Oculus Rift takes students, home-buyers on virtual tours

NBC News - 07/07/2015

“One of the things we are always looking to do in admissions is create a personal connection with students,” Kurt Heissenbuttel, director of undergraduate admissions at Boston’s Northeastern University, told NBC News.

Right now, most prospective students check out Northeastern’s virtual campus through its website. But Heissenbuttel expects more to access it through virtual reality goggles in the future.

Why team up with YouVisit? The virtual tours open up the school to a more diverse group of students, Heissenbuttel said, by removing financial and geographic barriers to “visiting” the school.

They also let students explore labs and recreational areas that traditional tours don’t always have time to visit — not to mention the weather is always perfect online. Overall, it takes YouVisit about six weeks to create a one of these experiences using DSLR cameras and their own proprietary software.

“Most universities, if they haven’t done so already, are creating some kind of virtual experience for students,” Heissenbuttel said.

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