all-expense paid visit

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington & Lee University
1

<p>My DS just got an invitation stating that W&L was "offering all-expense-paid overnight campus visits for some of our top prospective Jewish students." </p>

<p>I assumed this was coming from some Jewish organization on campus, but it appears to be coming straight from admissions. That strikes me as a bit strange. Are they sending these out to various demographics they are interested in increasing on campus? </p>

<p>(In any case, my DS is looking for a Mechanical Engineering program, so it's probably not the right fit for him.) </p>

<p>Just curious what this is about.</p>

2

<p>I’m not completely sure, but I have a feeling that it may have something to do with promotion for the Weinstein scholarship.</p>

3

<p>I think the college was surprised to discover a couple of years ago that its percentage of Jewish students was actually lower than it was a generation ago. Not a lot lower, but any negative direction was going counter to national trends. I believe they are attempting to deepen campus diversity, and this was a natural area to address.</p>

<p>I have a Christian son at the school now and a Jewish friend who graduated in the '70s. Both are enthusiastic fans of W&L. Enjoy your rare status as a URM and take them up on the offer :slight_smile: . I’m sure you’ve already heard about the Hillel House, but it is a wonderful space that offers some of the best dining on campus!</p>

4

<p>If they offered my son’s preferred majors, I’d send him on the visit for sure, but since it’s not a fit for him, we’ll leave that opportunity for someone else. I was just curious about it.</p>

5

<p>I’m a sophomore at W&L involved in Hillel, and we do have all expense paid visits for Jewish prospective students.</p>

<p>Last year was the first time we did it.</p>

6

<p>coppijr, is that something sponsored by Hillel, do you know? I’m just curious about it.</p>

7

<p>coppijr – how do students receive these invitations? my s is a W&L grad, Johnson scholar, and I’d like to let other students know about this.</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

8

<p>It is very simple. This admissions office, like every other, buys lists of names of prospective students. These are based on SAT/ACT scores and self-reported grades given to the testing firms. Once they have the names they start to “market” to them. For specific groups they are targeting, say Jewish, first generation college, and minority the marketing takes on different forms. So, the expense paid trips are simply one of those forms the admissions office is using. While it may seem early in the cycle, before an application is even started much less submitted, everyone does this to one degree or another.</p>

9

<p>thank you UnivPro, if a student expresses interest and is a top student can they contact admissions to inquire about this?</p>

10

<p>I guess they could, but most strong ones would be captured by the bought names since it is a combination of grades and scores. A student with great grades in a tough set of courses with mediocre scores might be missed but would not be a prime target either. They like both.</p>

11

<p>mathmomvt-</p>

<p>Its run through the admissions office, but while the students are on campus they spend alot of time at Hillel and with Jewish students.</p>