ESL Podcast 1006 - Taking a Campus Tour

campus tour - a slow walk through the grounds and buildings of a university while following someone who provides information about what one is seeing

We encourage students to go on campus tours before selecting a university.

guide - the leader of a tour group; a person who walks in front of a group and provides information to the people who are following him or her

The guide took us to see some beautiful waterfalls deep in the forest.

walking tour - an organized walk with a group of people who want to see particular sites or destinations without getting into a vehicle

Boston offers some great walking tours of the city's most important historical and cultural sites.

prospective - with the possibility of having or doing something in the future; potential

The trade show offers an excellent opportunity to meet with prospective clients and tell them about our products and services.

stop - a pause or break while one is walking and traveling, especially to rest, get into or out of a vehicle, or to get information or examine something more closely

They climbed the mountain, making stops every hour to rest and drink water.

to point out - to indicate something; to draw someone's attention to something important

Thanks for pointing out to me the city's most interesting architecture.

campus - the land and buildings owned and/or used by a university and its students, staff, and faculty

The engineering building is at the opposite end of campus, so I'll have to run if I don't want to be late for my next class.

quad - quadrangle; a four-sided figure, such as a rectangle, or square, usually a grassy area found in the center of a college campus with paved paths connecting important buildings

On a sunny day, the quad is filled with students studying outside on the lawn.

administration building - a college building where administrators and other staff members work in departments like admission, transcripts, billing, safety, and more; not a building where classes are taught

Remind me to go to the administration building to pay my tuition by Friday.

student union - rooms or an entire building used for students groups, clubs, and related activities

The service groups meet every Tuesday evening in the student union. (university) bookstore - a store owned by a university and located on a college campus where students, staff, and faculty can buy textbooks, other books, office supplies, and college paraphernalia (branded clothing, pens, hats, etc.)

It's a lot cheaper to buy pens and notebooks at an office supply store than at the college bookstore.

sports stadium - a large building with a field or court surrounded by many seats, used for sports and games with a large audience

Do you go to the sports stadium to watch football games, or do you prefer to watch them on TV?

arts complex - a group of buildings where artists learn and work, and where art is displayed for the public, especially on a college campus

The student art exhibit will be held tonight at the arts complex.

dorm - dormitory; residence hall; a large building on a college campus with many small rooms where students live, especially when those rooms have only beds and desks, with shared bathrooms for each floor and no kitchens

College freshmen are required to stay in the dorms, but after that year, they can move into an off-campus apartment.

research library - a library affiliated with a university that has a lot of academic journals and other publications used to learn more about specialized fields

The research library has subscriptions to hundreds of journals, including the National Journal of Grants Management.

research lab - a laboratory where scientists and professors conduct experiments for learning, often while collaborating with students

The university just received a grant to purchase two new mass spectrometers for the research lab.

something the matter - a problem; something that is unusual and seems to be negative, bad, or troublesome

We knew something was the matter when we saw that she had been crying.

self-guided tour - exploring a building or an area on one's own, without a leader, but sometimes with written or audio materials

The museum gives every visitor a brochure for self-guided tours.