Missouri Theater premieres MU edition of ‘The College Tour’

By Avery Grosvenor, KOMU 8 Reporter I April 11, 2023

COLUMBIA – Entering a new chapter in life can be daunting, but the TV series, “The College Tour,” is trying to take away some of that stress from new college students by telling universities’ stories using student voices.

In the series’ eighth season, the University of Missouri got to take part in the show.

“The students we have involved here, the experiences that they talk about and the opportunities that they preview, are going to absolutely entice more Tigers to come to Mizzou,” Victoria Shore, a sophomore at MU who was featured on the show, said. “I’m really excited that ‘The College Tour’ [MU] episode is showing everyone all of that.”

On Tuesday, the Missouri Theater hosted the episode premiere which features MU. Mizzou’s 55-minute episode is among 14 other schools featured in season eight, according to the series’ website. The show’s pilot episode aired in November 2020, according to Amazon.com.

The MU students who were featured on the show had a red carpet moment Tuesday. They posed for pictures, selfies and interviews outside of the Missouri Theater. 

Even Truman the Tiger was there.

“People are streaming video at unprecedented rates, and it’s important to be where your audience is,” Jaime Morgans, Director of Marketing for the university, said. “The goal of ‘The College Tour’ was to give families of prospective students that inside look of what it’s like to be at Mizzou.”

The project took nine months to complete and is more than about increasing enrollment at MU, Morgans said.

“It’s also about the general Mizzou vibe and Mizzou love out in the community,” Morgans said. “[It’s for] our alumni, for people who just love Mizzou and want to know about what we’re doing.”

When Shore’s not in the classroom, she is a tour guide for Mizzou’s “Tour Team.” She told KOMU 8 News that getting to know a college’s campus helps prospective students make a conscious decision, even if they take a virtual tour.

“Students sit at home in high school and they’re really nervous about college,” Shore said. “But I know that by viewing ‘The College Tour’ episode right in their living room will make them picture themselves at Mizzou.”

MU’s episode will be available on Amazon Prime on May 23, according to Morgans.

“Once they step foot on campus, once they see what Mizzou has to offer, all of those fears are really qualmed,” Shore said. “It is so inviting, there’s so much Tiger spirit here. I feel like it really does just make them excited more than anything.”