Credit: Screengrab via Youtube

Oculus has approved the release of two exciting apps in the Samsung Gear VR store, one that allows users to explore colleges around the world and another that provides VR experiences for NYC restaurants. Both apps were developed by YouVisit, a virtual reality tech startup that wants to revolutionize the travel and touring industry with VR.

The first app, YouVisit Colleges, seeks to help students who don’t have time or money to spare visiting colleges. Now that it’s available on the Samsung Gear VR Store, prospective college students will be able to visit thousands of colleges around the world, including Yale, Harvard and even North-West College in South Africa, without cramming into the Volkswagon with mom and dad or paying for expensive plane tickets.

YouVisit Restaurants, the second app, gives food enthusiasts the opportunity to investigate the ambience of hundreds of NYC restaurants before making a reservation, including Delmonico’s, Tavern on the Green and Galli.

Both apps are currently available for Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR, the Oculus-powered VR headset that pairs with Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge smartphones. YouVisit also says it’ll work with the Oculus Rift, coming in 2016.

According to YouVisit, these two apps are only the beginning for virtual tours, and the company plans to rolling out more VR experiences for travel, hospitality, real estate, entertainment and social events

Though these apps will certainly help users get a better feel for an environment before making a more concrete decision, they may lack the interactive human element that’s so important in choosing a school or even a restaurant.

There’s a certain intuitive feeling that’s important in deciding where to spend 4 years or just an afternoon, and though YouVisit’s apps capture this better than a photo or a review, they may fall short of a personal visit.

Credit: Screengrab via Youtube
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