After what has been a cold and snowy winter to date, the recent thaw has me thinking about spring (I am sure that Mother Nature will make me pay for writing out this admission). With spring comes many rites of passage for high school juniors: Prom; SAT; and College Visits. Most college admission officers will tell you that from the spring of junior year through the fall of senior year it should be “full tilt towards college.” What does this mean and how should you get started? Well, first it means that students should start seriously thinking about where they would like to go to college. They should also start their college visits. Visits are important for several reasons. First, just as you wouldn’t buy a car without test driving it, you shouldn’t choose a college without seeing it first. Second, more and more colleges are starting to use “demonstrated interest” in their admission decision. Some will even list it as a sixth factor in their decision.
What is demonstrated interest? That is how much interest a student has shown in a university. Has the student been on campus for a tour? Has he contacted a coach for more information about a sport? Has he interviewed or been for an information session? All of this “touches” are put in a student’s file, and the more contacts he has made, the more serious of an applicant they feel that he is. This may help if he is on the bubble, but it will not get a student in to a school where he doesn’t belong. While it is good to show interest, you do not want to overdo it to the point where you become “that annoying student.” How then should you use the visit and what should you do?
The main question that a student should ask himself when he is walking across a college campus is: “Can I see myself walking across this campus to go to classes? Can I see myself being friends with these students?” Since demonstrated interest is important, you should sign up for one of the official tours and an information session if it is available. Tour schedules are usually available on a school’s website. While walking around campus, pay particular attention to the things of interest to the student. That is, if your daughter is very interested in a music performance, but doesn’t want to major in music, are there singing groups available to non-majors? Look at the posters and see when the activities take place. If they do not take place on a weekend, it is most likely because the college is a “suit-case campus” or most students go home on the weekend. If you are going to a school that is far away from your home, and you cannot leave on the weekend, you do not want to be the only one around. Also look at the types of activities: are they of interest to you?
After taking an official tour, I would recommend walking around on your own. I also recommend trying to eat a meal in a cafeteria. Not to test the quality of the food, but to see how students interact with each other and hear what they are talking about. Again, the student should be asking himself: “Can I see myself being friends with these students and studying here?” If you are going to a school that is far away from your home, you may want to interview while you are there. Many schools will start interviewing high school juniors starting in March.
Finally, remember to get a card or email address from every person that you meet with. When you get back home, send him or her a note thanking him for his time and also trying to create a link so they will remember you come application decision time. You should also take a few minutes before you leave the campus to write down a few things that you liked about the campus and a few things that you didn’t like. Also, write down the most distinctive feature of the college. If you are visiting several colleges during a week, the campuses tend to blur in your mind.
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