College Recruiting with Virtual Immersive Technologies

Technology is developing at an arm breaking speed, and tech firms are up to the task with competition every trying to get an edge over the other. Innovation has been at the forefront of this growth, and virtual actuality (VR) is no exception. VR technology has been around for a very long time, however its growth had been stagnating since the 1990s, however, since closing year, this development has seemed to see the light and are booming. Last 12 months several companies such as Samsung and Google through the assist of tech giant companies that believed in the VR technology launched their headsets. Consequently, one of the fascinating application of the VR technology is the college recruit where these institutions have invested in this technology to create a cutting-edge experience for their recruits. The following is a discussion on how college recruiting is continuing to utilize this immersive virtual technology.
Collages all over seem very fascinated by the power of VR and have taken over this technology by storm. What is best inspiring about this technology is the ability to replicate the reality. Collages are adopting this technology for recruiting new students into their institutions and most especially for sports. VR presents an opportunity to create just about any form of experience for the recruit that will form a lasting impression in the recruiter’s mind. Subsequently, this recruit gets this near-real-life experience while in the comfort of his or her home.
For an effective recruit experience through the VR headset, the institution takes time to present exciting places within the institution. Virtual tours are most often the replica of the real-life tour within the colleges where the potential students interact with various departments within the college. On the contrary, the virtual tour puts the potential student in the middle of every activity and makes the recruit experience the environment as they would if it were in real life.
As opposed to the real-life experience, with virtual tours, VR technology is not limited to only showing the building that is in existence. (Schroeder para.10) Indicates that with the need to attract donors and recruit effectively, VR can be modeled to show spaces not yet in existence through rendering and concepts. The ease of accessibility or what can be called the flexibility of VR technology makes it more preferable since all that can be done in the comfort of a room.
Several VR companies have put themselves in the game and competing for the early adopters of this technology. Among the tech giant that has come as the first developers of the VR technology include; Facebook with their Oculus Rift VR headset, Samsung Gear, Google Cardboard, Intel, and Sony. Other companies that mostly consist of startups that have put stiff competition for this large companies include; NextVR, Eon Sports VR, StriVR, You Visit, and Jaunt (Schroeder para. 12). Subsequently, though most of this firms are very much sport oriented when testing their initial products, they are equally partnering with colleges and such institutions of learning. Interestingly two of these startups are as a result of an intriguing thesis of master`s program.
For small schools, recruiting and attracting competent athletes is an uphill task (Bengfort Para. 5) For professional athlete coaches serving in medium organizations as well, where sponsorship funds are unavailable is equally challenging. For this reason, colleges are turning and opting for new technology such as VR for recruitments. Commercially, gamers have exclusively adopted this technology while in other markets, hospitality and retail have begun to embrace it as well. In some colleges, VR technology is being used in sports training as it has proved to be effective in providing a very close real-life experience.
In conclusion, VR technology may seem an expensive and challenging project to undertake in a college as may be the case with any other kind of project. However, given the benefits and competitive advantage that the institution stands to gain in the modern day competitive world, this cost is worth. First, it provides a near real-life experience for the recruits in the comfort of their homes. Second, the gadgets are now easily accessible in the market, and some are highly affordable. Finally, there is high flexibility for the recruits as they are not limited to a specific time when they have to visit the institution for a tour, one can do this anytime.  
Works Cited
Bengfort, Jacquelyn. “College Recruiting Goes Virtual With Immersive Technology.” EdTech. N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Nov. 2017.
Mandelbaum, Abdi. “How Colleges Can Even The Recruiting Field With Virtual Reality.” Sportsbusinessdaily.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Nov. 2017. (http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2016/04/11/Opinion/From-the-Field-of-Recruiting.aspx)
Schroeder, Scott. “What Virtual Reality Can Do For College Recruiting – Athletic Business.” Athleticbusiness.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Nov. 2017.