<p>I know liberal arts schools keep track of prospective students' "interest" -- but do top universities really have time to do this? The reason I ask is that my son is getting invitations to "joint information sessions" by some top schools (think Columbia, Rice, Brown). If he's already visited the out-of-state campus, we don't see why he should spend half of a day driving to a nearby city to attend one of these group sessions. But if showing up would enhance his application in the uber-competitive environment in which theses schools exist, well that's another matter. What do you think? Thanks!</p>
<p>Some do, some don’t. I have heard that Ivies don’t care about interest, but that places like Wash U in St Louis do. You can check on each college’s website under their common data set - there is a page with what they consider important. If he has already visited the campus, I think that shows interest!</p>
<p>Informational sessions - the student can show up but no one remembers the student. If there is a doubt, a parent can attend for the student.</p>
<p>Ivies don’t track interest is the prevailing wisdom (I suspect some that are not in the single digit acceptance rates do). Most others do including Chicago, Duke, Rice, Northwestern, WashU etc.</p>
<p>Go to each school’s web site.</p>
<p>Put “common data set” in the search box.</p>
<p>Read the most recent common data set, section C7.</p>
<p>Check if “level of applicant’s interest” is considered in admissions.</p>
<p>I think if you’ve already visited the campus–and signed in–you don’t need to drive to another city for a dog-and-pony show. If a rep comes to the high school, or to your town, though, I think you should go.</p>
<p>I don’t want to get too far off topic, but this is something I’ve been meaning to ask and does dovetail nicely with the OP.</p>
<p>Ds gets e-mail from colleges saying, “Come visit!” even when he already has visited. I wonder how closely the colleges are working with their marketing companies. Seems to me not closely if they can’t cull out the names of kids who have visited from the names they buy based on test scores. Seems like an easy enough sort.</p>
<p>It’s because this has happened with mulitple schools that it makes me more likely to advise OP to make the effort to go to the session if it’s somewhere your student really is interested in. Those cards you fill out at the sessions, I’m assuming, are kept by the admissions office and would definitely demonstrate interest. I’m lucky in that we live close enough to a large city that we don’t have to drive hours to get to receptions. If we did have to drive hours, I might feel differently.</p>
<p>YDS, we have the same issue with several schools. One in particular that D has already visited, toured, met with a coach, met with the local admissions rep at our HS, etc. She wants to e-mail back - “hey, I’ve already been there and am planning to apply!” She does have a different personal e-mail address than the one she used on her college board/PSAT things, so maybe that is part of it.</p>
<p>UVA comes right out and says on its website when they have regular tours of the campus, and that they don’t keep track of who shows up and who doesn’t. S2 was accepted at Vanderbilt, College of William and Mary, and Villanova without ever setting foot on the campuses or doing more than was required in their applications. S1 was accepted at Penn State and St. Mary’s College of Maryland without visiting or doing anything more than the applications.</p>
<p>If you really want to show interest, apply ED. There is no more powerful demonstration.</p>
<p>That said, most of the very top schools (except for places with chips on their shoulders, like Wash U) don’t track interest. They know you’re interested.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies to my original query. Very helpful. So, I looked at the Common Data Set for his two reachiest schools and see that “student interest” is NOT a consideration. </p>
<p>Just today he was notified that his PSAT score places him in the Finalist or Commended range and he has the option of participating in the College Plans Reporting Service. As such, he can have his name and score reported to two colleges this summer.</p>
<p>Should he choose the two schools where student interest is not a consideration? It seems to me that he will “waste” this opportunity to show interest and that he should instead choose two schools where student interest IS important. However, if he chooses the two reach schools now, perhaps they will pay attention to him. Does anyone have experience here? We expect he’ll be a NMSQT Finalist come September.</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>If the schools do not offer a scholarship associated with national merit, is it of any use to show interest this way? They will know that you are semi-finalist when you submit an application.</p>
<p>OTOH, if they do, they might be wondering why you did not name them but applied to them. However, if your son checked off the flag saying colleges can contact him on the PSAT test, you will start receiving mail from every school including those that don’t have a scholarship (we have seen letters from ivy league schools that don’t offer any merit money based on AP, PSAT, SAT and ACT scores).</p>
<p>Top tier schools have dedicated rep(s) for each region. They are the gatekeepers. Since they are most familiar with their region, they are the ones who give the recommendation whether an application gets moved forward. They are also the ones an applicant would send updated information to. Those reps would often “fight” to get their applicants. I would go, sign in, and try to make an impression.</p>
<p>The most selective schools do not tend to track demonstrated interest. ST Mary;s of MD does take “fit” into consideration, so that anyone who is borderline in admissions should make the effort to let admissions know what a good fit the school is. When we visited there, the admissions director said as much.</p>
<p>If your student is particularly good in making a favorable impression with others, contact could make a difference. Bear in mind, however, that some kids just do not do well at short presentations. That is one thing that has surprised me; that there are so many parents out there who don’t know how their kids present. They seem to feel that all of those quirks or awkwardness makes their kids all the more charming. Not always. When someone is eying the kid looking for reason to reject, those things are prime targets. I knew well that one of my kids was iffy in that area and another was superb, with the others well within the average range.</p>
<p>ici, there’s a ton of useful information and opinion on how to “spend” the two National Merit letters in the National Merit scholarship forum. [National</a> Merit Scholarships - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/]National”>National Merit Scholarships - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>
I’ve heard this on CC all the time but guess what it depends on the school. Princeton is an Ivy and it does track interest in the common data set.
<a href=“http://registrar.princeton.edu/university_enrollment_sta/common_cds2011.pdf[/url]”>http://registrar.princeton.edu/university_enrollment_sta/common_cds2011.pdf</a></p>