<p>Hi, I am new to this forum. I am wondering if anybody can help me out. An admissions officer from Columbia is coming to visit my school soon. I already applied to Columbia ED and my guidance counselor said this visit is very important to me. What should I do to prepare? Do I need to dress up (the visit is during the school day)? Any advice? Thanks.</p>
<p>I would plan to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Dress at least business casual</li>
<li>Introduce yourself after the event</li>
<li>Tell them that you've applied ED</li>
<li>Ask them a few brief questions (2-3 at most) that show you understand the school and have thought deeply about it, and which you genuinely would like their opinion on.</li>
<li>Ask a quick question with a non-obvious answer about interviews (the one remaining interaction you'll have with the committee prior to your decision)</li>
<li>Thank them, shake their hand, and walk away - don't hog their time or ask dumb things just on principle.</li>
</ul>
<p>At a minimum you will have not made a bad impression, and there is a chance you will have made a good impression.</p>
<p>That's quite a lot for most 17 year olds to pull off.</p>
<p>so is getting into a top school.</p>
<hr>
<p>edit: Not that doing the above is NECESSARY to get into a top school, but the competition being so great that anything which might provide an edge is worth trying, especially with so little time investment required. The real differentiator of success vs failure in the above suggestion comes down to maturity and comfort level having a professional discussion. A half-hour's prep thinking about questions to ask may be all that's nominally required, but on the maturity side, you either have it or you don't. </p>
<p>Conversely, other things students might do to give themselves an edge - such as committing themselves to an activity or academic interest passionately, over several years, and achieving several accomplishments in it, can often require hundreds of hours in order to get an admissions payoff. Your ROI for making a good impression is a lot higher when compared against that.</p>
<p>
[quote]
so is getting into a top school.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's quite a lot for most 17 year olds who are competitive for the top schools. Most 17 year olds simply don't have the maturity / comfort level to pull that off, no matter how much time they'd spend practicing for it.</p>
<p>wow. Wear your normal class dress, say hello shake their hands, listen to them ask a question or two and maybe mention how your applying ed and thats it. Stuff like that is not really a big deal..</p>
<p>I agree with Denzera. Wear business casual, ask intelligent, thought out questions and walk away.</p>
<p>A mistake I've seen too many people make (whether it's looking for a job or applying to college) is that they talk for the sake of talking and are brashly open about applying to a firm/school. They usually end up looking like idiots.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your help.</p>