<p>Do college visits somehow improve my chances at getting into college?
Top colleges as well as the smaller ones?</p>
<p>How do they help, and to what extent?
Does it give me an edge over students who DIDN'T visit?</p>
<p>thank you</p>
<p>bump…please answer! :(</p>
<p>Depends on the schools, tell us what schools you want to know about.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1191394-will-i-competitive-duke.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1191394-will-i-competitive-duke.html</a></p>
<p>Like patriotsfan1 said, it depends on the school. Some schools don’t “track your interest” while others do. I know some applications ask “Have you visited the campus and/or taken a tour?” while others don’t. If the application doesn’t ask then I heard you should mention it in your interview (if you have one) because it makes them feel like you put in an effort and seem interested. The only school I know for certain that doesn’t track your interest is UVA because they told me at an info session AND this other session at my school (:</p>
<p>The answer is “maybe.” Schools that are purely formula-based won’t care. Schools that evaluate the applicants on an individual basis MAY use the visit as an expression of interest in the school. Many colleges prefer not to admit an applicant who has little interest and a low probability of attending even if accepted. Doing so depresses “yield,” a rating factor, and might mean rejecting a student who really wants to attend the school.</p>
<p>If you can’t visit, that doesn’t mean that you can’t show interest. Try engaging with your regional admissions rep, for example, and stay in periodic contact.</p>
<p>Some colleges, yes. Other colleges, no. Very generally, colleges that are often selected as safeties and that are trying to reduce the number of admitted students who turn them down want some indication that you’re interested in the school. </p>
<p>Here, for example, is part of Case Western Reserve’s supplement to the common application:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>One would presume they’re asking that question on their application for a reason and that it will play a part in the admissions decision. (They could be asking it for marketing purposes, of course, but Case is known as a school that’s trying to increase its yield by reducing its admitted safety seekers. Its admit rate went down substantially this year.)</p>
<p>At least three of the schools my daughter will apply to say they track interest and it is a factor in admissions and/or merit aid consideration. Bucknell, Skidmore, Muhlenberg. I think my son’s school (Wake Forest) did, as well. </p>
<p>I’m under the impression that the reachiest schools (HYPM, etc) don’t track because they have too many apps to make it a practical factor in considerations.</p>
<p>Pretty sure it will - at least for top colleges. I visited 9, and every single one of them required me to register online and provide personal information, or fill out forms when I arrived. (This is to schedule tours/information sessions, I don’t think simply showing up will mean anything)</p>
<p>“Pretty sure it will - at least for top colleges.”</p>
<p>Stanford is a “top college” and they could not care less if you visit or not.</p>
<p>Lehigh and GW both do.</p>
<p>Most of the very high ranked colleges – ivies, Stanford and the like – do not give consideration to acts showing interest. About the highest ranked national university that does is WashU followed by Emory. Many of your LAS colleges do. Public universities generally do not.</p>
<p>I think it’s a shame if colleges track these cattle calls as genuine interest in their school. My daughter and I visited several schools so far and most were attended by hundreds of people with dozens of crying young children. We were barely able to hear most of the presentation.<br>
We cancelled the rest of our visits because it would be a waste of time and money.
Luckily we know several current students and young alumni of the schools in which my child is interested.</p>
<p>If Stanford doesn’t consider visits, does it at least count if I write about my visit in a supplementary question answer?</p>
<p>Stanford reports on the 2010-2011 Common Data Set that level of applicant interest is not considered. This is true of many schools. If you want to know whether a school you are interested in considers this factor, google the name of the school and common data set.</p>
<p>^I was about to mention CDS.</p>
<p>Either contact the individual schools to get a really good idea of how much it effects admission, or check each school’s CDS or collegeboard page.</p>
<p>awesome, thanks guys!</p>
<p>Maybe we’ve just been lucky. We’ve visited six schools so far, with nary a crying baby.</p>
<p>Yes, it depends on the school - and even between schools the importance they accord it varies. Off the top of my head, I know Northwestern tracks interest as a rather important factor in admissions as it is a common safety school, while both Brown and U Chicago track interest less formally.</p>
<p>Depends on the school. Schools just outside the top 30 will most likely track your interest the most vigorously, because they know they are competing with schools with more prestige/stronger academics above them, and better scholarships for their average students at schools under them. For example, Lehigh is one school that comes to mind that most definitely keeps track of your interest. Kids getting accepted at Lehigh most likely have “better” options, whether it be a more nationally recognized school or a state school with a generous grant. Schools within top 30 don’t need to track your interest because their yields are high enough as is.</p>
<p>I don’t believe it matters. This year my D got into H,Y, Dartmouth, Duke, UVA, Vandy and Boston College without any visits. She did do a local H interview but did not make a local Y interview due to a schedule conflict. Good luck.</p>