bay Path. Most of our local colleges have resumed limited tours.

The undergraduate admissions team, with the support and guidance of our COVID-19 Working Group, has arrived at a safe plan that will enable modified tours to be held on the Longmeadow campus. Please be assured that the plan has been thoroughly vetted and is in keeping with our guiding principle that the health and well-being of our students and community is paramount.

Below are a few key elements of the plan:

• All tours must be booked in advance. Walk-ins will not be accommodated.
• Limited tour times will be offered, with a maximum of one family (1 prospective student and up to 3 family members) on campus per time slot:
  • Monday – Friday at 10 am, 12:30 pm, 3:00 pm
  • Saturdays at 9:30 am, 11 am, 1 pm
• All guests must comply with current MA travel guidelines, adhere to our campus safety protocols, and complete a symptom tracking form with contact information upon arrival at Empsall.
• A detailed tour route has been mapped out, with no more than 10 minutes allowed at each stop. Tours will not include residence halls or occupied classrooms.
• Tour guides will receive comprehensive, specialized training on administering safe tours.
• Once each tour has ended, the prospective student and family members will be instructed to leave campus.

On behalf of the COVID-19 Working Group, I express our confidence in the plan and appreciate the great lengths to which the admissions team went in its development while also providing our prospective students with an opportunity to visit Bay Path.