<p>Two questions (kind of):
1) I have heard that I should contact the regional admissions officers from the colleges, is this correct and what kind of questions should I ask?
2)Why should I contact the regional officer when he is not the one making the decision and has no affect on if I get in or not (or does he?)? and how much will keeping consistent contact with an admissions officer help my chances?</p>
<p>A lot of places have 2 officers read the app. One is random, and the other has knowledge of the region and high schools in your area. So, if you can make a good impression on that person, they may be able to vouch for you if the other officer isn't incredibly impressed with your app.</p>
<p>Don't contact the regional admissions officer solely because you hope to curry some favor when decisions are made.</p>
<p>While some schools do consider "demonstrated interest" when making decisions (others don't), pestering an admissions officer with inane questions in an effort to be noticed won't win you any votes with the admissions committee. </p>
<p>Do, however, feel free to email the admissions officer if you have well-thought-out questions relevant to YOU that you can't find answers to on the website or in the school's other materials. Be polite, however. Introduce yourself as a prospective student, keep your questions brief, use proper grammar (and no emoticoms!) and ask if they can refer you to someone who can answer your questions if they can't. That type of contact is fine, and most admissions people like to answer such questions. </p>
<p>Do also attend any events in your area that the school might be hosting or attending -- if an admissions officer visits your school, for instance, try to attend the presentation. Introduce yourself, but don't expect them to remember you (one tip: if you're at a college fair or a college presentation, always use the name of your school when you introduce yourself. Admissions people on the road may not remember individual student names, but they do remember school names)</p>
<p>Do try to interview with your admissions officer if a school offers such interviews. Send a polite and brief thank you note afterwards, and if questions relevant to YOU come up, feel free to email the person you talked to. The interview with an admissions officer is probably the best way to get noticed. </p>
<p>But, no one likes to be pestered, so don't just blitz admissions officers with emails in hopes of gaining an edge. Not only will it not help much, but it may actually backfire if you're seen as a pest.</p>