Prospective students considering attending Tennessee Tech have lots of questions about the university — from the esoteric to the basic, such as "How do I arrange for a campus visit," and "Once I get there, where can I park?"

Getting answers just got a lot easier. Admissions has launched a "Virtual Advisor," a searchable database containing answers to nearly 100 nuts-and-bolts kinds of questions a newcomer to the university might have. While the answers already appear online in a variety of places, Virtual Advisor provides a quick stop and easy response.

"What it does for us is allow prospective students, who are probably online in the evenings, to get a response to their questions right then and there," says Becky Tolbert, associate vice president for Enrollment Management. "They're more interested in us because there's no delay. Students appreciate instantaneous responses online."

While the new database can't begin to replace faculty advisors — or other staff who answer students' questions — it can be used by the rest of us when we're looking for a fast answer to a basic question. It promises to cut down on the amount of time Admissions staff members spend fielding phone calls and e-mails from prospective students who only need the most basic information about the university. And these days, as students' expectations for information in a hurry rises, it may make the difference between a student connecting with the university...or not.

Try it for yourself. Visit www.tntech.edu/future_students.html, and click on the "Virtual Advisor" button at the top of the page.