Jason Hirschey knows choosing a graduate school means choosing a home. That’s why he became a Georgia Tech campus tour guide.

“The tours help you make sure you’ll like living here,” said Hirschey, a second-year Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering. “Since they’re campuswide, they show how all of Tech and Atlanta fit in with your work and lifestyle.”

Although prospective Ph.D. students have always had an opportunity to visit the schools they’re interested in, there wasn’t a similar opportunity for prospective master’s students at Tech. So, last February, the Office of Graduate Studies began offering these tours to give all prospective graduate students a chance to see Tech’s resources and learn about living on campus.

The tours kick off with a 30-minute information session, given by Nazanin Tork, assistant director of Graduate Studies. During the session, participants have a chance to learn more about topics including things to do in Atlanta and graduate student organizations on campus.

Next up, is a two-hour walking tour of campus with current graduate students who serve as guides. Once the tour has ended, visitors can visit the schools they’re interested in attending.

“We can tell you the best times to go to the gym or what you can go to the health center for,” Hirschey said. “Sure, learning about Tech on the website is great. But, on the tour, you actually get to interact with students and see the campus. Also, as tour guides, we’re available to talk to you about things like living in Atlanta, the cost of living, commuting — all those little nuances of daily life.”

Tours will be offered now through the end of April and will begin again in February 2020. To sign up for a session, visit grad.gatech.edu/info-sessions.