The UC Riverside episode of “The College Tour” will go up on Amazon Prime this week following its debut on YouTube last fall.

The series, which highlights colleges and universities, gave a national audience a taste of what life is like on campus through student testimonials. The 30-minute episode – the 70th in the series – was filmed on campus last July. 

The episode, which has had nearly 10,000 views already on YouTube, will be available to the Amazon Prime audience as part of the show’s seventh season debuting March 22.

The episode rollout, beginning with short segments last fall, allowed the campus to utilize the program in its outreach to prospective students, just as they began deciding where to apply, said Alex Ruiz, associate director of Undergraduate Admissions.

“`The College Tour’ helps amplify UCR at a national level at a time when more students are seeking to advance to post-secondary education and it matches nicely as UCR aims to grow at a national level,” he said.

The episode spotlights 10 students from different backgrounds and areas of study including a single mother, an international student, and a medical student from Moreno Valley who wants to give back to his community. The producers filmed students in different locations around campus as well as in downtown Riverside.

“The students that who speak in `The College Tour’ and showcase their personal stories are truly a reflection of the various different types of students and communities we serve at UCR and a personal reflection of what student success means at UCR,” Ruiz said.

Those stories have resonated with applicants, with some mentioning particular specific segments and students they identified withwith whom they identified, Ruiz said.

The episodes and students who took part have been featured in posters and other enrollment marketing materials by UCR.

Megan Woodall, a fourth-year student in the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering graduating this year, was one of the students interviewed. She said it was an amazing experience for her to represent her college as a first-generation student in the STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and math, field.

“Seeing myself in fliers and posters around campus and in downtown Riverside is surreal,” she said. “At least a couple times a week, strangers will ask me if I'm the girl from the UCR posters. It's a great way to meet new people!”