<p>Hey all,</p>
<p>I was just wondering if you knew what was the best way to go about doing this.</p>
<p>I'm an Intl student that probably won't get a chance to visit some LACs/smaller Universities that I'm interested in due to costs. However, most of them put a heavy emphasis on 'demonstrating interest'. </p>
<p>Additionally, there are a couple of schools that I've just fallen in love with (bigger, more 'prestigious' ones, such as Caltech) that I just have some questions about, like life there/certain majors. This obviously isn't for 'demonstrating interest' though- these schools have tons of people who'd love to go there, though I wouldn't mind being friendly with my regional rep. ;)</p>
<p>So is the idea just to really: 1) Email the general admissions people and ask for my regional rep? and 2) Ask the rep questions? Like for instance, I'd like to talk to students with a certain major or stuff like that.</p>
<p>I was just wondering if I had the idea down right. I find the concept a little awkward, but I recognize that it's crucial for admissions. </p>
<p>Thanks! :)</p>
<p>First, check a school’s Common Data Set section C7 to see if the school places any weight on demonstrated interest.</p>
<p>If they do, asking good questions is better than the silence of not showing any interest.</p>
<p>Okay, sounds good. Would it be acceptable to ask the rep if I could talk to a student or something? I really want to know what students think of the school.</p>
<p>Thanks for responding btw!</p>
<p>@vonlost, I just checked a schools Common Data Set and it says they don’t consider interest; however, when I talked to a dean of admissions at an info session last time, they said they did. Who should I listen to?</p>
<p>The dean. ^ (even though I’m not vonlost). They might’ve just forgotten to update the set.</p>
<p>I agree, the dean. I’ve caught a CDS mistake before, and the school has fixed it, so it indeed can happen!</p>
<p>Hey vonlost, I was wondering if you thought it was acceptable to ask an admissions rep if I could talk to a current student? I want to know what life is like for certain majors at some schools before deciding to apply.</p>
<p>Yes; some schools encourage talking with current students, but unless they have such a program set up, it may be difficult to arrange. Asking here in a school’s forum might work better.</p>
<p>What are some appropriate things to ask. You can find out so much from a tour, info session and Internet, some questions seem a little silly. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Any reason you fell “in love” with caltech? I’m not doubting your knowledge of the school, but caltech is certainly not bigger than a LAC. If your fell “in love” with the fact that its a prestigious math/science school, then also look into schools like MIT and Harvey Mudd (the latter being an LAC).</p>
<p>Also, I’d avoid asking questions that are vague and provide little info (e.g. “how is the science department?”). Rather, list your prospective majors and ask about features unique to the school.</p>
<p>For example, if you wanted to show caltech you were interested (even though they don’t consider it), you could ask about their testing policy and if it promotes collaboration among the students.</p>
<p>“What are some appropriate things to ask.”</p>
<p>I think this is the wrong question; such questions can sound canned and phony.</p>
<p>The right question is the question you really have.</p>
<p>I’m on my iPhone,so I’ll be succinct. I really like the collaboration, the location, the campus, the research opportunities and even their bio curriculum. </p>
<p>I have a few other schools that I love too, that are somewhat larger. I like MIT but the atmosphere is sort off putting for me. Still applying Ofc. Anyways, I obviously care about prestige, but rest assured that I am doing my research 
</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips too- ill reply properly once iget home from work.</p>