Do you have a severe case of wesdrawl? Suffer no longer! Whether you’re sitting in your parents’ house in Manila or laying in bed in the Butts, you can now virtually walk around campus through the Street View function on Google Maps.
As the Official Google Blog itself put it, “Whether you’re a current student trying to familiarize yourself with campus, an applicant assessing your options or an alumnus feeling nostalgic, the Street View feature in Google Maps can be your tour guide without the backward walking.” An LA Times blog post linked to by the Wesleyan Facebook observes that prospective students and their families can now “imagine strolling along the Charles River at Boston University or enjoying the sunshine at Wesleyan University’s Foss Hill, right on the computer.”
There are only currently about 100 universities for which this is available, only 27 of which are in the United States. We’re the only school in the ‘cac to land on Street View so far, as there aren’t exactly many liberal arts colleges. You can, however, check out others like Cornell, Dartmouth, the University of Washington, and of course, Stanford. View a full list here.
To view, just search for Wesleyan University on Google Maps and then, as the Wesleyan Facebook says, “drag the ‘yellow man’ to a location on campus.” While the racial implications have yet to spark mass protests, check it out and you might even see a familiar face (faces have been blurred out).
The Wesleyan University Tour Guide Union (WUTGU) has not yet released a statement about the effects this will have on its members’ careers. President Roth has not yet stated that this is an endorsement of online education. The Google blog warns: “Students, take note: Even though your campus is now available in your browser, you still need to go to class!”
[Official Google Blog via Lifehacker]