Does visiting college also help in getting additional weight to college application?
Google: “Common Data Set <>”
Section C lists how much weight a school gives visiting, essay, ECs, stats, etc
If the college does not take student interest into account, a visit can still help you write a better “Why College X?” essay if one is required.
And as much as some schools say they don’t count demonstrated interest, in deliberation between two similar students, they might be more likely to go with the student who has visited, emailed, called, and shown a commitment to the school (because colleges want to protect their yield).
I was not aware of the common data set. thanks for letting me know.
At the most highly competitive colleges, like Stanford,
demonstrated interest is not important to the admissions office.
But @yonceonhismouth you’re assuming that all schools even TRACK that sort of thing. Many don’t because they really don’t give a darn.
@T26E4 true, that was an assumption. I’ll clarify. You’d probably have to have heard from someone at the school that that matters in admissions, even if its not an official policy.
It wouldn’t happen at schools like Harvard, Stanford, etc. But at smaller LACs it’s a strong possibility.
^ That’s true – I’m not saying no schools value “demonstrated interest” – but the CC universe seems to over-inflate it and assume it’s true across the board. It really depends on the school.
Not everyone can visit a college. It’s expensive, time consuming, not practical, etc… Colleges that care about interest don’t penalize students who can’t visit, unless a student lives within usually a three hour drive. The student can express interest in other ways, and there are many threads on how to do that. One of the easiest ways though is to schedule an alumni interview for a college that you can’t visit. And, I personally think it doesn’t hurt for the student to let the area rep know that they are unable to visit.
Like others say, Look at the Common Data Set for the college and specificaly, “Level of applicant’s interest”.
If it important or above, you need to take steps to show interest.
Even if you can’t visit before you are admitted, there are ways to show interest.
Here are some ways to show interest:
+Sign up for information on the college website so you get emails.
+Open said emails…they can track if you do.
+Attend a college fair and talk to the admissions counselor/alumni. They will have a method for you to share your information.
+Attend a High School visit if the college visits your HS
+Attend a regional information session. if applicable
+Take a tour/Go to open house if possible.
+Sign up for an alumni interview if you can’t make it to campus if they have them
+Asking questions not answered on website to the the admissions counselor for your area;