<p>My D has a couple of schools that she is interested in but visiting would be hard. I thought that if she got in, she could visit. </p>
<p>But it seems that I know people who are being waitlisted and they feel it's because they didn't visit. I'm wondering if visiting a school is very important.</p>
<p>Are there other ways of showing interest in a school?</p>
<p>I'm hearing similar thoughts, deb. But for us, it was impossible to schedule campus visits for all the schools in which she applied. We did try and meet admissions officers when traveling near our area. Like you, we will wait for final accpetance letters and then make arrangements to visit those colleges to make her final decision. Good luck!</p>
<p>I interview for a top Ivy but live in the Midwest. About 1/3 of interviewees I've had have ever visited. What it tells me is that they've likely considered some of the deeper merits/rewards/shortcomings of my college. For those who haven't visited, I ask if they know alumni or current students -- if they're aware of the strengths of the college and what it has to offer. If they can communicate clearly these things, then their not visiting campus beforehand isn't a strike against them by any means.</p>
<p>If they can't verbalize why they're subjecting themselves through a rigorous application process and what they hope to get from attending, then red flags come up. </p>
<p>If your daughter can't visit, I'd say have her be clear on the school's overall "mission" and why she could see it fits her needs/desires.</p>
<p>Think of it as if she were going to a Job interview. She's never worked there before but she should be able to relate to the interviewer a basic knowledge of the company and its culture. </p>
<p>I only was able to visit the Eastern schools I applied to in Feb of my Senior year (really to decide upon them and rank them in my own mind). It didn't affect their decisions about me. I wasn't rejected by any and matriculated at my 1st choice.</p>
<p>Good luck helping your daughter!</p>
<p>Depends on the school. </p>
<p>Some schools, including several of the members of the Ivy League Football Conference, couldn't care less if you visit.</p>
<p>For schools that do care, there are many ways of demonstrating interest and those schools take into account distance and cost. For example, if you live in NYC and don't visit Swarthmore -- an hour and half train ride -- you'll hurt your chances. If you live in California or Shanghai, the lack of a visit would be perfectly understandable.</p>
<p>Optimizing an admissions strategy really must be done on a school by school basis. It's hard to give a one size fits all answer.</p>
<p>I"m sure it depends on the school, but D was accepted to 2 "top 25" universities last year without setting foot on either campus. For us, we made the financial decision to not visit college campuses (other than in our home state) until she'd been accepted. We just couldn't afford it and we didn't want her to fall in love with a school she visited that ultimately rejected her. So we attended both schools' Accepted Students Days and that helped seal the deal.</p>
<p>Visiting is only one way to show interest. If it is impossible to visit one of the colleges that your daughter feels strongly about, a top choice, then I suggest that she delve deeply into all the information she can find about it online, through mailings-brochures, chat rooms, etc., focusing on what is unique or "standout" about that college. Somehow in the application, perhaps through a supplemental short essay, she could express her interest in the college by citing specific programs, professors, activities or opportunities that she has learned about. It will show that she was interested in the college enough to do a lot of leg work about it.</p>
<p>She, not you, can also email the admissions dept and ask for additional information in areas of interest. She can let them know that visiting is difficult but that she wants to learn as much as she can about some specific program or aspect of the college. She can ask whether the college is holding any regional information sessions near where you live or whether they can arrange an alumni interview for her in your area. All of these contacts are another way to show how interested she is in a top-choice school. </p>
<p>Clearly, the amount of time and effort to do such research shows a college adcom a high level of interest, a level not easily duplicated for 10 other choices for application. It will help her app stand out.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great suggestions. I'm going to print this out and show it to my D. She's not considering any Ivy schools which I've heard don't care if you visit or not. </p>
<p>I have a friend whose D was waitlisted at a school that she should have been a slam dunk for. Above the 75%, good GPA, great EC's. Accepted at her reach school and waitlisted at a school she thought she had a great chance of being accepted (no, it's not Wash U). She and her family are convinced that it is because they didn't visit.</p>
<p>My D has already requested information about a school that she is very interested in. I am pretty sure that I rep won't come to our town in the fall but they might go to the closest big city from us and she could attend an information session there. She can also research the U more.</p>
<p>I like the idea of researching a school like it's a job interview. Great suggestion.</p>