Other schools offer virtual tours where visitors drag their mouse to pan left and right. But Bucknell is one of the first universities to use an Oculus virtual reality headset to fully immerse prospective students in the visit experience.
Wearing a VR headset and holding a pair of controllers that act as hands, visitors can navigate through 10 virtual exhibits about Bucknell. Poke around a chemistry lab. Head to center court at Sojka Pavilion during a basketball game. Or — shh! — peek inside Bertrand Library as students study. You can also navigate the experience in a web browser without a headset.
It’s all possible thanks to a generous gift from entrepreneur Marc Lore ’93, who recently left his position as CEO of Walmart eCommerce to build “a city of the future.”
With its visit experience of the future, Bucknell can reach even more students.
“The experience replicates the feel of Bucknell — all the way down to matching our Bucknell brick,” says Dean of Admissions Kevin Mathes ’07. “This is something few other colleges or universities are doing, and it allows everyone to feel who we are.” — Bryan Wendell
