<p>Please tell me if universities count these visits as "demonstrated interest".</p>
<p>Is there a charge for any forum?</p>
<p>Do you really get a chance to meet a real admissions rep?</p>
<p>Colleges definitely like it if you show interest in them and visit them. They’re not required, especially if it would be a hardship to get there.</p>
<p>Thanks for responding Acuraman93. I didn’t make myself clear. “Exploring College Options” and “Exploring Educational Excellence” are these events/forums hosted by ? at various hotels throughout the country. They are intended for the students who can’t travel distances, or for the students who just want to learn more about different universities. Some call them a waste of time or a “dog and pony show”. What I really want to know is if they charge for admittance, and whether there is any benefit to those who have already visited a campus.</p>
<p>I went to exploring college options a couple of years ago and i personally thought it was helpful (then again, i was kinda young and naive when i went). If you’ve already been to the campus, it might not be worthwhile, but the admissions representatives from your district are there and there’s a chance to ask questions and speak to them at the end…so i would say, if you can go, you should go :)</p>
<p>Thanks for your input hardlyworkin. Did you end up attending any of the colleges profiled at the event?</p>
<p>Were there any hidden costs?</p>
<p>I hope not. Ds and I are attending this event next week, and we’re not planning on paying one red cent! ;)</p>
<p>I’ve never been to this particular event, but I went to similar ones with my older son, and they’re really no big deal.</p>
<p>woah i just saw your question bsalum. sorry for not responding! and i haven’t gone to any of the colleges that were at the event because i’m still in high school haha. but i do know people who went to the event and ended up going to one of the schools that were there</p>
<p>My D thought the one with Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, and Rice was terrific and extremely useful. Often juniors don’t even know how to compare and contrast colleges. These guys do a terrific job of doing just that, so the take away is more about what to look for and how to think about finding a fit than about their specific colleges. </p>
<p>That said, she had Chicago very high on her “list” already, but after the presentation she dropped Brown and added Rice. We went to the one in the Boston area.</p>
<p>They are free. Believe me, they make up for it with the first tuition bill!</p>
<p>Funny, Rocker. Ds had Rice on his list already but added Brown. Took Chicago off because of the “huge city.” Yes, Rice is in huge Houston, but we have lots of family there so it just doesn’t feel that big to him.</p>
<p>DS 2012 and I attended the one for Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, and Rice held in Phoenix. They collected the “admission ticket” we received by email so I am guessing that some record of his attendance was noted. I don’t imagine that it is worth a whole lot in the admission process, given the selectivity of these universities.</p>
<p>I think these types of sessions allow students to get an idea of the culture of a school. What is chosen to highlight in the matter of 15-20 minutes tells a lot about what things are important. Even if they are not terribly interested in any of the schools presenting, students get more exposure to the vocabulary and concepts associated with college admissions. </p>
<p>So, I think it is good to go from the point of view of becoming more educated. I don’t think its impact on admissions is very significant, unless the school explicitly states that demonstrating interest is important.</p>
<p>Bump … </p>
<p>Correctly or not, I seem to recall that Rice was explicit in their material or online that they do take into consideration such demonstrated interest. Does anyone know if that is definitely true for some of the others? The two consortiums (consortia? yes!) coming through regionally are:</p>
<p>Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Rice
and
Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn, Stanford</p>
<p>Would appreciate it if anyone knows, because we’re talking 2-3 hour drive each way for these sessions, and given that you can find out so much about schools from college guides and their own websites, it’s really not worth the drive if they don’t give you a brownie point or two for demonstrating interest.</p>
<p>Regardless of their benefit in terms of admissions chances with demonstrated interest (which is often unnecessary), I found these types of events very informative about both the admissions process and - more importantly - the schools themselves.</p>
<p>If you’ve already visited the schools, they might not be all that informative, but if you haven’t yet visited and it’s not too much of a burden to attend, I’d recommend going. It’s really only a few hours of your life.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m under the impression that Rice does take demonstrated interest into consideration, but it does not seem to be a dominant factor. I was admitted even though I demonstrated next to zero interest (I didn’t do anything beyond join their mailing list), and I haven’t heard of them engaging in yield protection (there’s quite obviously no need, given that we’re consistently rated highest quality of life and had way more yield than anticipated this year).</p>
<p>Thanks. We’ve been to some, not all. My DD just thinks that her 2 college guides (Princeton Review and Yale Daily News’ version - the Insider’s Guide) are quite accurate, based on comparing their reviews with several visits we have made. So that, coupled with the schools’ own websites, leads her to feel that further in-person visits are unnecessary until she narrows down her field. I agree with her first observation, but I’m not sure about the inference that follows. I do have to concede that info sessions are very similar from school to school. If that’s what these tours are, then I tend to agree, there’s not a lot of unique information imparted. </p>
<p>However, that may not be the only benefit. Demonstrated interest probably helps. But then again, I may be old fashioned about the ways one shows that interest. It does sound like these group info sessions can get very crowded and one might not even get a chance to talk to the representatives. So if all you do is get your attendance registered … well …</p>
<p>just an update - DD and I went to E^3 in Nashville Thursday night. It was worthwhile, if only to be able to ask specific questions of the representatives that may not be able to be found in a guidebook. The slideshows and accompanying talks do a good job of highlighting the differences between the schools (e.g., core curriculum @ Columbia vs. open @ Brown; rural Cornell vs. city everyone else; residential college @ Rice - and maybe UChicago vs others, etc). Then there was some stuff on generic good advice for apps - watch deadlines, follow directions, have someone proofread your essay, etc. </p>
<p>By and large, it was hard to disentangle the impression of the school from that of the presenter. For example, Brown had a fellow who was very enthusiastic, funny, and informative, leaving a very positive impression. If I were Brown I would be very pleased to have him represent my school. The others varied but were all at least good. </p>
<p>Perhaps it was in another thread that someone mentioned that the tables set up by each school are mobbed at the end; my DD ended up waiting for most kids to leave before getting in line to ask her questions. They did make a wise comment about asking the parents to take a step back and let the kids take the lead in getting in line, asking questions, and so forth. </p>
<p>It truly is no substitute for a campus visit, but I think it’s a useful tool (like the college guides) in helping you decide which schools to bother to visit in person, given limited time and resources to do so.</p>